17 Dec
2007
17 Dec
'07
7:57 a.m.
On Dec 16, 2007, at 11:19 PM, Richard wrote:
OK, we talked earlier about how high this architecture
could go and
there was some mention of 256 and 512 processor systems. However, I
just stumbled across a press release at LANL describing their
installation of a massive 6144 processor system consisting of 48 sets
of 128 nodes all arranged as a giant supercomputer:
Above 128 processors you need a special "Cray" router. Above either 512
or 1024 you'll probably need custom SGI setup, possibly a custom IRIX.
At any rate, 32 or 64 processors are pretty fast (remember as you scale
it's harder and harder to get parallel code to run across all
processors), and don't forget to factor in electricity and cooling.
Most hobbyists only run one or two racks.