The NASA Center for Computational
Sciences (NCCS) will soon install the first stage of
its next-generation supercomputer, a Linux Networx
Custom Supersystem. A 128-node “base unit” is
expected to arrive at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
in late June. While providing an initial peak
performance of 3.3 teraflops, the system could scale
to nearly 40 teraflops in its full configuration.
Image
at right: A Linux Networx Custom
Supersystem will be the next-generation supercomputer
for the NASA Center for Computational Sciences.
The first stage of the cluster, providing 3.3
teraflops of peak computing power in five closet-sized
cabinets, will arrive in June (Photo credit:
Linux Networx).
NCCS system integrator Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC)
selected the cluster through a rigorous procurement
process involving a nationally distributed Request
for Proposals. Designed and optimized for each customer,
a Custom Supersystem incorporates a variety of technologies
from vendor partners.
Each node in the NCCS base unit contains two Intel
dual-core, 3.2 GHz Xeon-Dempsey chips and 4 gigabytes
of memory. The system thus has a total
of 512 processing units and 512 gigabytes of memory.
Its nodes are linked by a 10-gigabit-per-second Infiniband
Network from Silverstorm Technologies. Tightly integrated
with the compute nodes is a high-performance storage
subsystem with 60 terabytes of raw Data Direct Networks
storage running the IBM General Parallel File System. |
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“I am very excited
to welcome Linux Networx and their partners to the
NCCS team,” said Phil Webster, CISTO’s
Lead for High-Performance Computing. “Their high-performance
computing expertise and ability to integrate the latest
technologies will provide our Earth and space science
users with an enhanced processing and data analysis
capability for their research.”
The base unit’s peak performance is 100 gigaflops
higher than the NCCS’s retiring 1,392-processor
HP AlphaServer SC45, with a footprint one-tenth that
of the older machine. By early July, the NCCS expects
to make the cluster available to pioneer users and
then begin a 30-day acceptance period that will include
baseline benchmarking. While undergoing evaluation,
the base unit will run side-by-side with the SC45.
NCCS plans call for adding one or two 256-node “scalable
units” to the Custom Supersystem by the end of
calendar year 2006, increasing aggregate performance
to 9.9 or 16.5 teraflops peak. As the system expands,
portions of the SC45 will be shut down to accommodate
the power and cooling needs.
The Custom Supersystem will provide capacity computing
for the NCCS, with most jobs using up to 64 processors.
However, it also will be available for capability runs,
i.e., for applications that require and can scale to
larger numbers of processors. The 1,152-processor SGI
Altix 3700 BX2 system, which has twice as much memory
per processor, will continue to be the NCCS’s
main capability computing platform.
“One of the primary architectural goals of the
new cluster environment was to make the transition
for the user community as smooth as possible,” said
Dan Duffy, Lead Architect for CSC. “We purposefully
chose a design that presents a consistent user environment
between the Custom Supersystem and the Altix. Users
will have access to the same set of tools, modules,
and home file systems on both platforms.” For
instance, the cluster will have compilers from Intel
and PGI, run the PBS Pro batch scheduler, and have
both MPI and OpenMP, along with other valuable software
tools such as TotalView, MATLAB, and IDL. Moreover,
programmers from the NCCS and GSFC’s Software
Integration and Visualization Office (SIVO) will assist
users in porting and optimizing their codes.
The Custom Supersystem approach also includes the
ability to add special processing nodes for analysis
and visualization as well as application-accelerator
nodes using field-programmable gate arrays, more generally
known as FPGAs. The NCCS is evaluating such technologies
for its system and will consider user input on what
options would be of broadest benefit.
http://nccs.nasa.gov
http://www.linuxnetworx.com |
