At 04:13 PM 8/15/2006, Mike Davis wrote:
I'm not 100% sure about that Mark. I care about big-A
administration. I care about showing departments what resources are
actually available. I care about what is the most efficient use of
limited University resources. When I meet with researchers they
often say that they had no idea that there were 500+ processors
dedicated to research here.
I know that other people have the same issues. Another is the
funding model issue. Which is best overhead, direct, or central
budget? Or how about knowing what resources we each provide our
users. Does a given organization focus on hardware support, software
support or both?
Those are some of the Big-A issues. Here is one that is both Big-A
and small-A.
Running one of the new Sun x4100's with both dualcore processors at
100% uses <270 watts (as determined by kill-a-watt. That is Big-A
because it means that we can be more efficient in our use of AC and
power. It is small-a for the same reasons. For example spinning up a
v20 uses 250 watts for both processors at full power. I can't
discuss some of my application specific performance due to license
constraints, but I can say that I like the 4100 in general for
Computational Physics and Chemistry.
I often scratch my head wondering how certain decisions are make at
the "central IT" level, so a perspective from the campus that
involves both performance and up time (plug in the wall) costs is
refreshing. We far to often see a complete disconnect between the
two, which very often means that none of the invested parties (at
either the NSF/NIH/state/federal level) ever really enjoy the value
of each dollar they invest.
I appreciate that Sun may be suggesting (these days) that their
systems are more environmentally friendly; however, given the
price/performance/environmental/support...and really crazy extended
down time associted with engineering issues, logic at least for some,
makes distancing significant IT investment with Sun a decision that
follows very few conversations.
My point comes honestly from your comments, which we hold
dear.....the growing number of research system/cpu's on campus affect
each and every one of us on a daily basis. Having spent this week at
the LSS event at Stanford, I am ever more convinced, how diverse the
needs...and the number of possible solutions. So that must be a big-A
approach with a huge tilt in a not so big-A direction.
Another that is both is what submission systems we are using and Why?
Same questions, that affect both administration and Administration.
Mike davis
Mark Hahn wrote:
beowulf traffic itself is "noise"? If you are thinking of a "list for
university deans" or members of research support offices or departmental
...
administerable and accountable should they get audited) -- then yeah, I
think a new list or other venue would be very useful.
yes. the overlap is minimal, I believe - I'd say the two
approaches are even inimical. someone who is primarily interested
in big-A Administration will have values opposed to mine as a technologist.
as a random pot-shot, big-a people tend to have great faith in
negotiating special purchasing relationships with a vendor, or
believe that integration
is the high-road to success (or an end in itself). I know, OTOH,
that a vendor who makes a good desktop may make the worlds worst compute
nodes, and that, for instance, the service requirements are nearly opposite.
here's my general conclusion about central-IT efforts: if the idea
(centralized storage, whatever) is so good,
people will beg to use it. if you have to force people to use it,
you are simply wrong in some way (perhaps subtly).
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