Beowulf
-
Yesterday when I went up to the attic to store another computer a family member dumped on me I got attacked by a stack of about 12 mobo’s and a few computer cases. Leaving the attic with a few scratches and bruises my parents told me to get rid of all the computers I don’t use. I managed to convince them I can keep my 286 and 486 but I gotta get rid of the rest, unless I find something to use em for. So I was thinking of setting up a small Beowulf cluster, just for fun and I could argue I am using them. Anyone have some tips/warnings before I start tonight?
saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.
If something terrible conmes over you, rip off its arm, then kill its mother, ok?
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchymodified on Friday, January 28, 2011 4:42 AM
-
Yesterday when I went up to the attic to store another computer a family member dumped on me I got attacked by a stack of about 12 mobo’s and a few computer cases. Leaving the attic with a few scratches and bruises my parents told me to get rid of all the computers I don’t use. I managed to convince them I can keep my 286 and 486 but I gotta get rid of the rest, unless I find something to use em for. So I was thinking of setting up a small Beowulf cluster, just for fun and I could argue I am using them. Anyone have some tips/warnings before I start tonight?
saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.
Yeh, power consumption / performance ratio. Depending on what hardware you have in the attic, the performance of the cluster and power consumption vs a new computer maybe not be value for money. Old machine are slow and power hungry by todays standards. What you spend in power for your cluster would pay for a new high spec machine in a few months. How do i know? I had a couple of poweredge servers and a cluster of 5 single core AMD XP 3.2GHz and when i eventually turned them off, my electricity bill halved. :omg:
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Latest Article:Data Historians! You Bought It, Use It! Real World Example Latest Tip/Trick:Google Charting API and Formula Imaging
-
Yeh, power consumption / performance ratio. Depending on what hardware you have in the attic, the performance of the cluster and power consumption vs a new computer maybe not be value for money. Old machine are slow and power hungry by todays standards. What you spend in power for your cluster would pay for a new high spec machine in a few months. How do i know? I had a couple of poweredge servers and a cluster of 5 single core AMD XP 3.2GHz and when i eventually turned them off, my electricity bill halved. :omg:
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Latest Article:Data Historians! You Bought It, Use It! Real World Example Latest Tip/Trick:Google Charting API and Formula Imaging
DaveAuld wrote:
AMD XP 3.2GHz
Also colloquially known as "Space heaters".
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy -
If something terrible conmes over you, rip off its arm, then kill its mother, ok?
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchymodified on Friday, January 28, 2011 4:42 AM
-
DaveAuld wrote:
AMD XP 3.2GHz
Also colloquially known as "Space heaters".
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchypeterchen wrote:
Space heaters
Sure were, they kept my attic warm.
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Latest Article:Data Historians! You Bought It, Use It! Real World Example Latest Tip/Trick:Google Charting API and Formula Imaging
-
Yeh, power consumption / performance ratio. Depending on what hardware you have in the attic, the performance of the cluster and power consumption vs a new computer maybe not be value for money. Old machine are slow and power hungry by todays standards. What you spend in power for your cluster would pay for a new high spec machine in a few months. How do i know? I had a couple of poweredge servers and a cluster of 5 single core AMD XP 3.2GHz and when i eventually turned them off, my electricity bill halved. :omg:
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Latest Article:Data Historians! You Bought It, Use It! Real World Example Latest Tip/Trick:Google Charting API and Formula Imaging
Judging from the original post, I don't think the real goal is performance or optimised power consumption here, but rather a way to make a large collection of antiquated hardware appear useful. Depending on the computer knowledge of your parents, perhaps it would be an idea to just turn everything on, span some cables between a few them and put on your most innocent face while claiming you have in fact made a very sophisticated setup :)
-
Judging from the original post, I don't think the real goal is performance or optimised power consumption here, but rather a way to make a large collection of antiquated hardware appear useful. Depending on the computer knowledge of your parents, perhaps it would be an idea to just turn everything on, span some cables between a few them and put on your most innocent face while claiming you have in fact made a very sophisticated setup :)
Thaddeus Jones wrote:
Judging from the original post, I don't think the real goal is performance or optimised power consumption here, but rather a way to make a large collection of antiquated hardware appear useful.
Right on the mark.
