[Beowulf] Similar to a multi CPU machine?

[Jake Thebault-Spieker]

I've heard of many of these(Scyld, OpenMosix, etc.) Since this is how it will 
work, will I be able to use these 6 machines as a workstation? I understand 
that the CPU power will be next to none, and I have read your book about 
overhead, and feasability and so forth. Having not done the calculations, I 
have a pretty good feeling that my computers will not meet the standards for 
them to actually be useful. I'm a high school student, and would like a 
multi-CPU machine to play w/, but I don't want to spend the money. Thanks 
again.

-- 
Numbers rule the Universe. 
	--The Pythagoreans 
 
Carpe Aptenodytes(Seize the Penguins), 
Jake Thebault-Spieker 


On Monday 14 November 2005 05:18 am, you wrote:
> On Wed, 9 Nov 2005, Jake Thebault-Spieker wrote:
> > Is there a way to make a cluster act like a dual(or triple, quad, etc.)
> > CPU machine? I'vee been looking at purchasing a dual PII machine, but
> > then realized that I have six 166Mhz machines sitting around doing
> > nothing. Does OpenMosix do this? Is there OpenMosix for 2.6.x? This will
> > be run on debian, if it works.
>
> Boy did YOU come to the right list.
>
> That is what this list is devoted to, as it has been for coming up on a
> decade now (hey Don, when IS the ten year list anniversary?:-)
>
> OpenMosix is one solution.  Scyld is another.  bproc (close kin to scyld)
> is a third.  SGE (or other batch/queue managers) yet another.  Even plain
> old linux and some job management scripts are more than adequate for a lot
> of tasks.  Finally, if you are looking for "true parallel" operation (many
> CPUs working on a single task vs many CPUs working on many tasks) there are
> a whole lot of alternatives involving the distro of your choice with e.g.
> PVM or MPI or raw socket programming layered on top.
>
> Be careful -- some of these cost money, some of these require a custom
> kernel.
>
>     rgb