Beowulf Cluster Computing with Linux

by Thomas Sterling

The completely updated second edition of a guide to Beowulf cluster computing. Use of Beowulf clusters (collections of off-the-shelf commodity computers programmed to act in concert, resulting in supercomputer performance at a fraction of the cost) has spread far and wide in the computational science community. Many application groups are assembling and operating their own "private supercomputers" rather than relying on centralized computing centers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262692929
• ISBN13: 9780262692922
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 618 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.9" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

useful tips

This second edition covers a large range of cluster topics. Firstly, in terms of why you might need a Beowulf. Then, how to assemble the hardware. And how to install linux on the nodes. The book is valuable not least because it encapsulates decades of knowledge about running clusters, not just of the Beowulf type. The chapters' authors hail from places like Argonne and Oak Ridge National Labs, where there have been research groups using many different types of clusters for years. Aside from linux, the book describes the special purpose parallel language called MPI. It can be accessed from a C, C++ or Fortran program. Note this choice of languages. Typically the cluster is meant for intensive computational use, with UI issues a low priority. So the book focuses on those languages, and not how to hook Java or C# to MPI. Of course, with each chapter written by a different author, there is somewhat of a discontinuity between chapters. Think of the book as more akin to a conference proceedings writeup.

readable and informative beowulf resource

I've read this book cover to cover, and then gone back to various parts throughout the course of building a large beowulf. It's the best resource I've found so far. I've recommended it other folks who have also had the same experience--it *explains* beowulfs in very clear and readable language. Excellent primer.