Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Microsoft Releases Beta of High-Performance Computing Server
11/16/2007
Microsoft took the next step into the arena of high-performance computing (HPC) this week when it announced the release of the first beta of Windows HPC Server 2008, the successor to Compute Cluster Server 2003.The public beta is available here. The final version is expected to be generally available in the second half of 2008, Microsoft said in a press release.
The product was renamed, Microsoft said, "to reflect its readiness to tackle the most challenging HPC workloads". HPC Server 2008 is based on Windows 2008, slated for availability early next year; it will be a specially-crafted version meant to run on large clusters. Microsoft revealed few details of the server, but did list a number of key features, including a service oriented architecture (SOA) job scheduler; support for partners' clustered file systems; better failover capabilities; more efficient and scalable management tools; and high-speed networking.
Kyril Faenov, general manager of HPC at Microsoft, said in the release that Redmond has seen substantial gains in its HPC environment from the new server. "By upgrading to Windows HPC Server 2008 on our 2,048-core production test cluster, we increased the LINPACK performance by 30 percent and were able to deploy and validate the cluster in less than two hours using out-of-the-box software. Expanding beyond traditional MPI [Message Passing Interface]-based HPC applications, Windows HPC Server 2008 enables support for high-throughput SOA applications with its advanced Web service routing capability and paves the way for bringing HPC capabilities to a broad range of enterprise applications."
LINPACK is a software program that solves high-level mathematical equations. It's frequently used as a benchmark for computing power and performance.
Five years is a long time in the computer age for a new server release, but HPC Server 2008 has followed nearly the same timeline as Windows 2008, which will be released about five years after Windows Server 2003. Until Compute Cluster Server 2003's arrival on the scene, Microsoft had largely been frozen out of the HPC space. It was dominated by "big iron" and more scalable OSes like Unix and Linux.
HPC is still largely confined to the realm of science, engineering and medical and other research; many of the largest computer clusters are found at research universities. The trend over the last few years has been to put more cores on processors and more processors on chips, as it's been getting more and more difficult to squeeze additional performance out of a single processor.
Keith Ward is online news editor for the Redmond Media Group. You can contact him at kward@1105media.com.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- College of Southern Nevada Implementing Angel To Run Online Courses
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN), a community college in Las Vegas with 41,000 students, has adopted the Angel Learning Management Suite (LMS) to support its online course offerings. In Spring 2008 CSN began evaluating alternatives to WebCT, which it currently runs, and made the decision to adopt Angel in the fall. In January 2009, CSN's 865 sections of online enrollment will be delivered using the Angel LMS.
- Toshiba Brings DisplayLink to Docking Station
Toshiba has introduced a new USB docking station that incorporates DisplayLink--a technology that allows computers to connect to projectors and other types of displays through USB 2.0.
- Mitsubishi Ships SXGA+ Projector with DICOM Simulation
Mitsubishi has begun shipping a new LCD-based SXGA+ projector aimed at higher education, specifically medical schools. The new MH2850U, according to Mitsubishi, is "specially engineered for projecting DICOM simulation images for use in medical education and training."
- First Look: Komodo IDE 5.0
Last month, ActiveState released Komodo IDE 5.0, the company's latest integrated development environment (IDE). Komodo supports multiple programming and markup languages, including HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Java, Python, C++ and more. It does not support some .NET languages at present, such as ASP/ASP.NET, C# and VB.NET.
- IBM Offers Cloud Computing Help
IBM last week announced consulting services specifically designed to help organizations assess their options in using cloud computing technology. "Cloud computing" is a much argued term, but it typically refers to solutions delivered over the Internet, rather than via customer premises-installed software.
- Hollins U Chooses Omnilert for Emergency Notification Ahead of VA Deadline
Hollins University, among other higher ed institutions in Virginia, has implemented Omnilert's e2Campus emergency notification system (ENS) just ahead of a state-mandated deadline requiring them at every public institution of higher education by Jan. 1. Hollins itself isn't a public campus, but wished to implement an ENS before the end of the year, the school said in a company statement.
