Clusters of inexpensive servers, specifically Intel-based servers running Windows 2000, are setting records for performance, scalability, and reliability. This article provides an overview of current industry trends and the role of the PC in supercomputing.
Computational clusters are much less expensive than any cluster built using proprietary hardware.
Here we explain what a simple computational cluster looks like, what networks and network interfaces can be used, and what high-speed networks are available today. Some cluster technologies available today may help you reduce the effort to build high-performance applications on distributed systems and make managing heterogeneity in a clustered environment easier. You will probably need a set of scientific libraries and software, which will depend on the type of the application you are writing. Here you can learn how to manage Windows clusters and what tools are available today. Computational Clustering Technical Preview Toolkit Microsoft has assembled a toolkit containing all the necessary software and documentation to help you set up and run your cluster on the Windows 2000 platform.