# Presentation: 381522

## Second Large-Scale Cluster Computing Workshopheld at Fermilab21-22nd October 2002

**Alan Silverman and Mark Kaletka**

- Month 2000

## Outline

- Background and Goals
- The first in the series
- Format of this Workshop
- Proceedings
- References

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## Background

- Sponsored by HEPIX, in particular by the Large Cluster SIG
- In background reading on Grid technologies, we found many papers and USENIX-type talks on cluster techniques, methods and tools.
- But often with results and conclusions based on small numbers of nodes.
- What is the “real world” doing?
***Gathering practical experience is the primary goal***

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## Goals 

- Understand what exists and what might scale to large clusters (1000-5000 nodes and up).
- And by implication, predict what might not scale
- Produce ***the*** definitive guide to building and running a cluster - how to choose/select/test the hardware; software installation and upgrade tools; performance mgmt, logging, accounting, alarms, security, etc, etc
- Maintain this.

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## The First Workshop

- Participation was targeted at sites with a minimum cluster size (100-200 nodes)
- Invitations were sent, not only to HENP sites but to other sciences, including biophysics. We also invited participation by technical representatives from commercial firms (sales people refused!)

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## Workshop Layout

- Apart from a few plenary sessions, typically to set the scale of the problem as compared to where we are today, the workshop was arranged in 2 streams of highly-interactive panels
- Each panel was presented with some initial questions to consider as a starting point
- Each panel was “seeded” with 2 or 3 short informal talks relevant to the panel topic
- The panels were summarised on the last day
- Proceedings were published and reported at CHEP

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## Cluster Builders Guide

- A framework covering all (we hope) aspects of designing, configuring, acquiring, building, installing, administering, monitoring, upgrading a cluster.
- Not the only way to do it but it should make cluster owners think of the correct questions to ask and hopefully where to start looking for answers.
- Section headings to be filled in as we gain experience.

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## 1. Cluster Design Considerations
1.1 What are characteristics of the computational problems ?
1.1.1  Is there a “natural” unit of work ?
1.1.1.1	Executable size
1.1.1.2	Input data size
..........
1.2 What are characteristics of the budget available ?
1.2.1  What initial investment is available ?
1.2.2  What is the annual budget available ?
............
.......
5.	Operations
5.1 Usage
5.2 Management
5.2.1 Installation
5.2.2 Testing
..........

**1.1 ****What are characteristics of the computational problems ?**
**1.1.1  ****Is there a “natural” unit of work ?**
**1.1.1.1****	****Executable size**
**1.1.1.2****	****Input data size**
**.........****.**
**1.2 ****What are characteristics of the budget available ?**
**1.2.1  ****What initial investment is available ?**
**1.2.2  ****What is the annual budget available ?**
**............**
**......****.**
**5.****	****Operations**
**5.1 ****Usage**
**5.2 Management**
**5.2.1 Installation**
**5.2.2 Testing**
**.........****.**

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## This Meeting

- Two themes, practical experience (again) and the various technologies needed to build a cluster
- It’s a workshop, it relies on active participation. Ask questions, make points, discuss.
- There will be as full a summary as I can make but I need help
- Slides from speakers
- Notes you take
-  (alan.silverman@cern.ch)

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000

## References

-    Most of the overheads presented at the workshop should be found on the web site
-           _[http://](http://conferences.fnal.gov/lccws/)__[conferences.fnal.gov/lccws](http://conferences.fnal.gov/lccws/)__[/](http://conferences.fnal.gov/lccws/)_
-    You will also find there the Proceedings (no promise when) and some useful cluster links (including many links within the Proceedings).
-     Other useful links for clusters
-        IEEE Cluster Task Force  _[http://www.ieeetfcc.org](http://www.ieeetfcc.org/)_
-        Top500 Clusters  _[http://clusters.top500.org](http://clusters.top500.org/)_

- Title - Meeting - Alan Silverman   IT/TS

- Month 2000