Next Scyld Release

[David Vos]

Is they system being released under open source, or is it only available
as the boxed set? I would love to be able to order a $10 CD from
www.linuxcentral.com to have a look at it.

I really couldn't figure out what all of the advantages were of the
Professional vs. the Basic Edition.

Do you know of any academic pricing?  I don't know if we have much of a
budget available.  Lots of people on this list would be interested.

If we have a 16node cluster + 1 master = 17 computers, would we need to
get the 32 Processor license?  (probably a question I should ask your
sales team)

I can understand charging for the system, since it is geared to larger
installations -- not the pile of junk in my basement.  You need to turn a
profit on all of your work.  I've always felt bad using this list as a
Scyld support list.

David

On Wed, 18 Jul 2001, Sean Dilda wrote:

> 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.
>