Scyld Beowulf features simplified cluster integration and setup, minimal and easy system administration, increased reliability, and seamless cluster scalability. In addition to its technical advances, the Scyld Beowulf system provides a stable, standard, supported platform for deploying advanced clustering applications. Scyld Beowulf includes an enhanced Linux kernel, libraries, and utilities specifically designed for clustering. Don Becker, Dan Ridge, and other members of the original Beowulf development team have been developing and testing the Scyld Beowulf software since Scyld was formed in 1998. Scyld Beowulf provides a single system image through BProc, the Beowulf cluster process management kernel enhancement.
Processes start on the front-end node and migrate to a cluster node.
Process parent-child relationships and UNIX job control are maintained with migrated tasks. Cluster slave nodes are not required to contain resident applications. Their hard disks are used for application data and cache. This approach eliminates version skew common with previous generation clusters.