1. Cluster Software Overview

2. Cluster Software Stack
Linux Kernel/Environment
RedHat, SuSE, Debian, etc.

3. Cluster Software Stack
HPC Device Drivers
Interconnect driver (e.g., Myrinet, Infiniband, Quadrics)
Storage drivers (e.g., PVFS)

4. Cluster Software Stack
Job Scheduling and Launching
Sun Grid Engine (SGE)
Portable Batch System (PBS)
Load Sharing Facility (LSF)

5. Cluster Software Stack
Cluster Software Management
E.g., Rocks, OSCAR, Scyld

6. Cluster Software Stack
Cluster State Management and Monitoring
Monitoring: Ganglia, Clumon, Nagios, Tripwire, Big Brother
Management: Node naming and configuration (e.g., DHCP)

7. Cluster Software Stack
Message Passing and Communication Layer
E.g., Sockets, MPICH, PVM

8. Cluster Software Stack
Parallel Code / Web Farm / Grid / Computer Lab
Locally developed code

9. Cluster Software Stack
Questions:
How to deploy this stack across every machine in the cluster?
How to keep this stack consistent across every machine?

10. Software Deployment Known methods:
By hand
“Add-on” method
Bring up a frontend, then add cluster packages
OpenMosix, OSCAR, Warewulf
Integrated
Cluster packages are added at frontend installation time
Rocks, Scyld

11. OpenMosix Overview Processors supported Interconnects supported
Single system image - all nodes look like one large multiprocessor
Jobs migrate from machine to machine (based on machine load)
No changes required for apps to use system
Processors supported
x86
Opteron port in progress
Itanium port unclear
Interconnects supported
All IP-based networks

12. OpenMosix Installation
Install all nodes with Linux
Can use RedHat, SuSE, Debian, Gentoo, etc.
Download and install OpenMosix add-on packages on each node (or configure and compile custom kernel)
Kernel patches
Supports diskful and diskless
Reboot all nodes
Now running OpenMosix kernel

13. OSCAR Overview Processors supported: x86, Itanium (in beta)
Imaged based installation
Bring up frontend by hand
Add OSCAR packages to frontend
Construct image for compute nodes within a directory on the frontend
Redhat 9.0 and Mandrake 9.0 support
Includes LAM/MPI, MPICH, PVM, Maui/PBS, PVFS, Clumon
Processors supported: x86, Itanium (in beta)
Interconnects: Ethernet, Myrinet

14. OSCAR Diskless support in development Opteron support in development
High-availability support in alpha testing

15. Warewulf Overview Standard cluster software not included
Install frontend first
Recommend using RPM-based distribution
Imaged based installation
“Virtual node filesystem”
Attacks problem of generic slave node management
Standard cluster software not included
Added separately
Use ‘chroot’ commands to add in extra software
Supports diskful and diskless
Processors supported: x86, Opteron

16. Scyld Commercial distribution Single system image design
“Bproc”
Based on Red Hat Enterprise Server 3.0
Processors: x86 and Opteron
Itanium in development
Interconnects: Ethernet and Infiniband
MPI and PVM
Diskful and diskless support

17. Rocks Cluster on a CD Processors: x86, Opteron, Itanium
Based on Red Hat Enterprise Workstation 3.0
Processors: x86, Opteron, Itanium
Interconnects: Ethernet and Myrinet
Infiniband in development
Compute node management via Red Hat’s kickstart mechanism
Diskfull only

18. Many Others Clustermatic Clic Fully Automatic Installation Callident
Uses LinuxBIOS
Clic
From mandrakesoft
Fully Automatic Installation
Debian-based
Callident
Commericial version of Rocks
Qlusters
Commercial version of openMosix