[Beowulf] getting kubuntu to perform as a cluster os

[Ellis Wilson]

Geoff Jacobs wrote:
> Jon Aquilina wrote:
>   
>> i would use the server but im not extremely versed
with command line
>> commands except the simple sudo apt-get install
update upgrade
>> dist-upgrade auto clean, etc
>>     
>
> Hmm... I would suspect some command line is going to
be required no
> matter what. I would recommend taking some time to
beef up your skills
> in that area.
>
> http://www.linuxcommand.org/learning_the_shell.php
>
> However, it should be possible to run (for example)
any *Ubuntu with a
> server kernel if that increases your comfort.
>
> BTW, feel free to contact me off list if you need
any command line pointers.
>
>   
While I certainly don't intend to start any form of a
distro-war over 
the subject, it seems to me that kubuntu is somewhat
on the polar 
opposite side from what someone would see as desirable
for a cluster 
distribution.  There are a number of more typical
distributions (notably 
not using KDE and all of its related resource hogging)
that should work 
fine.  I personally happen to be on the other side of
the spectrum, 
avoiding X even on the master node and installing
everything either 
using Gentoo or simply compiling everything up from
scratch if the 
opportunity allows itself (and is a reasonably static
installation).  I 
recognize this is not common and likely wouldn't even
try to defend it 
being noticeably more efficient (I'm just heinously
specific about my 
installations), but do argue that using not only X11
but also KDE on top 
would be wasteful of resources for both RAM and CPU. 
For small clusters 
that are highly network bound perhaps this doesn't
matter, but in that 
case you probably should be looking to an eight or
sixteen core system 
instead of individual networked pc's.  But if you did
that again it 
would matter since your problem would become processor
and ram bound 
(unless your problem was so ridiculously parallel that
it somehow 
overwhelmed the buses inside your computer, but I
would find that 
surprising).

Ellis




      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping