High-Performance Computing Clusters

Transcription

1 High-Performance Computing Clusters 7401 Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx:

2 What Is a Cluster? There are several types of clusters and the only constant is that clusters keep changing. Here are some examples of common clusters: High-availability (HA) Clusters High-availability Clusters (a.k.a Failover clusters) are used in industries where down-time is not an option. Toll roads, subways, financial institutions, 911 call centers, to name a few, are all entities that have high-availability requirements. HA Clusters generally come in a redundant two-node configuration with the redundant node kicking in when the primary node fails. Seneca Data offers the NEC Express5800 to meet this need. For more details on High-availability / Tolerant Clusters, visit Conventional System I/O-PCI MEMORY CHIPSET CPU DISK NEC EXPRESS5800 Tolerant System Dual Module Redundancy DISKS MIRROR Multi-path I/O I/O-PCI I/O Subsystem A I/O-PCI & Isolation & Isolation I/O Subsystem B FT Cross Bar MEMORY CHIPSET Processing Subsystem A MEMORY CHIPSET Processing Subsystem B CPU CPU CPU Lockstep No Single Point of Failure Zero Switchover Time Single Software Image Load-balancing Clusters Load-balancing Clusters (a.k.a. server farms) operate by having the entire workload come through one or more load-balancing front ends, which then distribute computing tasks to a collection of back end servers. A commonly used free software package, for Linux OS-based Load-balancing Clusters, is available at Most Seneca Data Nexlink Load-balancing Clusters use Linux. Network Load-balancing Cluster (Cluster Virtual IP) WEB SERVER HTML ASP.NET COM ASP WEB SERVER HTML ASP.NET COM ASP WEB SERVER HTML ASP.NET COM ASP CENTRAL DATABASE 7401 Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx:

3 High-performance Computing (HPC) Clusters HPC Clusters provide increased performance by splitting a computational task across many homogenous nodes in a cluster and working on it in parallel. HPC Clusters are most commonly used in scientific computing where the end user designs specific programs that utilize the parallelism methods used on HPC Clusters. Seneca Data works with a number of different government, higher education, and enterprise customers to design and build HPC Clusters. Virtual 3-D Model Rendering Grid Computing Clusters Grid Clusters are similar to HPC Clusters; the key difference between grids and traditional clusters are that grids connect collections of computers which do not fully trust each other and hence operate more like a computing utility than like a single computer. In addition, grids typically support more heterogeneous collections of systems than are commonly supported in clusters. Microsoft Compute Clusters Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 is a cluster of servers that includes a single head node and one or more compute nodes. The head node controls and mediates all access to the cluster s resources and is the single point of management, deployment, and job scheduling for the compute cluster. Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 uses the existing corporate Active Directory infrastructure for security, account management, and overall operations management using tools such as Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 and Microsoft Systems Management Server ACTIVE DIRECTORY FILE SERVER MOM SERVER MAIL SERVER PUBLIC (CORPORATE) NETWORK WORKSTATION HEAD NODE MS-MPI INTERCONNECT PRIVATE NETWORK COMPUTE NODE COMPUTE NODE COMPUTE NODE Typical Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 network Configuring Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 involves installing the operating system on the head node, joining it to an existing Active Directory domain, and then installing the Compute Cluster Pack. If you are using Remote Installation Services (RIS) to automatically deploy compute nodes, RIS will be installed and configured as part of the To Do List after installation is complete. When Compute Cluster Pack installation is complete, it will display a To Do List page that shows you the remaining steps necessary to finish the configuration of your cluster. These steps include defining the network topology, configuring RIS using the Configure RIS Wizard, adding compute nodes to the cluster, and configuring cluster users and administrators Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx:

