Sorry, I don't have a link for this.. a friend emailed it to me:
> Linux Focus: The Borg takes on NASA multi-processing
>
> Thu, 11 Jun 1998 13:05:01 GMT Morgan Holt
>
> Cranfield University computer centre has developed a Linux-based
> system of networked Pentium II PCs to replace its decommissioned Cray
> mainframe.
>
> Following the relegation of its Cray licence, the Centre built a
> network supercomputer' made up of 16 machines each with a 300MHz
> Pentium II processor, 192MB RAM and a 1-Gigabyte hard disk. A further
> master' PC features an 8GB hard disk.
>
> Dubbed the Borg' after the entity featured in Star Trek that
> constituted a single intellect by combining the minds of all the
> people it assimilated, the 17-PC network is configured similarly to NASA's
> Beowulf' system. Initiated in the early 1990s, NASA sought with
> Beowulf to enable processing of large quantities of data in parallel using a
> network of relatively low cost PCs.
>
> According to Peter Lister, systems and communications programmer at
> Cranfield, the Borg is a pilot project to take the Beowulf technology
> far into the university. "We have used a Cray J916 until now for many
> of our more mathematically intensive processing tasks. Our 3-year
> lease on the Cray has recently expired, however, and the machine has been
> decommissioned."
>
> Not having a Cray left a big gap and as the university's processing
> requirements never reduce, it is hoped that a Beowulf-type system
> will fill the gap.
>
> And, of course, it runs on Linux.
>
> "Unlike the Windows environment..., Linux doesn't swallow up huge
> amounts of our system resources," he said. "It's much more 'lean and
> mean' than Windows. It is also very well supported in the UK... not
> to mention a worldwide network of around six million enthusiastic
> users."
>
> In some respects, the Borg offers Cranfield certain advantages over
> the Cray. It's a bit like comparing a double-decker bus with a Ferrari.
> The latter goes very fast, but if the job in hand is to get 80 people to
> work, one Ferrari will not do a very efficient job. Forty Ferraris
> would work, but would be expensive and hard to maintain. One
> double-decker bus is about right.
>
> Although a Cray gives faster processing than a Pentium II, fully
> configuring it with gigabytes of memory would get very expensive. And
> for many problems, parallel application of 16 relatively slow 32-bit
> processors with 3Gb memory will outperform a Cray's 512Mb memory
> across four fast 64-bit processors.
I figured our TA-Cube drones would be pleased!
> Linux Focus: The Borg takes on NASA multi-processing
>
> Thu, 11 Jun 1998 13:05:01 GMT Morgan Holt
>
> Cranfield University computer centre has developed a Linux-based
> system of networked Pentium II PCs to replace its decommissioned Cray
> mainframe.
>
> Following the relegation of its Cray licence, the Centre built a
> network supercomputer' made up of 16 machines each with a 300MHz
> Pentium II processor, 192MB RAM and a 1-Gigabyte hard disk. A further
> master' PC features an 8GB hard disk.
>
> Dubbed the Borg' after the entity featured in Star Trek that
> constituted a single intellect by combining the minds of all the
> people it assimilated, the 17-PC network is configured similarly to NASA's
> Beowulf' system. Initiated in the early 1990s, NASA sought with
> Beowulf to enable processing of large quantities of data in parallel using a
> network of relatively low cost PCs.
>
> According to Peter Lister, systems and communications programmer at
> Cranfield, the Borg is a pilot project to take the Beowulf technology
> far into the university. "We have used a Cray J916 until now for many
> of our more mathematically intensive processing tasks. Our 3-year
> lease on the Cray has recently expired, however, and the machine has been
> decommissioned."
>
> Not having a Cray left a big gap and as the university's processing
> requirements never reduce, it is hoped that a Beowulf-type system
> will fill the gap.
>
> And, of course, it runs on Linux.
>
> "Unlike the Windows environment..., Linux doesn't swallow up huge
> amounts of our system resources," he said. "It's much more 'lean and
> mean' than Windows. It is also very well supported in the UK... not
> to mention a worldwide network of around six million enthusiastic
> users."
>
> In some respects, the Borg offers Cranfield certain advantages over
> the Cray. It's a bit like comparing a double-decker bus with a Ferrari.
> The latter goes very fast, but if the job in hand is to get 80 people to
> work, one Ferrari will not do a very efficient job. Forty Ferraris
> would work, but would be expensive and hard to maintain. One
> double-decker bus is about right.
>
> Although a Cray gives faster processing than a Pentium II, fully
> configuring it with gigabytes of memory would get very expensive. And
> for many problems, parallel application of 16 relatively slow 32-bit
> processors with 3Gb memory will outperform a Cray's 512Mb memory
> across four fast 64-bit processors.
I figured our TA-Cube drones would be pleased!
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