[Beowulf] RE: portable clusters

[Jim Lux]

At 12:40 PM 11/30/2005, David Mathog wrote:
>Since you have to reboot the laptops by hand anyway how much more
>work would it be to slap a CD in each drive at the same time?

I think you've misunderstood the desired overall configuration.

There's only one laptop in the system, as I envision it.  The cluster is a 
sealed box, connected by a "wire" (e.g. a network cable) to the one laptop, 
which runs Windows XP.  There's one "Big red switch" on the cluster box 
that turns it on and off.   (well.. you might want a few switches.. one for 
power, and one for reset, although, with diskless nodes, it's not clear 
that power cycling isn't as good a way as any to reset the nodes)

i.e. there's no CD ROM drive on the cluster nodes.. they boot off the net.


James Lux, P.E.
Spacecraft Radio Frequency Subsystems Group
Flight Communications Systems Section
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 161-213
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena CA 91109
tel: (818)354-2075
fax: (818)393-6875