Beowulf Cluster: Difference between revisions

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imported>Markus Baumeister
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imported>Eric M Gearhart
(Just created redirect to Beowulf cluster)
 
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'''Beowulf''' is a design for high-performance [[parallel computing]] clusters ([[HPPC cluster]]) on inexpensive personal computer hardware. Originally developed by Thomas L. Sterling and Donald Becker at NASA, Beowulf systems are now deployed worldwide, chiefly in support of [[scientific computing]].
#REDIRECT [[Beowulf cluster]]
 
A Beowulf cluster is a group of usually identical [[computer|PC computers]] running a Free and Open Source Software ([[FOSS]]) [[Unix]]-like [[operating system]], such as [[Linux]] or [[BSD]]. They are [[computer network|networked]] into a small TCP/IP [[LAN]], and have libraries and programs installed which allow processing to be shared among them.
 
There is no particular piece of software that defines a cluster as a Beowulf. Commonly used parallel processing libraries include MPI (Message Passing Interface) and PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine). Both of these permit the programmer to divide a task among a group of [[computer network|networked computers]], and recollect the results of processing. It is a common misconception that any software will run faster on a Beowulf. The software must be re-written to take advantage of the cluster, and specifically have multiple non-dependent parallel computations involved in its execution.
 
The name comes from the main character in the Old English epic [[Beowulf]].
 
==References==
 
[http://www.slashdot.org Slashdot.org] Post [http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=223584&cid=18104422 #18104422]
''Note: Source is not conventional, but information is thorough and copyright free.''
 
[[Category:Computers Workgroup]]

Latest revision as of 11:06, 30 March 2007

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