[Beowulf] MPICH - ssh config question

[Nathan Moore]

I'm trying to install MPICH on a small cluster of powermac G4's  
running opensuse 10.1 .  The machines are in a campus network  
environment with no cluster-specific fileserver, central LDAP host  
etc.  While I have been able to compile and install MPICH, I can't  
get the ring up and running (mpdboot fails).

What sort of network connection do I between the cluster of  
machines?  I can ssh to and fro within the cluster (with a  
password).  Do I need to set up a fileserver to run MPICH in a  
satisfying way?

What is the proper way to set up ssh so that once I've connected to  
one machine within the cluster I never have to enter a password again  
to move within the cluster?  Is this what is necessary to get MPICH  
to run?

regards,

Nathan Moore