Newsletter - August 2005
Optimizing your Compute Resources
NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. CLUSTER RESOURCES AND SCYLD SOFTWARE FORM ALLIANCE
5. SCl05 PLANNING AND ACTIVITIES
6. DID YOU KNOW: GENERIC METRICS
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CLUSTER RESOURCES AND SCYLD SOFTWARE FORM ALLIANCE
Cluster Resources and Scyld Software recently announced an agreement that extends Scyld's Beowulf Linux Clustering solution to include Scyld Taskmaster Suite, a workload and policy management toolset based upon Moab technologies.The suite, which is built around Moab's architecture, will be officially available in the next few months. The suite provides end users and system administrators with a sophisticated workload policy manager, advanced scheduling and a highly intuitive graphical user interface, accessible locally for administrators or through a remote Web portal for end users.
Cluster Resources and Scyld Software created Scyld TaskMaster Suite to offer customers combined benefits from both companies. Cluster Resources’ customers have experienced significant performance improvements with system utilization levels in the 90 percent to 99 percent range, and Scyld Software’s customers have experienced total cost of ownership savings approaching 50 percent compared to alternative clustering approaches.
"Scyld Beowulf is known for dramatically simplifying the deployment and management of Linux clusters," said Marco Annaratone, general manager of Scyld Software. "The new policy-based management capabilities of Scyld's TaskMaster Suite, with its graphical user interface and Web-based access, allows engineers, scientists and researchers to spend more time focused on critical development efforts.”
To learn more about Scyld TaskMaster Suite, visit: www.scyld.com/taskmaster-datasheet.pdf and to learn more about its
underlying technology, Moab Cluster Suite, go to: www.clusterresources.com/pages/products/moab-cluster-suite.php.
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Cluster Resources' technical team wishes to thank the participants of August's training. Turnout was exceptional, with attendance exceeding 150 percent of anticipated levels. Because there was not room for everyone who wanted to participate, even with overbooking, Cluster Resources was not able to address all demand and will host another free training session in January.
If you are interested in participating in the January training, please contact Amber Webb at awebb@clusterresources.com at your earliest convenience to reserve your slot.
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Cluster Resources released new PDF and web based documentation for several products in the past month. The PDF documentation allows usersto locally browse and print manuals for convenient offline review. The Web-based documentation includes numerous content, formatting, and organizational enhancements recommended by the community. Cluster Resources is also releasing WIKI-based online documentation in the coming weeks to allow greater community involvement in recommending best practices, assisting each other with usage issues, etc. The new documentation is available to the community at the following locations:
Moab 4.2.2: http://clusterresources.com/moabdocs/MoabWorkloadManagerAdminManual.pdf
Maui 3.2.6: http://clusterresources.com/moabdocs/MoabWorkloadManagerAdminManual.pdf
Moab 4.2.3: Available to customers and partners with their login account information.
TORQUE 1.2.0: http://www.clusterresources.com/torquedocs/
Cluster Resources is continually trying to improve documentation and is happy to receive suggestions from the user community. Please e-mail suggestions to support@clusterresources.com.
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This snapshot also follows a new version formatting that includes explicit snapshot version information at runtime. The formatting means that administrators can issue a "maui --version" or "showq --version" and see both the Maui release and snapshot version info for the installed package. Based upon feedback from the user community, the formatting change is intended to let administrators know the exact version of Maui they are using. Both TORQUE and Moab previously used this version formatting system.
Please continue to submit patches, suggestions, and comments support@clusterresources.com so we can continue to enhance this product.
The latest Maui 3.2.6 patch 14 snapshot is now available for download at www.clusterresources.com/cri/maui.jsp. Cluster Resources also offers technical support for Maui. Learn more at www.clusterresources.com/techsupport.shtml.
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Cluster Resources would like to help you drive more traffic to your booth at the SCl05 tradeshow and conference. If you use software products Cluster Resources develops or maintains (e.g. Moab, Maui, TORQUE), Cluster Resources would like to display your logo and booth number at its booth. Cluster Resources hopes to also provide signs that can be used at your booth to show the use of these technologies. If you are interested in collaborating with Cluster Resources, please e-mail awebb@clusterresources.com.
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Moab can detect site-specific environmental factors, called generic metrics, to let organizations monitor, manage, and report any site specific resource metric that can be measured. Organizations can use this feature to track compute resource attributes including node temperature, software failure occurrences, memory faults, node application performance, etc. Detection of these metrics simplifies administrators jobs by allowing them to automate policies or create reports based on occurrences.
The metrics can be set to trigger specified tasks or initiate notifications when thresholds are reached, modify node allocation affinity for specific jobs, preempt workload, create reservations, or display current, average, maximum and minimum values in reports and charts.
An organization might use generic metrics to monitor node temperatures and shut down a node to prevent it from overheating. Other functions like this can reduce cluster maintenance and prevent problems on clusters. Reporting of generic metrics can help organizations better identify cluster performance and address issues as fast as they arise.
To learn how to use generic metrics to improve a cluster's performance or track important occurrences, visit http://www.clusterresources.com/products/mwm/docs423/9.2accounting.shtml.
Moab Cluster Suite® , Moab Grid Suite®, Moab Workload Manager®, Moab Cluster Manager®, and Moab Access Portal® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cluster Resources IncorporatedTM.
* This product includes software developed by NASA Ames Research Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Veridian Information Solutions, Inc. Visit www.OpenPBS.org for OpenPBS software support, products, and information. TORQUE is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with Altair Grid Solutions, Inc.