Patent ID: 7287180

Claim:
A hierarchical clustered parallel processing system comprising: a plurality of cluster nodes, each cluster node comprising at least one computer system cluster, each computer system cluster comprising at least one computer processing system; a physical network connected to allow any of said computer processing systems incorporated within said plurality of cluster nodes to communicate with any other of said computer processing systems within said cluster nodes and connected to allow communication between each cluster node; a plurality of virtual networks, each virtual network comprising a plurality of said computer processing systems, wherein each computer processing system includes at least one neighbor's listing, each neighbor's listing defining said computer processing system as a member of one of said plurality of said virtual networks and virtually connected through a virtual multicast bus to other member computer processing systems of said virtual network to allow direct and shared communication with the member processors; and a configuration service apparatus in communication with each of said computer processing systems to provide each of said plurality of computer processing systems with: a neighbor's listing for each of said plurality of virtual networks that each of said plurality of computer systems is a member computer system; a node identification to identify one cluster node that each member computer processing system is a member computer processing system, a multicast bus address to broadcast communications to said member computer processing systems of said hierarchical cluster by way of said virtual networks to which said member computer processing systems, and a cluster node priority list designating a priority for each cluster node within said hierarchical cluster; and a cluster supervising processor to provide operational control services for each of said cluster nodes, said cluster supervising processor being selected of said member computer processing systems of each of said cluster nodes according to the priority from said priority list.