Re: How to build Debian Linux cluster?

[Alexander Kushnirenko <kushnir@pccmu1.fnal.gov>]

Hi, Ken!

I post this message again, as there were some problems with listserver.

First of all thanks for the reply!

> Well, welcome to the club.  We made the decision about six months ago to
> replace our X-terms with Linux boxes.  The `pilot' project was to build a
> small cluster of Debian Linux boxes that serve as terminals for a classroom
> and general use during the day, and as a compute engine at night and weekends.
> 
Excellent!  If we can do that, it's what I want (at least now :)

> > 2. Is it easy to "clone" debian systems?  How should one maintain it? 
> 
> I did this the relatively hard way... one machine at a time.  Even so, I got 
> to where I could start with a machine in a box and have it a fully functional
> component in the cluster within 2 hours.  I have since found out listening
> to this list that the dpkg utility helps to make this chore a lot simpler,
> if you learn to use the command line interface (silly me).
> 
Could you please give more details about that.  Imagine I need to update some 
package (perl for example) on 6 nodes simultaneously, what do I do?

> I've seen several responses point you to Beowulf.  Check it out. 
I have a look.  It's much more than we want or capable of doing.  You build 
supercomputer out of small computers connected with fast network, so that 
speed of calculation is proportional to the number of Linux boxes.  They 
succeded in solving problems like fluid motion and multi-body gravitational 
calculations, and speed is indeed proportional to number of linux boxes, not 
quite linearly though. It would be probably too ambitious for us.

Thanks,
Sasha.




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