Douglas Eadline

Advances in clustering technology have redefined the price-to-performance curve for many High Performance Computing (HPC) application areas. The use of specialized high-speed interconnects and fast commodity processors have pushed the envelope to where it is today. Not all applications need this level of hardware (and cost) to achieve leading-edge price to performance. Indeed, there have been several technological advances that may invite a step back from the traditional edge-of-technology approach to HPC clustering. These advances include the following developments: Introduction of low-cost high-performance multi-core processors Introduction of high-density motherboards and packaging solutions Introduction of optimized Linux Gigabit Ethernet performance Of particular importance is the fact that these advances are in the commodity sector where high demand and econ... (more)

Preparing for the Revolution

There's revolution (or evolution) occurring in the high-performance computing (HPC) industry. Recently both AMD and Intel introduced chips with multiple processing units in a single package. Instead of having one central processor, or brain, computers will now have multiple brains with which to run programs. While this technique isn't new, it's the first time these types of architectures have been mass-produced and sold to the commodity PC and server markets. This revolution will affect everyone who uses a computer including high-performance clustered systems. From laptops to ga... (more)

Multi-Core Debugging and Performance Enhancement

Computer systems have fully entered the age of multi-core processing. This trend was examined in a white paper entitled, "Preparing for the Revolution, Maximizing Dual-Core Technology." While much of the focus had been on dual-core processors, Intel has now delivered quad-core processors and AMD has announced quad-core availability in 2007. Software developers who are just taking advantage of multiple processors also need to be looking ahead since even larger multi-core platforms will reach the market soon. This new technology puts additional pressures on complex applications. In... (more)