[Beowulf] Re: Geriatric computer does not stay up

Gus Correa gus at ldeo.columbia.edu
Thu Dec 17 13:17:31 PST 2009


Hi David

A PCI riser card may help:

http://www.logicsupply.com/categories/accessories/pci_riser_cards
http://www.plinkusa.net/riser.htm

We have a single riser card on our old cluster compute nodes for the
bulky Myrinet-2000 cards (same S2466 motherboard, 2U chassis).

However, we don't have a graphics card on the compute nodes.
I wonder how you can fit both (if graphics is needed).
Maybe with two riser cards of different heights.

Gus Correa
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gustavo Correa
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory - Columbia University
Palisades, NY, 10964-8000 - USA
---------------------------------------------------------------------

David Mathog wrote:
>> The manual says that jumper J86 disables/enables
>> the onboard "LAN" (3Com 3C905c).
>> Onboard Ethernet is *disabled* when the jumper is *closed*.
>> (It is probably open now, no jumper,
>> assuming onboard Ethernet is currently enabled.)
> 
> You are right.  The jumper was under the graphics card, which was
> mounted sideways in an AGP to PCI adapter.  (No idea why they didn't
> just put it in a PCI slot in the first place.)  Hopefully disabling the
> onboard NIC will do it, because the PS and disk have been eliminated as
> possible trouble spots.
> 
> 
>> Also, it is unclear whether PXE boot will work with a PCI NIC,
>> but it may.
> 
> First got to find a half height NIC to fit in the case, then I'll let
> you know.  
> 
> Putting that jumper on did eliminate the onboard PXE part of the boot
> sequence.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> 
> David Mathog
> mathog at caltech.edu
> Manager, Sequence Analysis Facility, Biology Division, Caltech




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