UMaine Building 256 Node G5 Supercomputer

[sinisterdesign]

move over, iPod...

A G5 super computer is getting to be more "in" than an iPod

next we'll have G5 Super Computer DJ Parties - bring your favorite 15 enomics or proteomics components and sequence the night away!

or maybe spontaneous Cluster Parties - bring your own G5, hook them all up into a cluster and analyze nucleic acid sequences 'til you can't analyze nucleic acid sequences no mo'!

ok, maybe they're not quite as fun as iPods...

 

[Lancetx]

Viriginia Tech has apparently completed its transmutation to G5 Xserves from the original G5 desktop models. The system is currently undergoing stability testing, and benchmarking should begin on or around July 19th.

http://www.tcf.vt.edu/

That's great news, thanks for the update and link. I can't wait to see the results to see where it ranks this time on the world supercomputer list.

 

[xtekdiver]

Who will be #1?

So who will build the Xserve super computer that will take the number 1 spot away from the Earth Simulator? I predict it is going to happen soon. Maybe when the 3GHz version ships; and for a fraction of the cost. Imagine Apple owning the top 10 fastest supercomputers in the world!

 

[jholzner]

So these clusters all run Mac OS X...I wonder how much they will increase in performance once they release Tiger...since it's 64 bit native! Anyone have any idea what kind of impanct 10.4 might have?

 

[JW Pepper]

iMac G5 - forget it!

If this keeps up Apple will never release an iMac G5!

There is no doubt that the xServe G5 is a real hit and now that Oracle 10g is at release stage demand for this product is clearly going to grow fast. I am sure that Apple makes a LOT more money from xServes than iMacs so they have got their prioritys right.

The eMac represents tremendous value right now and so I doubt that Apple will loose to many Edu sales, bu it is obvious that IBM need to scale their production to meet the demand from Apple. This could be good news for Apple stock.

 

[themadchemist]

This is exciting...With more and more of these supercomputers popping up, the Xserve is really becoming a mainstay of this market. Way to break out of the consumer & design stereotype, Apple!

 

[sharky2313]

i like the rapid cam updates, watching some total stranger is bringing out the mac stalker in me

 

[wPod]

so, with xserve supercomputers becoming so popular, i was wondering if anyone would be interested in investing in a supercomputer. . . you know just for the fun of not being the only kid on the block that doesnt have one! ive got $20 for starters, is anyone else in?

 

[Earendil]

-Virginia Tech
-US Army
-UCLA
-UMaine
-Princeton

...They've got that Appley feel and are down to earth, no BS places.

Never thought I'd hear the US Army as being a real Appley feeling down to earth no BS sorta organization

May all very well be true, just never thought I'd hear it

Tyler
Earendil

ps
who the f rated this negative? I don't care how you look at this, it's POSOTIVE.

 

[nagromme]

If this keeps up Apple will never release an iMac G5!

These clusters are great to promote Apple by proving the power, quality, and cost-effectiveness of their offerings. But 256 Xserves here, 1000 there, are nothing compared to the volume of mainstream Apple products.

In other words, whether IBM can make enough G5s or not, Xserve sales aren't going to make or break other products' availability.

Also, iMacs if they have a G5 at all are likely to be 1.x GHz.

 

[Scubee]

So who will build the Xserve super computer that will take the number 1 spot away from the Earth Simulator? I predict it is going to happen soon. Maybe when the 3GHz version ships; and for a fraction of the cost. Imagine Apple owning the top 10 fastest supercomputers in the world!

The word is that COLSA's Mach 5 will be tripleing in size next year.

 

[cr2sh]

These clusters are great to promote Apple by proving the power, quality, and cost-effectiveness of their offerings. But 256 Xserves here, 1000 there, are nothing compared to the volume of mainstream Apple products.

In other words, whether IBM can make enough G5s or not, Xserve sales aren't going to make or break other products' availability.

Also, iMacs if they have a G5 at all are likely to be 1.x GHz.

Indeed, the first quarter that the g5's were available Apple shipped 221,000 of them.... an order of this magnitude accounts for less than 1% of the quarters shipments. It won't effect your shipping date... much.

 

[Freg3000]

Anyone else having a problem with the webcam? It just is stuck at 5 sec delay and nothing ever happens.

