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70 PS2s make one Supercomputer

Stike

Stike

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 31, 2002
1,017
17
Germany
http://arrakis.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ps2/

Interesting. Scientists have discovered the PlayStation2 for high performance tasks. They want to cluster the PS2 via Linux to build a cheapo Supercomputer. Currently there are 70 PS2s connected, as I also read on Yahoo News.

The only drawback seems to be the small amount of RAM... 32 MB per console.
 
As it seems, they are currently working on the QCD-Theory, which describes forces between elemental particles such as Quarks and Gluons. Pretty nasty stuff I´d say.
 
no idea.
distributed computing is unpossible.
and infact It can t become really, i mean really fast ( relative to supercomputers ) as, with such little nots, the time, one process has to wait, for the result of an older process, perhaps, or even probably running in another node, is far to important.
That means, that infact it can become fast if they are calculating many little differnt things in paralell, but not calculating one big thing.
 
Originally posted by maradong
no idea.
distributed computing is unpossible.
Click to expand...

Why should it be? In another thread here, someone had a theory about Folding on a PS2´s Linux installation... should do, no?
And, if you mean the processing powers of the PS2... the site links to a very detailed look at its EmotionEngine CPU on Ars Technica. A really good read. With that structure, it should be possible to crunch some loads :)
 
Originally posted by springscansing
What the hell kind of word is unpossible anyway?
Click to expand...
I knew that one would come up, but be generous to non-native speakers of the english language ;) :p
 
Originally posted by springscansing
What the hell kind of word is unpossible anyway?
Click to expand...

It's from the Simpsons...

RALPH: Me fail English? That's unpossible!

Edit: OK, adamcoop beat me to it. Now the subject has been covered quite thoroughly.
 
wouldnt an xbox supercomputer make more sense, it has better hardware than the ps2 and still costs 179.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
wouldnt an xbox supercomputer make more sense, it has better hardware than the ps2 and still costs 179.
Click to expand...

The xBox has just a crappy P3 version, no vector units... there is nothing "super" about it... and imagine if you have to mod-chip every box just to run Linux on it? That would be far more expensive ;)
 
Originally posted by Stike
The xBox has just a crappy P3 version, no vector units... there is nothing "super" about it... and imagine if you have to mod-chip every box just to run Linux on it? That would be far more expensive ;)
Click to expand...
you dont have to mod it, ceo of lindows gave whoever ran linux on an unmodded xbox 150 g's. some kid did it, but i understand wha you are saying/ but with the ps2 you have to buy all the extra stuff to get linux on it, xbox is good to go.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
you dont have to mod it, ceo of lindows gave whoever ran linux on an unmodded xbox 150 g's. some kid did it, but i understand wha you are saying/ but with the ps2 you have to buy all the extra stuff to get linux on it, xbox is good to go.

iJon
Click to expand...

Your making getting linux onto both of these seem easy!

Not exactly.
 
Originally posted by MrMacman
Your making getting linux onto both of these seem easy!

Not exactly.
Click to expand...
no he was saying that the xbox you have to get a mod chip to get linux on there, which isnt true. i was saying the xbox is good to go out of the box. the ps2 you ahve the buy sony's little linux kit.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
no he was saying that the xbox you have to get a mod chip to get linux on there, which isnt true. i was saying the xbox is good to go out of the box. the ps2 you ahve the buy sony's little linux kit.

iJon
Click to expand...

Xbox comes with Linux... um... no...

There are ways, but you need certain things like games I heard... and a memory card or something, I haven't read too recently, but that is what I have heard.
 
Originally posted by Stike
Why should it be? In another thread here, someone had a theory about Folding on a PS2´s Linux installation... should do, no?
And, if you mean the processing powers of the PS2... the site links to a very detailed look at its EmotionEngine CPU on Ars Technica. A really good read. With that structure, it should be possible to crunch some loads :)
Click to expand...

he tried to fold on 1 that is totaly different. here the different nots have to wait for the result of the previous one.


well it is possible but it will be slow to fold on 70 little nots.
 
Originally posted by MrMacman
Xbox comes with Linux... um... no...

There are ways, but you need certain things like games I heard... and a memory card or something, I haven't read too recently, but that is what I have heard.
Click to expand...
once again, you are misquoting me. out of the box the xbox is good to go to put linux on. ps2 you have to buy the linux kit. All I am saying the xbox is more a computer and have better hardware than the ps2 and i was simplying saying that an xbox would make more sense, but them being scientists they probably have reasons for using ps2's.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
... but them being scientists they probably have reasons for using ps2's.
Click to expand...

I once again want to point out: Go to the link and read about the Emotion Engine. I think this is the main reason.
 
Originally posted by Stike
I once again want to point out: Go to the link and read about the Emotion Engine. I think this is the main reason.
Click to expand...
good point, exactly like i said, they have their reasons. im gonna stop before this turns into a ps2, gamecube, xbox war.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
good point, exactly like i said, they have their reasons. im gonna stop before this turns into a ps2, gamecube, xbox war.
Click to expand...

I *never* intended that! :D ;) :p
Seems the moral in this forum is already quite high!
 
I heard a few years back that someone did this to the dreamcast because it is better at clustering than the PS2. There was a concern about PS2s and dreamcasts being used by people like Sadam for use in military systems. But it would have been better (and cheaper) to do a cluster of xboxes, but I expect they would have had trouble from M$.
 
silly xbox fanatics, the xbox's main "power" comes from its graphics card which wont help scientists at all because uhh yeah they cant use the video card to crunch numbers, butt they can use the PS2's emotion engine to crunch numbers and thats where the PS2 gets its "power" from.
 
Originally posted by iJon
once again, you are misquoting me. out of the box the xbox is good to go to put linux on. ps2 you have to buy the linux kit. All I am saying the xbox is more a computer and have better hardware than the ps2 and i was simplying saying that an xbox would make more sense, but them being scientists they probably have reasons for using ps2's.

iJon
Click to expand...

"You have to buy the kit"?

I think the kit is just to make it practical, really. Have you seen the contents? It's just the software, HD and monitor out cable with keyboard and mouse.

The Xbox, in addition to not supplying a kit at all, attempts to lock out any attempts to do so. The only way to get Linux on an Xbox is to hack it with a memory card trick. PS2 is wide open in comparison. Which would you rather work with?
 
Or you could just run folding on your computers... horror of horrors...

geez... PS2, XBOX, GC, are all game consoles... leave them that way.
 
how easy is it to install linux on a PS2? XBOX? possibly on Dreamcast?

my brother was thinking about getting an XBOX, installing linux on it, and using it. why would he want to do that?
 
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