[lug] Number cruncher

Tue Aug 24 14:34:46 MDT 2010

 Steve -
The Penguin is nice because it comes ready to go with the software to control your compute nodes, redundant power supplies and big UPS etc.

I take it you are wanting a "cluster" setup so you can queue your jobs and go away for a few days.

You said you needed a rack, but where I was, we collected all the older machines and just had them stacked on shelves and used open source for the queuing control - you can always steal another old machine from somewhere and add it as another compute node  ;-)

Gordon

From: Steve A Hart <shart at colorado.edu>

Subject: [lug] number cruncher

To: "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List"

    <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <4C72E0EE.3000604 at colorado.edu>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hey everyone,
I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price out.
Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:
-Rack mounted 1U or 2U system
-number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple processor 
and memory intensive codes.
-Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only really 
hold the OS.
-Will be running RHEL5

I could always do Dell or Penguin Computing but they always seem 
overpriced to me and don't seem to fit what I'm looking for.

Gordon Golding
aka Golding the Younger DH70
TASIS 73
gordongoldin at aim.com
303-494-5730
"If Love is Blind, why is lingerie so popular?"

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-request at lug.boulder.co.us
To: lug at lug.boulder.co.us
Sent: Tue, Aug 24, 2010 12:00 pm
Subject: LUG Digest, Vol 82, Issue 22

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Today's Topics:

   1. number cruncher (Steve A Hart)

   2. Re: number cruncher (George Sexton)

   3. Re: number cruncher (Orion Poplawski)

   4. Re: number cruncher (Sean Brady)

   5. Re: number cruncher (David L. Willson)

   6. Re: number cruncher (Sean Reifschneider)

   7. Re: Fedora 8 on new hardware network booting problem

      (Sean Reifschneider)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:58:22 -0600

From: Steve A Hart <shart at colorado.edu>

Subject: [lug] number cruncher

To: "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List"

    <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <4C72E0EE.3000604 at colorado.edu>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hey everyone,

I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price out.

Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:

-Rack mounted 1U or 2U system

-number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple processor 

and memory intensive codes.

-Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only really 

hold the OS.

-Will be running RHEL5

I could always do Dell or Penguin Computing but they always seem 

overpriced to me and don't seem to fit what I'm looking for.

Just fishing for some ideas.....

Thanks

Steve

-- 

Steve Hart

Systems Administrator

Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research

University of Colorado Boulder

shart at colorado.edu

(303)492-8109

------------------------------

Message: 2

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:03:31 -0600

From: "George Sexton" <georges at mhsoftware.com>

Subject: Re: [lug] number cruncher

To: <shart at colorado.edu>,   "'Boulder \(Colorado\) Linux Users Group --

    General Mailing List'"  <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <02d501cb4306$a490aa00$edb1fe00$@com>

Content-Type: text/plain;   charset="us-ascii"

I've bought many machines from here:

http://www.serversdirect.com/

Rack mount server grade equipment is more expensive than consumer grade

equipment. So, if you're looking at the prices and comparing them to

consumer equipment, you're not going to be happy.

George Sexton

MH Software, Inc.

303 438-9585

www.mhsoftware.com

> -----Original Message-----

> From: lug-bounces at lug.boulder.co.us [mailto:lug-

> bounces at lug.boulder.co.us] On Behalf Of Steve A Hart

> Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 2:58 PM

> To: Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List

> Subject: [lug] number cruncher

> 

> Hey everyone,

> 

> I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price out.

> 

> Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:

> 

> -Rack mounted 1U or 2U system

> -number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple processor

> and memory intensive codes.

> -Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only really

> hold the OS.

> -Will be running RHEL5

> 

> I could always do Dell or Penguin Computing but they always seem

> overpriced to me and don't seem to fit what I'm looking for.

> 

> Just fishing for some ideas.....

> 

> Thanks

> 

> Steve

> --

> Steve Hart

> Systems Administrator

> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research

> University of Colorado Boulder

> shart at colorado.edu

> (303)492-8109

> _______________________________________________

> Web Page:  http://lug.boulder.co.us

> Mailing List: http://lists.lug.boulder.co.us/mailman/listinfo/lug

> Join us on IRC: irc.hackingsociety.org port=6667

> channel=#hackingsociety

------------------------------

Message: 3

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:39:40 -0600

From: Orion Poplawski <orion at cora.nwra.com>

Subject: Re: [lug] number cruncher

To: shart at colorado.edu, "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group --

    General Mailing List"   <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <4C72EA9C.6040301 at cora.nwra.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

On 08/23/2010 02:58 PM, Steve A Hart wrote:

> Hey everyone,

>

> I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price out.

>

> Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:

>

> -Rack mounted 1U or 2U system

> -number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple processor

> and memory intensive codes.

> -Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only really

> hold the OS.

> -Will be running RHEL5

>

> I could always do Dell or Penguin Computing but they always seem

> overpriced to me and don't seem to fit what I'm looking for.

>

> Just fishing for some ideas.....

>

> Thanks

>

> Steve

I've purchased some stuff from neqx.com.  Support is not great, but prices are 

low if you know what you want.  I like the Twin^2 systems - 4 nodes in 2U.

