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<TITLE>RE: Microsoft Releases Computational Cluster Technical Preview Toolkit</TITLE>
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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001>Richard,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>Please
try not to be so negative. I was involved with producing the "microsoft
clustering solution", and I assure you, its much more than you suggested.
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>At the
heart of the CD are the excellent tools from MPI software Technology Inc.
They are commercial tools, so the Beowulf community may not like them. But
rest assured, there are many companies out there who'd rather pay someone to
maintain their cluster middleware than maintain it
themselves.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>Also
on the CD is Intel's MKL library, PLAPACK from Robert van de Geijn's group, and
a collection of scripts and documentation from the Cornel Threory Center.
Oh, and lets not forget the Microsoft contribution, Visual studio and Windows
2000. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>Its a
commercial clustering solution, so of course, the software is provided as
evaluation copies only. But the evaluation period is more than long enough
to determine if the solution stack works.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>Its
important to note that there is a community out there --- granted not well
represented on this list --- who sincerely believe in the Microsoft
O.S.'s. Rather than putting them down, I prefer to recognize that
"one size doesn't fit all" and do what can be done to enable clustering in both
Linux and Microsoft O.S.'s. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>thank
you,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=995383003-14022001>--Tim
Mattson</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001>Dislcaimer: the views expressed in this note are
my own -- not my employers.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=995383003-14022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Schilling, Richard
[mailto:RSchilling@affiliatedhealth.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 13,
2001 4:59 PM<BR><B>To:</B> beowulf@beowulf.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE:
Microsoft Releases Computational Cluster Technical Preview To olkit
<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<P><FONT size=2>O.K. someone has to start, so might as well be me. . .
.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>I'd bet if Peter Dell ran some numbers on how much it would
cost to hire all of us to develop custom software -vs- the total cost of
ownership for a "Microsoft clustering solution", we'd beat 'em in
price.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>I looked at the web page for the clustering preview kit, and
the kit comes with a bunch of evaluation software, including C++, and some
versions of MPI and PALPACK. The problem I can see outright is that
you've got to use all the evaluation stuff - Visual C++, Windows 2000 Server,
etc . . . to do any testing. And after all that work to develop a test
suite (e.g. convert your existing code), the only thing you have is a system
that works for as long as the evaluation software runs out - if you even get
done before then. And buying the software to keep it going means buying
into the product life cycle for Microsoft products. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>I've seen too much work go into other products to justify the
time needed to explore this. Perhaps just another marketing ploy to hock
mediocre software. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>So, am I alone in my concerns?</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT size=2>Here's to getting Microsoft to CONTRIBUTE something
USEFUL,</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Richard Schilling</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Webmaster / Web
Integration Programmer</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2><A
href="http://www.affiliatedhealth.org"
target=_blank>http://www.affiliatedhealth.org</A></FONT>
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