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carnagex2000 · Sep 20, 2003, 02:33 AM

http://www.chaosmint.com/mac/techclusterphotos/

moki · Sep 20, 2003, 03:42 AM

I also posted them here, in addition to another photo that isn't on that site:

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/F...ML/001991.html

Thanks, arn.

fourstarcltv · Sep 20, 2003, 03:47 AM

nice !

i wonder if virginiatech could spare just one of those for little old me

Eug Wanker · Sep 20, 2003, 08:21 AM

Nice, but the racks seem kinda clunky. Where are those G5 Xserves...?

Cadaver · Sep 20, 2003, 08:25 AM

Thanks, Moki.

That cluster is a thing of beauty.

Guess now we have an answer to the proverbial SlashDot "Imagine a beowulf cluster of those!"

Now, if my cluster (of one) would show up, I'd be even happier.

Eug Wanker · Sep 20, 2003, 08:33 AM

More: http://www.macminute.com/cgi-bin/www...sb=5&o=0&part=

twocoasttb · Sep 20, 2003, 11:07 AM

Damn, you took my joke. :-)

I'm curious, are they really building this thing out of 1100 G5's, or some number less so they have some spares on hand? Or did they order more than 1100? I can't imagine they'd build this thing without having some spares available.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Sep 20, 2003, 12:22 PM

I trust they can turn the heaters off for the winter and just run air from that room to the rest of the school.

Sarc · Sep 20, 2003, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
I trust they can turn the heaters off for the winter and just run air from that room to the rest of the school.

mac freak · Sep 21, 2003, 01:00 AM

That is so sexy.

Superchicken · Sep 21, 2003, 01:14 AM

Now when can see some bench marks?

hahaha

Side note... anyone else thing that perhaps the Xserves may not be going G5 right away? or at least not till the next rev or a die shrink or something? I don't imagin VA tech would be privy to unannounced products, but I suspect apple would have made more off a whole ton of Xserves so one would think the G5 Xserve is far off

rezzi · Sep 21, 2003, 02:07 AM

Sweeet. Are the pics before or after Isabel..?

Scotttheking · Sep 21, 2003, 03:34 AM

Originally posted by twocoasttb:
I'm curious, are they really building this thing out of 1100 G5's, or some number less so they have some spares on hand? Or did they order more than 1100? I can't imagine they'd build this thing without having some spares available.

It doesn't need spares in the way you are thinking. If a node goes down, it's less power to the cluster. There are 4 control nodes, each of which can control the whole cluster.

Lertsiri · Sep 21, 2003, 06:00 AM

That looked like something from the matrix! Neo orders Morpheus to give him supercomputers instead of guns....and a whole row of G5s swooshes by him...damm...make a nice commercial for G5 and the next Matrix revolutions..heheheehe -Lertsiri Boonmee Sept 21, 2003
my site with Showreel and Teaser of my short film!

Nerozwei · Sep 21, 2003, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Nice, but the racks seem kinda clunky. Where are those G5 Xserves...?

That is so true... They could fit the cluster in a fraction of the space of those towers. Don't know about practical issues with heat, though.

chrisutley · Sep 21, 2003, 09:01 AM

Are these boxes going to run OS X, or are they going to use Linux?

dlefebvre · Sep 21, 2003, 11:36 AM

Is it 1100 computers or 1100 processors (thus 550 machines)?

Alias · Sep 21, 2003, 05:26 PM

Wow. Can you imaging the "BONG" sound you would get it they turned all 1100 machines on at once??

jcadam · Sep 22, 2003, 01:49 PM

now I know where some of y'alls new G5 orders got diverted to.

Eug · Sep 22, 2003, 02:13 PM

Is it 1100 computers or 1100 processors (thus 550 machines)?

2200 processors.

now I know where some of y'alls new G5 orders got diverted to.

The supercomputer order probably represents 2% of all dual G5 pre-orders.

devmage · Sep 22, 2003, 02:51 PM

Awsome looking. I'm sure one of those was ment to be mine and thats why I'm not getting mine till the end of october! :b

I still want to know what they are using to cluster them. They must be planing on using linux and setting up a beowulf.

Devmage

Eug · Sep 22, 2003, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by devmage:
Awsome looking. I'm sure one of those was ment to be mine and thats why I'm not getting mine till the end of october! :b

I still want to know what they are using to cluster them. They must be planing on using linux and setting up a beowulf.

Devmage

OS X Darwin.

devmage · Sep 22, 2003, 03:00 PM

Originally posted by Eug:
OS X Darwin.