4 Nexlink High-performance Computing (HPC) Cluster Offering Nexlink HPC Clusters, manufactured by Seneca Data, are tailor made to customer requirements, offer maximum system performance, and are on the cutting edge of innovation and design. As a custom HPC Cluster manufacturer, Seneca Data delivers solutions tailored for diverse market segments and industries by offering: Industrial cluster hardware engineering and manufacturing in our 40,000 sq ft, ISO 9001:2000 compliant facility Stylish marketing, branding, and labeling design Simplified ordering, build-up, testing, qualification, and staging Comprehensive delivery, setup, and post-purchase service options Cluster Hardware Engineering Seneca Data Sales Engineers can specify any/all hardware/software requirements, such as: Systems Hardware Components Intel or AMD Graphic Adapter - GPU requirements 1U to 8U system chassis Interconnectivity - 1,2,3 NIC ports - InfiniBand HCA Comprehensive System Software Requirements Security considerations Port manipulation Services enabling/disabling Node-naming conventions Storage mounting Network file system administration Access considerations User access control Storage Considerations Storage requirements per head-node - Short term - Long term Storage requirements per compute-node Rack Hardware Configuration Rack height requirements (30U to 46U racks) Rack depth requirements Rack power requirements (single, dual, triple, quad power) Rack color front, back, sides Rack labeling front, back and sides Rack Components Power distribution units per rack Cover-plates needed Cabling 7401 Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx:

5 Rack Management Options Out-of-band management IPMI SRENA Intelligent power KVM/IP Marketing / Branding / Labeling Design Specifications Seneca Data can assist with: Marketing related documents - training guides, user manuals, tech-specs, and white-papers Pre-sales collaboration Branding - boxes, back-plate, front-bezel, silk-screening, and documentation Pre-order Build-up / Testing / Qualification and Staging of Clusters By nature, HPC Clusters demand the latest advances in hardware to accommodate future expandability. Seneca Data helps mitigate technology concerns by pre-building, testing, and qualifying designated hardware. Upon completion, staging services are provided until the end user s environment is prepared to receive the hardware. These services include, but are not limited to: Operating system benchmarks on specific hardware Driver optimization on all hardware Management and utilities suite installation Customer login, testing, and pre-inspection prior to delivery Staging, prior to delivery Engineer onsite during install Typical Cluster Related Sales Engineering Considerations Site Location Considerations Is site building built/completed Does site have adequate power Does site have adequate air conditioning Is cluster going into first floor of building Does building have an elevator Is elevator door wider than 48" Does site have a raised floor with easy access for cabling Can cluster be rolled to final location in building Will cluster be moved to another site later Will cluster be phased out after a certain date Will cluster be in a limited access space Will cluster be in a closed access space Rack Cabinet Related Considerations Is there a height restriction on cabinet 7401 Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx:

6 Is there a depth restriction on cabinet Should back door of cabinet be screen holed Should front door of cabinet be glass Should front door of cabinet be labeled Should back door of cabinet be labeled Does Customer need additional open space per rack Should cabinet be color other than black System Hardware Related Considerations How many total compute nodes Does customer prefer Intel processors Does customer prefer AMD processors Does customer needs Graphic Processing Unit Does customer prefer SAS Drives Does customer prefer SCSI Drives Does customer prefer SATA Drives Does customer need 1, 2, or 3 NICS (Don t count Infiniband) Security Related Considerations Does customer want SSH disabled or enabled Does customer want Telnet disabled or enabled Does customer want ports disabled What naming convention needed on Nodes Storage Related Considerations Does customer want a storage array with cluster Management Related Considerations Does customer want serial Out-of-Band Management Does customer want KVM/IP Management Does customer want Intelligent Power - cold reboot ability Conclusion Seneca Data is an established manufacturer of compute clusters. Our expertise in design, manufacturing, and logistics makes us an ideal partner for single build projects or contract manufacturing engagements. For more information about Seneca Data and our cluster offering visit us at or Sources: Wikipedia, Microsoft Compute Clusters, NEC EXPRESS5800, ISTARUSA, RED HAT, Intel Intel, the Intel logo, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries Round Pond Road North Syracuse, NY Ph: Fx: