Drooling Over VA Tech's 1100-Node G5 Cluster 441
Mr. Slurpee writes "Virginia Tech's 1100-node dual 2 GHz Apple G5 Terascale Cluster is getting racked up and ready to roar. If you're a penniless geek like me, at least there's some tech pr0n for us to drool over. There's 1100 of them ... think they could part with one?" Update: 09/22 02:55 GMT by T : Matt submits a link to this full mirror of the photos, writing "The page owner's comment on the original mirror being taken down due to bandwidth? 'Bring it on!'"
I try to look at the slides and what do I get? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why make a website "optimized for IE", when the content of the said website is of interest to people who are probably not running IE or Windows?
Hm. (Score:5, Interesting)
For example, I've yet to figure out a way to effectively get a computer lab with 30 eMacs installed and configured the same way. DHCP/Netboot is slow because we only have 100mbit switches. Split CD images are slow, and Jaguar doesn't yet have free software that does that yet (besides the dd of course). I'm not sure how to keep them all updated either.
I really hope they describe how they maintain the operating system on them.
Interesting... A Light Just Clicked On... (Score:4, Interesting)
He had to admit they didn't have any in stock, and weren't expecting to get any from Apple for some time.
I guess I know where the dual-G5 systems are all going. Ah, well, it's all for a good cause. I hope.
Cocktease (Score:4, Interesting)
The pics at chaosmint are a small selection of what was originally on the site.
But to be on topic I'm suprised that Apple didn't get them Xserve G5's for the cluster. While the desktop G5's look cool it's really unneeded to use up all that space.
Re:I try to look at the slides and what do I get? (Score:3, Interesting)
The simply created a PowerPoint presentation and converted it to "HTML". Actually, it doesn't even appear to *try* to be HTML - I have no idea what this crap is. Through their laziness, those morons managed to make their very simple page inacessible to any browser but Internet Explorer (well, neither Opera 7 nor Moz 1.4 render the page, from what I can see, maybe it works in KHTML-based browsers, but I doubt it). Oh well, Search Engines won't be able to index the content, and that'll be their loss
Don't believe the hype (Score:2, Interesting)
I have been using both Macs and x86 systems extensively for all manner of purposes since 1998. Neither really holds much of an architectural advantage when it comes to a specific type of function, and any slight advantage that is had by either tends to be so small that it isn't noticable. One thing is for certain: x86 hardware is far cheaper for the same amount of power.
Example: Photoshop 7 runs just as fast and efficiently on my dual 867MHz G4 with 512MB of RAM (booted into OS 10.2) as it does on my AthlonXP 1800 (1.533GHz) system with 256Mb of RAM running Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 Pro SP4, or Windows XP SP2. Video playback is identical (both systems have identical 64MB Nvidia graphics cards). Differences in compiling times are negligable.
Don't buy into the marketing hype. A $2,000 Macintosh system will run just as well as a $900 self-built x86 system. Everyone that has to use both platforms daily knows this. I don't have a preference for either architecture or operating system - just take my word as someone that has had to do extensive product testing on both x86 and Macintosh for years.
Re:First Test (Score:2, Interesting)
my first tech pr0n (Score:5, Interesting)
Now some statistic pr0n:
There were about 5 1/2 million Apple IIs sold [interesting-people.org], so at an average of 64k each (just a guess), that would be 343 GB of memory total. Adding up the couple of computers in the office (it's a 4 person company), we're about 1/70 of the way there. Assuming 2 140K floppy drives per computer, that would be 1.5TB of disk storage -- that would be 6 hard drives, and they would occupy less space than a single pair of old floppy drives.
Re:Expensive processor vs. inexpensive processors (Score:2, Interesting)
- It's clear from other posters that Apple did some shuffling to get inventory that wasn't available to the general public to this school. Not surprising, but indicates Apple was making considerable accomodations.