Thaddeus Jones wrote:
Depending on the computer knowledge of your parents, perhaps it would be an idea to just turn everything on, span some cables between a few them and put on your most innocent face while claiming you have in fact made a very sophisticated setup
That would work, I'm still suprised that they can turn their own machines on. My mom even tried to post some tekst in a folder... But when i think about those poor machines not doing anything i just wanna make om seem somewhat usefull... or something like that :P I might even be able to pass it off as a project for school. Would be nice to get out of the continues Domain Controller installations they keep making us do. And if its for school they won't make me throw them out. Geuss ill go with that.
saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.
-
Thaddeus Jones wrote:
Judging from the original post, I don't think the real goal is performance or optimised power consumption here, but rather a way to make a large collection of antiquated hardware appear useful.
Right on the mark.
Thaddeus Jones wrote:
Depending on the computer knowledge of your parents, perhaps it would be an idea to just turn everything on, span some cables between a few them and put on your most innocent face while claiming you have in fact made a very sophisticated setup
That would work, I'm still suprised that they can turn their own machines on. My mom even tried to post some tekst in a folder... But when i think about those poor machines not doing anything i just wanna make om seem somewhat usefull... or something like that :P I might even be able to pass it off as a project for school. Would be nice to get out of the continues Domain Controller installations they keep making us do. And if its for school they won't make me throw them out. Geuss ill go with that.
saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Yeah, I had my family machine at home running it for a while. I forgot to re-install it after the last Windows reload. Actually, it's been long enough it's time for another Windows reload. The family machine gets rather crufty from the wife and daughter's wandering :rolleyes:.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Yeah, I had my family machine at home running it for a while. I forgot to re-install it after the last Windows reload. Actually, it's been long enough it's time for another Windows reload. The family machine gets rather crufty from the wife and daughter's wandering :rolleyes:.
Software Zen:
delete this;Gary Wheeler wrote:
The family machine gets rather crufty from the wife and daughter's wandering .
Yeah, i know that problem, thank god we all have our own machines now. Made images for each of em with all their data on a server. Reinstall takes about 15 to 20 min, and have to do it about once a month because it suddenly stops working and it never is their fault :| Maybe i should set up a real domain and start restricting their users some more.
saru mo ki kara ochiru (even monkeys fall from trees) Usualy i'm that monkey. If you want an intelligent answer, Don't ask me. To understand Recursion, you must first understand Recursion.
-
Yeah, I had my family machine at home running it for a while. I forgot to re-install it after the last Windows reload. Actually, it's been long enough it's time for another Windows reload. The family machine gets rather crufty from the wife and daughter's wandering :rolleyes:.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I only do the reload about once a year or so. I've used an image backup to restore things after a hard drive failure, but prefer a fresh install in this case. My family tends to install crap they find everywhere, and then don't use it very often (if at all). The image restore also tends to restore the cruft. The fresh install cleans things up, and leaves off the junk. It annoys the wife/daughter occasionally ("where's my _____?!?"), but then I just load that and we're cool. I've also seen better behavior from Windows in this case. The clean install of XP(*) with SP2 slipstreamed was noticeably smaller and more stable than a copy of the base version XP, Windows Update, apply SP2, and so on. (*) Yeah, the family box is an antique :-O. It's still running XP. The wife only browses the web and reads her e-mail, and the daughter has pretty much switched to her own laptop.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I only do the reload about once a year or so. I've used an image backup to restore things after a hard drive failure, but prefer a fresh install in this case. My family tends to install crap they find everywhere, and then don't use it very often (if at all). The image restore also tends to restore the cruft. The fresh install cleans things up, and leaves off the junk. It annoys the wife/daughter occasionally ("where's my _____?!?"), but then I just load that and we're cool. I've also seen better behavior from Windows in this case. The clean install of XP(*) with SP2 slipstreamed was noticeably smaller and more stable than a copy of the base version XP, Windows Update, apply SP2, and so on. (*) Yeah, the family box is an antique :-O. It's still running XP. The wife only browses the web and reads her e-mail, and the daughter has pretty much switched to her own laptop.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
If you make the image after installing the OS and all the apps that should be on it, but before the family has time to cruft it up you can get a clean image that will save you lots of time...
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
I'll probably do that this time, since there's not going to be an SP4 for XP... :rolleyes:
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I'll probably do that this time, since there's not going to be an SP4 for XP... :rolleyes:
Software Zen:
delete this;