![]() I had a conversation with Linux NetworX's people about their new Beowulf cluster management software. Nothing extraordinary was demonstrated, besides the fact that it actually runs. Several other big-name vendors, including HP, Compaq, and IBM, had Trillian Linux running on the upcoming Itanium IA-64 - on individual systems as well as clusters. At this time, support is still low-level, though, and SGI has not announced the availability of any Linux-based Onyx models. The move to Linux, along with the introduction of even higher-performing models, is an attempt to shape up the Onyx. The Onyx servers, still the preferred choice for graphics-rendering shops, have received some competition from Beowulf PC clusters. SGI is also bringing NUMA support to Linux, to help in the transition of its NUMA-architecture Onyx servers to Linux (like the servers' Irix siblings). This package can help you build a Beowulf cluster right you can download the tools from SGI. SGI's Advanced Cluster Environment is a well-put-together package for Beowulf clustering, complete with proper management, development, debugging, and profiling tools. SGI's real contribution to Linux is still under the hood, so it does not get the respect it truly deserves. The software costs about $995 per node, or $1,990 per cluster pair.Īlongside their current multinode clustering on PIIIs and Xeons, SGI demonstrated an impressive eight-node clustering of IA-64 systems from their 1200, 1400, and 1450 Linux server lines. While several major applications, like Apache and Samba, have been implemented on Convolvo clusters, no published API will allow software developers to incorporate direct failover within their applications. When a node fails, the cluster executes an application failover script to restart the application. The system is managed by a command-line interface or a Web-based GUI that can execute all the functions needed to operate the cluster. Through this partition, they can also exchange data - such as which node will run a specific application, and which applications should failover to the other node. The nodes work by maintaining a quorum partition on the attached storage system. Mission Critical has not published numbers for actual failover response times. The nodes need not be identical, as long as they communicate with each other and the SCSI channel at approximately equal speeds, and run the same Linux distribution, along with any system changes. Mission Critical also offers special intelligent power supplies for each node, with cross-connected controls between nodes so a failed node can be hard-rebooted by the working node. This requires a SCSI storage system with a dual-attachment feature, which raises the cost. ![]() They attach to the same storage system through standard SCSI cables, allowing either to issue disk commands. The two systems are connected by a private 100BaseT Ethernet with a crossover cable, as well as a direct null-modem serial cable. I witnessed Mission Critical Linux's working demonstration of its tightly coupled high-availability Convolvo Cluster system for pairs of Linux nodes. The exhibits were mostly manned by salespeople, but I was able to find technical staff and product managers to explain their products in detail, free of sales-speak. The show's events took place both on the exhibition floor and in the session presentations. This legitimizes the product, since companies that once hesitated because of the lack of available support can now confidently accept Linux-based clusters from small and large vendors alike. ![]() It is great to see a wide range of products focused on clustering finally emerge in commercially supported systems. Now, high-availability, load-balancing opportunities prance about in gleeful attempts to attract the most customers. No longer are we stuck in a relative wilderness of Beowulf-only clustering - the focus of attention for most academic institutions and scientific applications. Commercial clustering solutions are finally ready for harvest. This year's LinuxWorld Conference & Expo boasted a whole new crop of clustering products.
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