What are they using to cluster them then? Something wrote in house, something apple provided? Just curious hehe Someone could buy 4 G5s and setup there own cluster for a fast rendering farm or something

Devmage

Eug · Sep 22, 2003, 03:13 PM

Notes about it. Maybe this will help you. I know nothing about clustering.

Software
Mac OSX
Why not linux? Not enough support.
Mellanox does Inifiniband drivers and HCA
MPI (parallel communications libraries)
Argonne National labs to get MPI-2 for the system
C, C++ compilers - IBM xlc and gcc 3.3
Fortran 95/90/77 Compilers - IBM xlf and NAGWare

SplijinX · Sep 22, 2003, 04:02 PM

I was there two weeks ago to help install some infiniband cards into the machines and let me tell you, I got the biggest whiff of new computer smell there ever was. Walking through aisle after aisle of G5's is just breathtaking. Really looking forward to seeing how much this puppy to crank out

Eug · Sep 22, 2003, 04:23 PM

What's the hardware? Do they have combo drives and Radeon 9600 Pros?

I wondered if they'd boot without the Radeons.

olePigeon · 08:53 PM

Gateway was blabbing about how their new supercomputer they donated would be the 12th fastest in the world.

The G5 cluster is 2nd, beating out IBM's ASCII White and HPaq's Alpha cluster.

NEC's World Simulator is in first with ASCII-Q in 3rd.

They're expected to be officially added to the list in October. I guess then we'll have a final verdict.

The G5 cluster is at 15,000+ Gfps, not including spike performance.

http://www.top500.org/list/2003/06/?page

digital_dreamer · Oct 1, 2003, 03:57 PM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
Gateway was blabbing about how their new supercomputer they donated would be the 12th fastest in the world.

The G5 cluster is 2nd, beating out IBM's ASCII White and HPaq's Alpha cluster.

NEC's World Simulator is in first with ASCII-Q in 3rd.

They're expected to be officially added to the list in October. I guess then we'll have a final verdict.

The G5 cluster is at 15,000+ Gfps, not including spike performance.

http://www.top500.org/list/2003/06/?page

Where did you see the G5 cluster's numbers?

And, being October 1, does anyone have any official benchmark figures, yet?

regards,
MAJ

King Chung Huang · Oct 1, 2003, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by digital_dreamer:
Where did you see the G5 cluster's numbers?

And, being October 1, does anyone have any official benchmark figures, yet?

regards,
MAJ

I belive October 1 was the deadline for submitting a number. We'll get to see all the submitted results by mid-November.

Eug Wanker · Oct 1, 2003, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
The G5 cluster is 2nd, beating out IBM's ASCII White and HPaq's Alpha cluster.

NEC's World Simulator is in first with ASCII-Q in 3rd.

They're expected to be officially added to the list in October. I guess then we'll have a final verdict.

The G5 cluster is at 15,000+ Gfps, not including spike performance.

http://www.top500.org/list/2003/06/?page

That's of course inaccurate. Just about nobody believes the VT computer is gonna come in 2nd.

Anand · Oct 1, 2003, 10:19 PM

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
That's of course inaccurate. Just about nobody believes the VT computer is gonna come in 2nd.

I thought they were supposed to be top 5. Does anybody have any real info on the test?

mrchin · Oct 2, 2003, 01:35 AM

Originally posted by Lertsiri:
That looked like something from the matrix! Neo orders Morpheus to give him supercomputers instead of guns....and a whole row of G5s swooshes by him...damm...make a nice commercial for G5 and the next Matrix revolutions..heheheehe -Lertsiri Boonmee Sept 21, 2003
my site with Showreel and Teaser of my short film!

hearing a little hint of Soundtrack usage for the second Full trailer. Not too shabby.

MindFad · Oct 2, 2003, 01:47 AM

How's window resizing?

Sorry.

Nice pics.

Firehunter · Oct 2, 2003, 09:49 AM

The only hope I have is that this computer brings in money from outside sources so my damn tuition stops going up. ;-)

alligator · Oct 2, 2003, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by Alias:
Wow. Can you imaging the "BONG" sound you would get it they turned all 1100 machines on at once??

I suppose it would be kind of like the Apple commercial - guy turns on the cluster, gets one MASSIVE "Bong" and blows himself through the wall and out against a tree!

Eug · Oct 2, 2003, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by Anand:
I thought they were supposed to be top 5. Does anybody have any real info on the test?

Well, assuming they got everything running properly and on time... predictions are in the top 10 for sure, but possibly even top 5. However, definitely not #2.