laptop cluster

totokan · Post by **totokan** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:01 am

Now that I've finally run out of patience, I was wondering if there was some way to make a cluster out of these laptops i've got sitting around. I've got three, but one (which has windows 2000) won't boot as it gets a BSOD. Would there be an easy way to make them a cluster of CPU and RAM, with one main terminal? Or, not?

sam fisher · Post by **sam fisher** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:04 am

With windows....No...

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:10 am

sam fisher wrote:With windows....No...

With linux?
I was wanting to make a cluster of desktops, but don't know how.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:33 am

ParallelKnoppix, it's a live distro so you don't have to install it, unless you want to. The only downside is that it's likely only x86 so if you have any computers that are not that CPU type you're not going to be able to use it.

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:58 am

What does clustering do exactly?

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:01 am

Harshboy wrote:What does clustering do exactly?

I think it is networking computers together to act as a single computer.

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:10 am

does it combine totals of RAM, CPU, GFX, etc. Is there a way to do this with Macintels? Like the Macbook, not those crazy piraters

The Earl of Sandwich · Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:18 pm

yes, it's called <a href=http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/xgrid/>xgrid</a>
you need a copy of os x server though

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:02 pm

Harshboy wrote:What does clustering do exactly?

Clustering enables you to get super computer performace and speed out of lower end machines. Really the whole idea of SMP's "divide and conqueror" takes place here, where the end node send the information to be processed to all the other nodes in the cluster and then come back to be put back together for the final product.

Personally I don't know what you could effectively use a cluster for. There are not that many desktop applications that are designed to take advantage of SMP.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:08 pm

Sparkfist wrote:Personally I don't know what you could effectively use a cluster for. There are not that many desktop applications that are designed to take advantage of SMP.

Wouldn't it be good if you could get for cheap/have several low end computers and make them work as a good computer?

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:13 pm

vskid wrote:
Sparkfist wrote:Personally I don't know what you could effectively use a cluster for. There are not that many desktop applications that are designed to take advantage of SMP.
Wouldn't it be good if you could get for cheap/have several low end computers and make them work as a good computer?

Sure, that would be awsome. But to let you know you're going to have to do some research on what *nix applications offer SMP performance capiblity. I would think it's safe to believe something like K9Copy (DVD copy and reencoding program) can use SMP.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:15 pm

Sparkfist wrote:
vskid wrote:
Sparkfist wrote:Personally I don't know what you could effectively use a cluster for. There are not that many desktop applications that are designed to take advantage of SMP.
Wouldn't it be good if you could get for cheap/have several low end computers and make them work as a good computer?
Sure, that would be awsome. But to let you know you're going to have to do some research on what *nix applications offer SMP performance capiblity. I would think it's safe to believe something like K9Copy (DVD copy and reencoding program) can use SMP.

So only certain programs can run on a cluster?

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:24 pm

No, just that only certain programs will run faster/better on a cluster. If you were to make a cluster and run a program that only supports a single CPU then that will be using the resources of the end node.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:30 pm

Sparkfist wrote:No, just that only certain programs will run faster/better on a cluster. If you were to make a cluster and run a program that only supports a single CPU then that will be using the resources of the end node.

So you would want the end node to be at least mid range so that single cpu programs could run and the cluster would add extra speed for those that support it. Could you make it so that regular programs could make use of a cluster?

sam fisher · Post by **sam fisher** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:27 pm

No, that would require a change and recompile of the source. I think that getting a multi threaded video endocder would rock though. I dream of 30 Pentium D's encoding video. That would be sweet