[Beowulf-announce] Next Scyld Release

[Sean Dilda]

This hit our website this morning and I thought I'd forward it along
since so many have been wondering about our next release.  The list of
new features is down near the bottom of the press release.  It's not
mentioned in the press release, but this next release also includes all
the Red Hat errata (minus rpm4), including a kernel based off of Red
Hat's 2.2.19 errata kernel.





Scyld Computing Corporation Releases Latest Professional Version of Next
Generation Beowulf Clustering

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 18, 2001) - Scyld Computing Corporation today
released the Scyld Beowulf Professional Edition, the latest version of
its next generation cluster operating system software. Professional
Scyld Beowulf greatly simplifies cluster setup, integration and
administration, while providing seamless scalability. Coupled with
documentation and support from the original Beowulf development team,
Professional Scyld Beowulf provides the first true clustering solution
that can be installed and run directly out of the box.

Beowulf cluster systems connect a series of computers together, using a
modified version of Linux, to form a parallel processing supercomputer.
The Scyld Beowulf Operating System improves upon traditional Beowulf
clusters as all operations performed on the linked cluster nodes are
initiated and administered through a single master node. Its Single
System Image (SSI) design makes the cluster act and feel like a single
computer. This drastically simplifies maintenance and eliminates common
pitfalls of clustering such as version skew and runaway jobs. Scyld
Beowulf only needs to be installed on one master node and will run
clusters of hundreds of compute nodes. Professional Scyld Beowulf is a
complete software system. No other software is required to create the
cluster.

For industries such as energy, biotechnology and finance, there is
growing commercial demand for High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters.
Companies are looking for more cost-effective ways to analyze enormous
amounts of data. One example of this demand is in the petroleum
industry, where 3-D seismic modeling is used to locate oil fields.
Because large amounts of data must be processed to create an image of a
complex geology, seismic modeling is a very compute-intensive process.
Such imaging turns raw, unprocessed data into a coherent image that
accurately depicts the situation below the earth's surface, saving
millions in reduced exploration and drilling costs and improved
production.

Scyld Beowulf has distinct price advantages over traditional Symmetric
Multiprocessing (SMP) or vector supercomputers. Using commodity servers
and hardware components, a Scyld Beowulf based system can provide the
same amount of computing power at 10%-50% of the cost. Continued savings
are realized by the reduced costs of supporting a broad-based operating
system as compared to the expensive maintenance contracts required for
proprietary operating systems of traditional SMP or vector
supercomputers. Companies can save even more by leveraging their
existing hardware and installing Scyld Beowulf, allowing them to set up
a cluster system for a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. In
addition, Scyld Beowulf's simplified master node installation and
administration eliminates the administrative costs and potential risks
inherent in other HPC clusters that require nodes to be administered
separately.

Donald Becker, Scyld's founder and Chief Technology Officer, and other
Scyld developers were the original architects of Beowulf computing while
working at NASA as research scientists. That same team has improved and
adapted the technology for the commercial market, using the same
exacting standards for software engineering, development, quality
control, test methodologies and support that NASA uses to ensure
successful missions. The result is Professional Scyld Beowulf.

"Our mission at Scyld is to create software that will bring cost
effective, easily managed, high-performance computing to the commercial
marketplace", said Becker. "The new features in this release add
significantly to our existing standard upon which high performance
cluster applications have been developed. This new release will further
stimulate deployment of turn-key commercial applications".

Scyld has formed and is in the process of forming partnerships and
alliances with many clustering industry leaders including, Compaq,
Arrow/Wyle, API, Penguin Computing, GIGABYTE Server Group, PSSC Labs,
Aspen Systems, Atipa Technologies, RLX Technologies, CFI, Racksaver,
eLinux, Cendio Systems, Western Scientific, VA Linux, and Myricom.
amongst others. Scyld works closely with its partner's hardware systems
to certify seamless operation of hardware platforms such as Compaq's
Proliant DL380 and DL360 servers, Compaq's DS10 series AlphaServers,
API's CS20 and UP2000+, Penguin Computing's servers, RLX Technologies'
System 324 Blade technology, and Intel's ServerBoards. In addition,
Scyld has partners and alliances with traditional parallel application
and tool providers such as, MPI Software Technology Inc., Veridian
PBS-Pro, Wolfram Mathematica, NAG, Absoft, Lahey, Backbone Networks,
NAMD, CHARMM, and TurboGenomics. Scyld has a formal channel program to
authorize and train value added resellers to provide off-the-shelf,
fully integrated and supported turnkey cluster systems.

New enhancements on the latest Professional Version include, full Alpha
support including simplified installation tools, full Myrinet and
Gigabit Ethernet support, the Scyld Beowulf Batch Queue system (BBQ),
automatic node addition, web based administration and job monitoring,
advanced hardware health and status monitoring, Parallel Virtual File
System (PVFS), NFSv3, and ROMIO file systems, updated MPIch library, and
much more. For detailed pricing and more information visit the Scyld
website at www.scyld.com.

Professional Scyld Beowulf comes bundled with one year of support from
the original development team and full documentation. The professional
documentation set includes: Installation, System Administration, Users
Guide, and Programmers Reference information. In addition, Scyld offers
Beowulf clustering certification training from the original Scyld
Beowulf developers.
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