xGrid now more integrated in Tiger

[arcobb]

I'm sure people have already noticed this, but go to System Preferences>Sharing and look at the bottom of the list. Xgrid is already installed as an agent on the computer. Just sitting there ready to take on work. You still need Tiger Server on a computer to act as the controller. In panther you had to download it and set it up (I believe, anyway it was not as easy as this and I did a little research and this is the official 1.0 release of xgrid). Is it just me or is this huge!?

One could easily set up a cluster in almost any computer lab. H.264 rendering farm? What could be done with this? Are there any "average user" applications? Anyone know of projects currently underway?

Seems some people are already taking advantage of its uses, I just checked out and sign-up for Brian Kobilka's project at http://cmgm.stanford.edu/~cparnot/xgrid-stanford/index.html called xgrid@stanford. Distributed computing with out downloading some client and configuring it or any of the confusing stuff of folding@home (at least I found it confusing, I keep losing packets and my computer would work for days and days and I never got any credit for anything, not one!) All you do is point to the server in sharing and poof... that’s it. Way cool and useful yet. I'm just adding it to another list of "Apple, you amaze me!"

Anyway what does everyone thing about this? Uses? Possible home uses? I want to use it just because it is cool so give me a way cool idea to jump on! or any comments welcome!

Apple link ==> http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/xgrid/

 

[ChrisFromCanada]

You still need Tiger Server on a computer to act as the controller.

That is where Xgrid Lite comes in. It allows one of your computers to become a controller.

 

[arcobb]

That is where Xgrid Lite comes in. It allows one of your computers to become a controller.

Wow! it get better! Ok, don't need Tiger server anymore! What are people using this for? Anyone useing this technology other then huge scientific researchers with 1,100 G5's sitting in the back room (hint)? Watcha using it for?

 

[arcobb]

xGrid artical

I found this and found it interesting... enjoy!
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/05/11/xgrid_pt1.html

 

[sigamy]

I'm hoping for Xgrid for iMovie and iDVD. I'd would be awesome to use both my 1Ghz G4 iMac and 800mhz G4 iBook for MPEG2 (or H.264) encoding.

This could be huge. Apple brought 802.11 networking to regular people thru the ease of Airport. Soon they'll do the same for grid computing.