Scyld Beowulf CD is both an install disk and node boot media!

[Horatio B. Bogbindero]

how about support for machine that us intel pxe. we are planning to use in
our new cluster setup. does an installation from the beowulf CD work with
this kind of setup?

On Wed, 11 Oct 2000, Donald Becker wrote:

> 
> A question about our new distribution revealed that I missed a feature of
> our new distribution CD-ROM:
> 
>    The CD-ROM is both an install disk, and a compute node boot disk!
> 
> If you using the CD to install the Scyld Beowulf on the front-end machine,
> you must type either "graphics" or "text" within 20 seconds(1).
> 
> You can use the same CD to boot the compute nodes.  After the 20 second
> timeout, it takes five to ten seconds for the node to join the cluster -- no
> additional installation is needed.(2)
> 
> Although you can use just one CD-ROM, our supported packages ship with a CD
> for every node.
> 
> If you are ordering the unsupported version from LinuxCentral
>    http://linuxcentral.com/catalog/index.php3?prod_code=L000-089
> you should just order a $2 CD for each node.  You can order up to 20 disks
> without the shipping charge increasing, and the shipping for a 100 disks is
> still under $10 in the U.S.
> 
> The node boot kernel is replaced with the final kernel using Two Kernel
> Monte, so the only reason the node boot CDs will become obsolete is if you
> buy new hardware (e.g. network adapters) that requires an updated driver
> or kernel.
> 
> Notes:
> 1. It has already been reported that 20 seconds isn't enough time to absorb
> all of the info on initial screen.  The next edition will have simplified
> instruction, only the common options, and new aliases of "install" and "gui".
> 
> 2. Booting off of the CD is far faster and more reliable than using a
> floppy.  It takes about a minute to read a boot floppy.  And ask people who
> have tried to use floppy booted PCs as routers.  Dust accumulates around the
> open shutter, and the head dents and slowly erases the disk.
> 
> 
> 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
> 
> 
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> 

 
---------------------
william.s.yu at ieee.org
 
(1) Everything depends.
(2) Nothing is always.
(3) Everything is sometimes.