> ...So I thought about building the HPC nodes (8+1 master) with Gentoo .... > > But then it comes the administration and maintenance burden, which for me it > should be the less, since my main task here is research ... so browsing the > net I found Rocks...
Years ago, I installed a small cluster of ten 200MHz PPro machines. Cluster distributions were dream of the future that time. I still keep the cluster at that size, replacing parts of it as funding allows - the size is quite right for the research we do. I've been through most types of installation adventures this list might suggest you - and in the retrospective, I am surprised how little help of those wonderful clustering tools (which emerged exactly as our dreams predicted) I was able to enjoy. With this size of cluster and this type of funding, I spent by far the biggest part of cluster maintenance by selecting the right new hardware every year and making sure that linux kernel has right drivers for it (network, hd controllers). Finally, the thing which helps me most is - surprise - Knoppix, which is better than me at supporting new hardware :-) (well, I could do it better than Knoppix auto-detection if I devoted more time to it, but no, I do not want to, there were already enough kernel compiles in my life). I can give a CD to my (most collaborative) hardware vendor and he can pre-select hardware for me. I install it to harddisks using my own simple scripts (via USB stick) and I am quite happy with the result. Even closer match to my package selection needs is ParallelKnoppix (which can also be used to create volatile cluster - I do not use this option but it might be nice to play with). The little rest can be added via apt-get. I just had to mention my experience as it seems to be so different from experience of people who care about bigger clusters and can devote bigger share of their human time to cluster maintenance... Best Regards Vaclav Hanzl _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf@beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf
