Information on scyld professionl

[Donald Becker]

On Thu, 18 Oct 2001, Kwan Wing Keung wrote:

> We recently have setup a 32-node Compaq Proliant beowulf cluster using the 
> scyld basic.  We would like to consider the scyld professional, but we
> have very little information on the additional features it can provide.

Despite the impression of some, we do avoid Scyld-specific posts that
would be interpreted as just marketing.  This might fall on the wrong
side.

The professional version adds documentation (reference manual, user
guides, detailed installation manual, etc), additional tools appropriate
for site-level use such as web based administration, a simple batch
queuing system, and parameters configured for larger clusters.  The
kernel, libraries and utilities are identical or compatible between the
two branches.

We think the differences make sense for the different class of users.
Individuals connecting a few machines in the basement are more likely to
want a simple console GUI that allows custom configuration for each
machine.

Commercial users are more likely to have large memory systems, large node
counts, and need more TCP sockets.  They want the option of a cluster file
system, and third-party packages such as a site scheduler or debuggers.

> Furthermore, we are also told that the scyld professional still has two
> sub-categories: the commercial and the educational versions.  Any
> information link will be highly appreciated.

The educational pricing is for the same software with a reduced support
commitment.  Most 

Donald Becker				becker at scyld.com
Scyld Computing Corporation		http://www.scyld.com
410 Severn Ave. Suite 210		Second Generation Beowulf Clusters
Annapolis MD 21403			410-990-9993