 

[The Red Wolf]

Portible G5 128 Node Supercluster

It's not a G5 PowerBook. Its 128 G5 PowerBooks. No on can carry it, but running on battery wouldn't it be cool to have a lorrie full of them and a portable powersource/battery back up? Would a military one one? Sure. Would a school want one? Why not? Everyone needs twin fiber ports on their new G5 PowerBook anyway. Possible uses for a mobile supercluster? #1 saying G5 PowerBook in a post and getting people riled up about it. #2 I'm sure everyone will think of a use... And then some company will make a 256 node portable supercluster. Or a military will buy one and make a 1024 node portable supercluster... Maybe a Cargo Jet would be a good place to set it up? Hmmm. Sorry, I know, off topic. But it could have some uses. Especially if they are dual G5 Powerbooks. (Insert smiley of your choice.)

 

[Scubee]

Anyone else having a problem with the webcam? It just is stuck at 5 sec delay and nothing ever happens.

Tried clicking where the photo should be? It will bring up an 640x480 diplay in a new window.

 

[Freg3000]

Tried clicking where the photo should be? It will bring up an 640x480 diplay in a new window.

It just does not work in Safari for me. I got it to work in Firefox though. The broken image only shows up in Firefox.

http://www.clusters.umaine.edu/cam.php

That is a direct link.

Firefox left / Safari right

 

[Mudbug]

It just does not work in Safari for me. I got it to work in Firefox though. The broken image only shows up in Firefox.

http://www.clusters.umaine.edu/cam.php

That is a direct link.

Firefox left / Safari right

it worked for me in Camino, but not in Safari. Dunno why...

and:

The word is that COLSA's Mach 5 will be tripleing in size next year

What word? Who's word? Where'd you hear that?

 

[macridah]

Just keep them coming ...

I wonder what is apple share of the server market. It's probably still small, but the percent increase for apple has to be big.

 

[RubberChicken]

Nearly 7 months since we ordered our XServe

We ordered BTO XServe with raid card late Jan, STILL NOTHING.

 

[iChan]

seeing as the earth simulator costed $300m+, isn't it just a matter of time before some one out there plops down $100m+ on an xserve Supercomputer? I mean, Apple supercomputers scale linearly and therefore, the extra money put into an XServe cluster will have a direct correlation with the increase in power.

let's see... going on VT's original "Big Mac" which cost $5.2M, they got 10.28TFlops.

The Earth Simulator cost $300m+ and "only" produced 35.86TFlops.

therefore, if someone out there spent $300m on an apple cluster, then they can probably get 593TFLOPS!!!!! WHOAH!!!!! that would OWN anything out there in the world!!! Probably more powerful than all the top 500 put together!! (exaggerating)


what does every think...?? should it be done? is my reasoning incorrect?

edit: miscalculation. Sorry/Thanks Smirk!

 

[smirk]

let's see... going on VT's original "Big Mac" which cost $5.2M, they got 10.28TFlops.

The Earth Simulator cost $300m+ and "only" produced 35.86TFlops.

therefore, if someone out there spent $300m on an apple cluster, then they can probably get 201TFLOPS!!!!!

what does every think...?? should it be done? is my reasoning incorrect?

I get 300 / 5.2 * 10.28 = 593 TFlops. Even better.

 

[superstring]

X-Serves available

I just noticed MacMall has 18 of the Dual 2gig xServes in stock. So for the poster who is still waiting, might be worth checking them out. It seems like IBM/Apple have been getting better with the chip yields. still waiting for the 2.5 though...

 

[BlkBear]

I mean, Apple supercomputers scale linearly
...
is my reasoning incorrect?

NO cluster computers scale linearly. I don't care what it is. How these large clusters scale depends heavily on the innterconnect. The cost of the low latency/high bandwidth interconnects does not scale linearly either. MACH 5 is only using gigabit ethernet, so you'll see them quite a bit lower than their theoretical maximum performance. If they doubled the number of nodes and still used gigabit ethernet, their % efficiency (actual performance / theoretical performance) will definately go down, that is each node you add gives you less and less additional performance.

 

[whooleytoo]

Odd, check this out. One of the authors on this project has already been working on an XServe cluster in the University of Maine.. I wonder how long that page has been up..

 

[mcdawson]

seeing as the earth simulator costed $300m+, isn't it just a matter of time before some one out there plops down $100m+ on an xserve Supercomputer? I mean, Apple supercomputers scale linearly and therefore, the extra money put into an XServe cluster will have a direct correlation with the increase in power.

Remember that some (large?) part of the $300 million cost was for infrastructure--a building that could withstand an 8.5 earthquake, etc. The VT build included air conditioning, but not the building (that was already there). The Apple cluster is still a great cost/TFLOP machine; however, you have to subtract all the infrastructure of the earth simulator to get a more fair comparision.

As to scaling linearly, that probably depends on the software running on the clusters. I believe that one of the "breakthroughs" that VT made was some great software that mangaged a growing cluster welll. I've heard that not all clusters always scale well…