Cluster Builder Portal Grows with “Ask the Cluster/Grid Expert” Service and Diskless Clusters

Spanish Fork, UT — Cluster Builder (http://www.clusterbuilder.org) expands once again, adding research sections on diskless clusters, 32-bit and 64-bit processors and a new “Ask the Cluster/Grid Expert” service.

Cluster Builder—a Web site highlighting high performance computing (HPC) software and hardware—helps administrators, evaluators and users discover available clustering options and solutions. Created by Cluster Resources (http://www.clusterresources.com and LinuxHPC.org (http://www.linuxhpc.org), version 1.2 of Cluster Builder adds 60 new research pages and shows a continued effort in providing a comprehensive research and information portal to HPC technologies.

“This site is an important key in discovering information about cluster and grid computing,” said Michael Jackson, president of Cluster Resources, Inc. “It educates people on the different options available and directs them to the solutions that work best for their circumstances. Adding new content on current HPC trends is critical for the site to continue being a valuable research tool.”

“Ask the Cluster/Grid Expert” enhances the Cluster Builder research by starting a valuable knowledge base of questions and answers relating to clusters and grids. Anyone can submit a question about clustering or grid computing and the Cluster Expert will seek out the answer through means such as industry experts, mailing lists and other research. Also, Cluster Builder visitors can share their knowledge and expertise with others in the community by responding to the questions.

Other popular services of Cluster Builder consist of the community submissions tool and the Request For Quotes (RFQ) service (http://www.linuxhpc.org/quote). Community submissions allow visitors to suggest sites that expand Cluster Builder's research base. The RFQ service allows those purchasing a cluster to submit one request-for-quote form that is then sent to the vendors of their choice, instead of having to discover and go through the process with each vendor individually.

“The features on Cluster Builder, like LinuxHPC.org’s RFQ service and the new Ask the Cluster/Grid Expert, help expand its research capacity giving people greater quality information to help them make better decisions,” said Ken Farmer, editor-in-chief of LinuxHPC.org

The diskless cluster section provides general information on the reasons why a diskless cluster is beneficial. It also contains a How-To section that gives step-by-step instructions on configuring the hardware and software for this type of setup. The technologies section of diskless clusters contains information on specific software components that help create a successful diskless environment such as Warewulf, Xcat, Etherboot and others.

The 32-bit versus 64-bit section contains comparisons and reviews on both types of processors. The comparisons show differences between a brand's 32-bit and 64-bit processors along with comparisons between brands. Some of the comparisons and reviews display benchmark results and other tests. The section also contains general information on the benefits and limitations of each type of processor.

Cluster Builder continues to add content in previous sections as new sites are discovered and submitted. Future versions of Cluster Builder will include research on storage solutions, price performance and architecture.