-- 

Orion Poplawski

Technical Manager                     303-415-9701 x222

NWRA/CoRA Division                    FAX: 303-415-9702

3380 Mitchell Lane                  orion at cora.nwra.com

Boulder, CO 80301              http://www.cora.nwra.com

------------------------------

Message: 4

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:47:25 -0600

From: Sean Brady <sbrady at gtfservices.com>

Subject: Re: [lug] number cruncher

To: lug at lug.boulder.co.us

Message-ID: <4C72FA7D.5040506 at gtfservices.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

  Looks like I accidentally replied just to the OP.  Sorry about that...

I use Silicon Mechanics for all my machines 

(http://www.siliconmechanics.com) <http://WWW.siliconmechanics.com.>. 

I've bought 6 systems from them and always been happy.  They mostly deal 

with *nix systems, their support is great and the sales engineering is 

first rate.

And no, I don't get a commission :)

On 08/23/2010 02:58 PM, Steve A Hart wrote:

> Hey everyone,

>

> I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price out.

>

> Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:

>

> -Rack mounted 1U or 2U system

> -number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple processor

> and memory intensive codes.

> -Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only really

> hold the OS.

> -Will be running RHEL5

>

> I could always do Dell or Penguin Computing but they always seem

> overpriced to me and don't seem to fit what I'm looking for.

>

> Just fishing for some ideas.....

>

> Thanks

>

> Steve

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Message: 5

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:47:30 -0600 (MDT)

From: "David L. Willson" <DLWillson at TheGeek.NU>

Subject: Re: [lug] number cruncher

To: "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List"

    <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID:

    <10570776.301282603644891.JavaMail.dlwillson at dlwillson-laptop>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

> > I was hoping for suggestions on a new system I'm trying to price

> out.

> >

> > Here's the basics of what I'm looking for:

> >

> > -Rack mounted 1U or 2U system

> > -number cruncher.  Can handle multiple users running multiple

> processor

> > and memory intensive codes.

> > -Physical hard drive space is not an issue, it will need to only

> really

> > hold the OS.

> > -Will be running RHEL5

Consider eRacks ...

http://www.eracks.com/

... and System76.

http://www.system76.com/index.php?cPath=29

------------------------------

Message: 6

Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:58:15 -0600

From: Sean Reifschneider <jafo at tummy.com>

Subject: Re: [lug] number cruncher

To: "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List"

    <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <4C737B97.6020507 at tummy.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

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On 08/23/2010 03:39 PM, Orion Poplawski wrote:

> low if you know what you want.  I like the Twin^2 systems - 4 nodes in 2U.

The Twin2 system vendor is Supermicro.  We've been using Supermicro gear

and been quite happy with it, though we have been having to replace power

supplies quite a bit over the last year.  We've been using Supermicros for

the last decade, and haven't even had to replace power supplies until this

last year, and that's been on "only" <2 year old gear, so something

changed.

The funny thing is that older machines use the same part number and vendor

for the power supply (ablecom? I can't recall exactly off hand).

Anyway, I'm still very happy with the Supermicro boxes, particularly as

newer ones are coming with square hole rack mounting rails -- that makes

our lives easier.

Anyway, I'd say go to supermicro.com and shop for the gear you want there,

then once you've picked what you want, search for the reseller to buy them

from.  We just buy the barebones boxes and add our own CPU and RAM and

discs.  But there are tons of places that will put these in and test for

you.

If you need a lot of RAM (48GB+), the AMD-based systems are probably the

least expensive way to go, since they seem to have way more memory sockets

and use less expensive DDR2 RAM.  We mostly use the Intel-based systems.

The nice thing about the Twin2 systems is that you get redundant,

hot-swap power supplies easily if not included.  The down side is

that if you have the chassis racked and you need to pull one of the 4

nodes to do testing at another location (say, it's acting funny), you

can't just plug in the node to a standard power cable and try it out.

It's really meant to be run in the chassis only.

It also ends up being REAL tight cabling wise.  You have a 2U server that

taking up 12 Ethernet cables (2 for the data and one IPMI management port

per node).  They will boot iSCSI, and that have locator lights on them and

more.  They're real nice, but we're only just starting to play with them.

Cost is around $2400, but that's for 4 nodes so the price is around $600

each; not bad when compared to a stand-alone node with redundant power and

IPMI+KVM.  Plus it's a 95% efficient power supply.

Those machines we've given away at the LUG meetings?  Those have pretty

much all been Supermicro boxes.

Sean

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Message: 7

Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:01:34 -0600

From: Sean Reifschneider <jafo at tummy.com>

Subject: Re: [lug] Fedora 8 on new hardware network booting problem

To: "Boulder (Colorado) Linux Users Group -- General Mailing List"

    <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>

Message-ID: <4C737C5E.6040307 at tummy.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

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On 08/18/2010 09:38 AM, Swavek Skret wrote:

> FATAL: error inserting e1000e: invalid module format

> <3>e1000e: version magic '2.6.23.1-42.fc8 SMP mod_unload 686 4KSTACKS'

> should be '2.6.23.1-42.fc8 SMP mod_unload 586 4KSTACKS'

Sounds like maybe it's building against the installer kernel instead of the

installed kernel.  If you're doing the module build during the kickstart

install, that's probably what's happening.

586 versus 686 is *NOT* 32 versus 64 bit.  It would say "x86_64" or similar

if it were 64-bit.  586 and 686 are both 32-bit identifiers.

> which I think suggests the 32 vs 64 bit architecture mismatch. At that point

> however, I can use the modprobe -f to force an installation and it works OK.

> I would like to be able to tell kernel to do the same thing during the

> pre-loading stage but do not know how to do that.

You probably want to build it right, rather than force loading of the

module.

Sean

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