how to build a small Beowulf cluster

[Steve Gaudet]

Hello Ting,

> >
> >>   I am new to this mailing list.
> >>   Also it's my first time to build "small" cluster alone 
> for school's
> >> project.
> >>   Only 2 linux machines , one is master and the other is the node.
> >>   Their CPU - P4 1.76Hz, 80GB in HD, 1GB memory.
> >>   One has SMC EZ NIC card, the other has Intel Pro 10/100 NIC Card.
> >> 
> >>   I surfed lots web sites, including 
> www.beowulf-underground.org and
> >>   www.xtreme-machines.com.
> >>   BUT, I still have no idea how/where to start!!
> >> 
> >>   Can some one point a way for me?
> >>   I'll be appreciated!!
> >
> >You can start here;
> >
> >
> >http://www.scyld.com     which is cluster distribution 
> >http://rocks.npaci.edu
> >http://www.opensce.org
> >http://oscar.sourceforge.net/software.php
> 
> 
> 
> Whilst these are all very worthy websites ,they all describe 
> particular
> 'solutions' to Linux clustering and so are really beyond the 
> scope of a
> school project. 
> 
> More importantly, all the guts are clustering is 'hidden' so 
> he wouldn't
> learn much!

Your right sorry, should of broke it down more.  This might help;

http://www.canonical.org/~kragen/beowulf-faq.txt



> To get started with a 2 node system, I would suggest the 
> minimum is to:
>   1. install say RH7.2 on both
>   2. create a username on both nodes and export /home from 
> one to the other
> (and perhaps /usr/local)
>   3. get and build mpich


If you don't know what mpich is or where to find it these sites will help;

packages of MPICH or LAM-MPI (for MPI) and PVM.  

If you don't have one or more of these packages (MPICH or LAM-MPI for MPI
and PVM)
on CDs, you can also look at rpmfind.net

http://www-unix.mcs.anl.gov/mpi/mpich/
http://www.lam-mpi.org
http://www.csm.ornl.gov/pvm/

>   4. try running a simple MPI hello world program
> 
> Then go on to other things, like: a private ethernet between 
> them, nis, job
> scheduling, compling bigger applicaiton codes, etc.

Hope this helps.


Steve Gaudet 
Linux Solutions Engineer
   ..... 
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