# Presentation: 417363

## Web Influences

**Art Hale**
**Sandia National Laboratories**
**4th Workshop on Distributed Supercomputers**
**March 9-10, 2000**

## The HPC Inflection Point

**HPC used to be leading-edge computing**
**Today, HPC is lagging-edge**
**This is ****culture shock**** for most of us**
**We must adopt and adapt the technologies coming out of the web world**
**The web is today’s driving force for computing innovation**
**The web is a giant research project that HPC must leverage**
**How do we engage with the web community?**

## Implications for Building Systems

**HPC market is small and shrinking (relatively)**
**Performance of high-volume systems increased dramatically **
**Web is driving market for scalable clusters**
**Hot market for high-performance interconnects**

**High-volume building blocks available**
**Commodity trends reduce cost**
**Assembling large clusters is easier than ever**
**Incremental growth possible**

## Web data-centers provide new market for integrated specialty switches

***Web data-centers provide new market for integrated specialty switches***

**Example with Myricom 16-port switch chips**
**parallels 64 node Clos switch**
**preserves form factor and connector density**
**Higher integration of switch elements simplifies physical integration**

## Leverage to Enable Nice 3D Topology

***1024 Node Center With 256 Node Ends***

***3D Mesh of 16 Port Switches Packaged 16/Board and 64/”Plane”***
***Nice topology for large clusters***
***scales to >4000 nodes***

## It’s Good that Our Community is Converging on a Common Architecture

**Distributed Servers and Services**
**Compute**
**Services**
**IO**
**Visualization**
**Multiple networks**
**Data**
**Management**
**Other**
**Examples**
**Intel, IBM SP, SGI, Compaq**
**Cplant, Chiba City, High TORC, Swiss-Tx, ....**

## Next Phase is to Simplify Buy, Assemble, Test, Maintain

**Problems increase dramatically with larger size**
**Today it’s mostly DIY**
**nodes from company A and interconnects from B**
**you’re responsible when something doesn’t work right**
**cascading purchases**
**logistics**
**synchronize building blocks for assembly, installation**
**Information Age approaches will help**
**Need a modified business model**
**On-line web of**
**component compatibility data**
**integration and system tests**
**management tools **
**AND EVEN ON-LINE SERVICES**

## Implications for Software

***Software as We Know it Will Die (?)***
***	******Software is Becoming an Online Service, Shaking Up an Industry******: ******Users Tapping Applications On the Web Force Firms to Reconfigure Strategy***
**	****Wall Street Journal, July 21, 1999**
***	******“******The notion of software as a packaged product will disappear...”***
**Steve Ballmer, President, Microsoft**
**Wired News, August 14, 1999**

## Software Product Model Has Weaknesses

**Users**
**procurement**
**installation**
**learning/training**
**maintenance**
**upgrades**

**Providers**
**complete package for all**
**porting to diverse platforms and OS’s**
**indirect knowledge of users**
**real-time distribution**

## Services Model Provides Compelling Advantages

**Users**
**rent for use**
**simple access**
**no installation or maintenance**
**no platform management or operations**
**can save money**
**increases productivity**
** ****...**

**Providers**
**one platform to support**
**real-time feedback from users**
**direct contact w/users**
**leverage staff**
**can save money**
**increases productivity**
**...**

## Services On-line Will Enable Network Effects

**Value grows as N****2 - ****Metcalf’s Law**
**Cost of getting customers decreases**
**Cost of servicing customers decreases**
**Cost of services per customer decreases**
**Opportunities to create new solutions increases**
**New value created in knowledge base about users**

## Need to Develop a Critical Mass of Webtop HPC Applications and Services

**web-based, accessible, protected, maintained, extensible**

## Deep Services in Addition to Tools

**Tool: **_***something***_** used in performing an **_***operation***_** in the practice of a**_** **_**profession.**

**the ****difference?**

**Infrastructure**

**Tools**

**Services**

**Ultimately, deep integration ****yielding high-level services.**

**stress, weight, cost analysis**

**optimized design for weight, strength, cost**

**Service: a **_***facility***_** supplying some public **_***demand***_**, intended for hard, every day use.**

**Notes:**
“Desktop Tool”  has become synonymous with mod/sim capability delivered to engineer.
“Tool” has, maybe, a limiting context.  Integration of tools/results is left to the user.
A carpenter can do wonderful things with saws, hammers, screwdrivers, etc.  Me, I can do much less.
Qualitative/quantitative difference in scope between tools and services.
Services more complete, higher level.
Chronologically speaking infrastructure, then tools, then services.
Infrastructure, nor tools, have to be complete before starting on next higher level.
But we need the higher level.

## There Are Many New Drivers

**Internet/web is change agent**
**Break down traditional boundaries**
**Levels playing fields**
**Facilitates personalization**
**Create network effects**
**Ease of interaction**
**Anyone, anytime, anywhere, on anything**
**Accelerate productivity increases**
**ref. **_**Direct from Dell**_**, 1999**
**Major Culture Shock for HPC Folks**

## Tech-Web Will Parallel Info-Web Generations

**Tech-Web Will Parallel Info-Web Generations**

**Time**

**Info-Web**

**Tech-Web**