[torqueusers] Cluster Resources Newsletter - June 2005

[amber webb]

Cluster Resources Newsletter - June 2005
Optimizing your Compute Resources
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www.ClusterResources.com 
__________________________________________________
 
NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS 
 
1. ANNOUNCING CLUSTER BUILDER
2. TORQUE 1.2.0p5
3. MOAB GRID SUITE UPDATES
4. DID YOU KNOW: AUTOMATED RESERVATION POLICIES
 
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ANNOUNCING CLUSTER BUILDER
 
Cluster Resources, Inc. and LinuxHPC.org announced the 
release of Cluster Builder (www.clusterbuilder.org) - a new Web 
site highlighting a broad spectrum of technologies and high 
performance computing (HPC) information. 
 
Cluster Builder acts as an organized repository of first- and 
third-party content relating to supercomputing technologies 
that helps alleviate the research burden of sifting through 
millions of search engine results. The Web site is organized 
into software categories such as operating systems, resource 
managers, compilers, etc., as well as hardware categories 
such as processors, switches and interconnect standards. 
Cluster Builder includes both open source and commercial 
products. 
 
To further aid in the research, Cluster Builder directs evaluators 
to LinuxHPC's free Request-For-Quote service. Purchasers can 
use this service to complete one quote form, which is sent to 
multiple vendors, instead of completing a form for each individual 
vendor.
 
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TORQUE 1.2.0p5
 
TORQUE* Resource Manager's user community, in cooperation 
with Cluster Resources, contributed several fixes in the last 
month to create TORQUE 1.2.0p5.
 
One important fix stops the problem of qstat hanging while 
pbs_server is waiting for an update from an offline MOM. 
The problem occurred when a MOM in the "down, job-exclusive" 
state was marked offline using the "pbsnodes -o" command. 
 
A patch submitted by the University of Maine fixes a communication 
error during job cancellation. When Cluster Resources tested the 
patch, they found it increased the performance of qdel in certain 
circumstances.
 
On behalf of the user community we would also like to thank all 
those not mentioned above who helped find and fix problems 
and test new patches. To learn more about TORQUE visit:
 http://www.clusterresources.com/products/torque/. To join 
TORQUE's user community go to:
 http://www.clusterresources.com/mailing.shtml.
 
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MOAB GRID SUITE UPDATES
 
The Alpha version of the new Moab Grid Suite continues to 
receive valuable updates. The new version will include true 
peer-to-peer (P2P) capabilities, so local clusters can set their 
own policies, instead of relying on an administrator to set 
policies. An efficient multi-threaded I/O protocol ensures that 
Moab commands and P2P communication is fast and doesn't 
suffer from unnecessary blocking.
 
Another new feature in Moab Grid Suite now protects users 
from losing information due to the Internet's sometimes unreliable 
connections and bandwidth or a downed head-node. Through 
a new robust check-pointing feature, grid users can get 
up-to-date information on their grid workloads, following 
connectivity failure or failure on any of the peer head nodes.
 
Moab Grid Suite will be available later this summer. To learn more 
about the product, and its capabilities, visit 
http://www.clusterresources.com/products/moabgridsuite.shtml.
 
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DID YOU KNOW: AUTOMATED RESERVATION POLICIES
 
Reservations can be created in Moab to ensure users are allowed 
the resources they need to complete critical tasks. However, a 
reservation can become
his or her plans, or reserves more 
resources than necessary. This leaves a set of resources that no 
one else can use, thereby decreasing the efficiency of cluster 
resources. 
 
To combat this problem, Moab Workload Manager can be set to 
cancel reservations if the resources are not used within a certain 
time frame after the reservation begins. If a certain percentage of 
the resources are not used, Moab Workload Manager can also be 
set to reduce the amount of reserved resources. This allows others 
to use the resources, rather than letting them sit idle for the full 
reservation time alloted. The user who reserved the resources may 
still use them after the reservation has been canceled if they are 
available, but the availability is no longer guaranteed.  
 
This feature is available through Moab Workload Manager's event 
policy engine. The event policy engine allows users to automate
 reservation policies, as well as virtually all other management
policies. 
To learn more about reservation policies and other automated policies,
visit 
http://www.clusterresources.com/products/mwm/docs/20.1triggers.shtml. 
Users can test Moab Workload Manager by downloading the Moab Cluster 
Suite evaluation at http://www.clusterresources.com/products/eval/.
 ______________________________________________________
 
Contact Us: 
Product Feedback, Technical Support, Consulting and Custom Development

queries can be sent to info at clusterresources.com or call us at +1 (801)
873-3400
 
Moab Workload ManagerTM, Moab Cluster ManagerTM and MonitorTM, and 
Moab Access PortalTM 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. 

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