- I simply don't understand how full-size "commodity" Mac's could be cheaper than something like an IBM BladeCenter (especially in infrastructure (Switch, Rack, Space) costs). There's a lot of talk in the slides about the "required configuration" and the chassis... it sounds as though they placed some kind of hardware requirement on the proposal that could only be met by Apple. It just doesn't *sound* right, you know?
- One of the slides implies that they chose OSX over Linux because there isn't enough support for Linux. But this is a supercomputer! They're not running Photoshop on this thing. right? Aren't most supercomputer apps written fairly specifically for the machine they're running on? I really am asking the question here... is there something I don't understand about high-end cluster computing? I again simply don't understand how, at the super-cluster level, one could say Linux is poorly supported.
Of course, the university is well within their rights to buy from whoever they want. Their claims just seem questionable to me, at least from the brief slides.
Re:Expensive processor vs. inexpensive processors (Score:5, Interesting)
Y'know, I saw this presentation a few days ago. I wasn't there, I saw it on the net. Anyway, this bullet point stuck out then - like, what are they talking about?
For one, how come it required twice the number of processors? From the benchmarks I've seen Opterons normally whup the G5, or are at least very competitive on paticularly G5 optimised code. Certainly not out by a factor of two, anyway.
And no chassis? What the hell does this mean? You can get 1U, 2U and 4U beast Opteron boxes from the likes of, well, IBM for one. As mentioned above.
It's not even like the kinda ropey nature of 64 bit Linux comes into play either because, well, there is no 64 bit OS X - unless VT know something we don't (which is always possible).
So, yeah, I think someone decided to buy all the G5's made for a month and just set up the project to make it happen. This "achitectural options" thing is horseshit.
Dave
Re:Expensive processor vs. inexpensive processors (Score:5, Interesting)
- I don't know a whole lot about a blade center, but there doesn't seem to be a place to plug in the high-speed interconnects. Also, it runs on Intel chips that run hotter and do less work than the G5, especially when AltiVec gets involved, which is usually why you build a computer this size; vector processing. I'm also guessing the required configuration needed resale value to students at the end of life for the project/system.
- That's absoloutly true. When you need technical details about Linux you have to dig. When you have a question about OS X's guts, I'd guess you call Apple and have a conference call with all the coders (at least at this level of purchase/prestige). Could you imagine trying to get Linus, and all the other code writers for Linux and the supporting libraries and utilites on the phone at once?
Install OS in a cascading Fibonacci sort of way. (Score:2, Interesting)
Still a huge job.
Re:Don't believe the hype (Score:3, Interesting)
The g5 is the IBM power4 in a lighter configuration. ITs the fastest desktop level cpu.
You could probably build a dual smp pIV which will perform close but the G5 has better fpu's and is cheaper in an smp system then xeon based top of the line PIV. This is why they chose the G5.
Also I do not like Windows and like MacOSX. You may want to test the latest from Apple. They really are leaps and bounds faster then the obsolete G4.
Re:Why G5s? (Score:2, Interesting)
This is gonna be a bullet point in every Apple advertisement for quite some time. It's damned cheap publicity.
Use Firewire (Score:2, Interesting)
There is really nothing to do just daisy chain your mac with Firewire cables and configure the new network. On MacOSX client you will need to install IP over Firewire manually.
Glad this one is not mine to pay.... (Score:1, Interesting)
spacetime (Score:3, Interesting)
This gives them 1101 good computers - a kickass cluster now, and 1100 workstations later.
Re:Nope, read the stories (Score:3, Interesting)
- go to http://store.apple.com/
(get redirected to the store home page)
- on the left side under "Interests...' click Education
- under "Shop for your School" pick "Find Your College or University"
- Pick "Virginia" and enter "Blacksburg", then click "Find"
- Select "Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ" (the only option) and click Continue
Voila, you get redirected to the Apple Store home page, but this time you are seeing the educational discount prices that VT departments would get.
Pick the G5 dual-CPU, no customization, and put Qty 1100 in your shopping cart. Click Update Subtotal. $2,968,900.00, will that be Visa or Mastercard?