[Beowulf] 2 starting questions on how I should proceed for a correct first micro-cluster (2-nodes) building

[Marco Ippolito]

Hi all,

I'm developing an application which need to use tools and other
applications that excel in a distributed environment:
- HPX ( https://github.com/STEllAR-GROUP/hpx ) ,
- Kafka ( http://kafka.apache.org/ )
- a blockchain tool.
This is why I'm eager to learn how to deploy a beowulf cluster.

I've read some info here:
- https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Building_a_Beowulf_Cluster
- https://www.linux.com/blog/building-beowulf-cluster-just-13-steps
-
https://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~mjf/pi_cluster/src/Building_a_simple_Beowulf_cluster.html

And I have 2 starting questions in order to clarify how I should proceed
for a correct cluster building:

1) My starting point is a PC, I'm working with at the moment, with this
features:
  - Corsair Simm Memoria RAM, DDR3, PC1600, 32GB, CL10 Ven k
  - Intel Ci7 Box Processore CPU 1150 i7-4790K, 4.00 GHz
  - Samsung MZ-76E500B Unità SSD Interna 860 EVO, 500 GB, 2.5" SATA III,
Nero/Grigio
  - MB ASUS H97-PLUS
   - lettore DVD-RW

  I'm using as OS Ubuntu 18.04.01 Server Edition.

On one side I read that it should be better to put in the same cluster the
same type of HW : PCs of the same type,
but on the other side also hetherogeneous HW (server or PCs) can also be
deployed.
So....which HW should I take in consideration for the second node, if the
features of the very first "node" are the ones above?

2) I read that some software (Rocks, OSCAR) would make the cluster
configuration easier and smoother. But I also read that
 using the same OS,
with the right same version, for all nodes, in my case Ubuntu 18.04.01
Server Edition, could be a safe starter.
So... is it strictly necessary to use Rocks or OSCAR to correctly configure
the nodes network?

Looking forward to your kind hints and suggestions.
Marco
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