Supercomputer Kits from Virginia Tech

[MacRumors]

As mentioned in a previous report, Virginia Tech will begin offering Supercomputer Kits beginning early next year.

These kits will provide plans for institutions to create their own PowerMac G5 clusters with off-the-shelf components. The Virginia Tech PowerMac G5 cluster currently ranks #3 in the world based on preliminary results. Final rankings are due in mid November.

Techweb.com reports that, amongst others, the National Security Agency and the Argonne weapons laboratory have expressed interest in the plans. Previous comments from Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan noted that we could "expect to see a lot more G5 clusters."

 

[TheFish]

GREAT NEWS! so uhh, when can i get one?

 

[gwuMACaddict]

santa, i want a supercomputer for xmas

 

[sethypoo]

I'm buying one! I'd be the only person on my floor with a 2000 node G5! Great.

 

[ITR 81]

The G5 cluster looks like it's going to be popular.

G5 kit means alot folks must want one. I figure in the next yr Apple will be selling alot more G5's just for this purpose.

Good news for Apple and maybe Va Tech should be the new switcher commerical.

 

[mistersquid]

WELCOME

I, for one, welcome our new G5 cluster ovevrlords.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

Re: The G5 cluster looks like it's going to be popular.

Originally posted by ITR 81
maybe Va Tech should be the new switcher commerical.

i like this idea a lot- high profile success story with apple. blows the old rumor that dell can always do things cheaper.

 

[JohnGillilan]

This may sound stupid, but what is a "supercomputer" even used for?? Is it partially just for bragging rights, or do these clusters have practical purposes??

 

[blueBomber]

I guess it would make sense that the NSA would want to get away from Windows

 

[isd_glory]

Re: WELCOME

Originally posted by mistersquid
I, for one, welcome our new G5 cluster ovevrlords.

*smack*

You've been hanging around slashdot too much

 

[freemidnight]

I imagine Crae, HP, Next and the rest buying in secret G5 and saying that their cluster is one of the fastest on the planet!

 

[Rocketman]

Originally posted by sethypoo
I'm buying one! I'd be the only person on my floor with a 2000 node G5! Great.

I am waiting for the day, perhaps minutes from now, when a set of dorm residents form a cluster in the common area with individual G5's and each resident has a login to a true supercomputer.

Rocketman.

Students are ALWAYS on the bleeding edge.

 

[rt_brained]

I ordered one of these kits from Virginia Tech and all I got was a case of duct tape, a couple miles of wire and a briefcase full of hundred dollar bills.

What am I supposed to do with all that?

 

[rdowns]

What would the kit do for my Mac SE, LC II, IIsi, Performa 6300 and iMac? I also could get an SE/30, IIcx, PowerBook G3 and beige G3.

 

[Sun Baked]

This is one the first non-Apple killer Apps to come down the pipe in quite awhile.

I bet Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan didn't think he was writing a killer app when he was putting the software and the cluster together.

Took 4 years, but the real supercomputer on your desktop finally shipped.

 

[tny]

Originally posted by JohnGillilan
This may sound stupid, but what is a "supercomputer" even used for?? Is it partially just for bragging rights, or do these clusters have practical purposes??

Number crunching: modeling processes of complex systems like the weather, cryptographic work (which would explain the NSA's interest), etc. Lots of things. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.

 

[punter]

I keep hearing stories of new cards (PCI?) that are basically for floating point operations and give you a super computer on a card. Does this mean the super computers of tomorrow (which, quite literally could mean tomorrow) will just be a couple of clustered machines with stacks of these cards?

Or am I way off the mark? If these cards are the future then I hope they slot into the G5!

 

[Snlhobo]

Let's Go Hookies... VAtech forever...i knew they would do it, they make me proud to be a Virginian.

 

[3-22]

Impressive...

Supercomputers are valuable tools for modeling, simulation, and number crunching. Processing time is rented for research...

Looking at the top500 list, this guy who did this must be one smart cookie. Ranked 3rd in the list is pretty impressive, especially pullling it off with such a low price. VT will sure stand out, surrounded by these big DOD sites on the list.

 

[Analog Kid]

Seems to me Apple should offer preconfigured setups from the Apple store. Maybe 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000 node clusters with the infrastructure appropriate for each size.

 

[Analog Kid]

Originally posted by punter
I keep hearing stories of new cards (PCI?) that are basically for floating point operations and give you a super computer on a card. Does this mean the super computers of tomorrow (which, quite literally could mean tomorrow) will just be a couple of clustered machines with stacks of these cards?

Or am I way off the mark? If these cards are the future then I hope they slot into the G5!

As a rule, ignore it when anyone says "supercomputer in a *".

A digital watch is a supercomputer depending on what standards you're measuring against.

 

[itsbetteronamac]

Yikes

I find it kinda scary that a weapons company is looking into somthing with that much proceessing power. I mean think of what low-cost Supercomputers in the wrong hands can do.

Just my thoughts

 

[srobert]

Interesting... on the top 500 supercomputer list's site, you can query the list with many differenent search criteria, including manufacturer... however... Apple is not included in the 25 choices you have for manufacturers. Guess that they did not see that one coming. I guess I could always browse using the "self made" search criteria.

hmmm... they don't even have G5 or anything apple for that matter in the dozens of choice you get for the computer type criteria.

Hell! their list is oudated! They don't even list the Virginia Tech Cluster:

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

 

[Tulse]

Hell! their list is oudated! They don't even list the Virginia Tech Cluster

That's because it's from June of 2003. The list has yet to be officially updated -- it will be at the end of November (I believe).

 

[xDANx]

Re: Yikes

Originally posted by itsbetteronamac
I find it kinda scary that a weapons company is looking into somthing with that much proceessing power. I mean think of what low-cost Supercomputers in the wrong hands can do.

Just my thoughts

yeah...they could start marketing G5 clusters as 'PowerMac G5 WMD Edition'...somehow it all doesn't quite jive with eating granola, wearing turtle necks, and hugging sarah mclachlan.