Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003
Simplified Cluster Deployment and Management
12 May 2007 Source: www.microsoft.com
For customers solving complex computational problems, Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 (CCS) accelerates time-to-insight by providing a high-performance computing (HPC) platform that is simple to deploy, operate and integrate with existing infrastructure and tools.
In 1991, 10GFlops of copmuting power cost approximately $40,000,000. Today, that level of computing power can be achieved by combining four x86 machines at a cost of roughly $4,000, bringing the hardware acquisition cost of supercomputing down to the personal desktop level.
Windows CCS includes prescriptive setup procedures, a complete suite of management tools and an integrated job scheduler. CCS integrates with Active Directory and uses MMC for cluster management. Additionally, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 includes support for parallel job development and debugging.
Benefits of Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003
Windows CCS provides a cost effective and powerful HPC solution that runs on commodity x64-based computers. CCS can be deployed, managed and extended using familiar tools and technologies.
Faster Time-To-Insight
Wizards simplify and speed the initial installation of the head node. Compute nodes can be installed manually or by using automated deployment tools. Windows CCS leveraged RIS for automated deployment, but Administrators can use non-Microsoft tools as well.
Better integration with IT infrastructure
Windows CCS uses Active Directory and MMC 3.0 to provide a simple and familiar interface for managing and administering the cluster. Integration with Active Directory enables role-based cluster management by assigning Administrator and User roles.
Microsoft Message Passing Interface
The Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS MPI) in Windows CCS is derived from the Argonne National Labs implementation (MPICH2) of the MPI2 standard. MS MPI uses the WinStock Direct protocol for best performance and CPU efficiency. MS MPI can utilise an Ethernet interconnect that is supported on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Support for low-latency, high bandwidth interconnects, such as Infiniband or Myrinet, is enabled through Winsock Direct drivers.
Job Scheduler
Windows CCS includes both a command line job scheduler and the Compute Cluster Job Manager; a Win32 GUI that provides access to the Job Scheduler for the creation, submission and monitoring of the jobs in the cluster. The CLI supports Perl, FORTRAN, C/C++, C# and Java.
Security
Windows CCS uses Active Directory to enable role-based security for all cluster jobs and administration. All jobs run under the context and credential of the submitting user. Credentials are stored with the job and deleted at the completion of the job.
