Re: Linux, the microkernel (was Re: latest linus-2.5 BK broken)

[Craig I. Hagan]

> Also, it isn't as clear that clustering experience applies. Are clusters
> that size built hierachically? Is a 1024-CPU Beowulf practical, and if so
> do you build it as a Beowulf of 32 32-CPU Beowulfs? Is something analogous
> required in the OSlet approach? would it work?

a system of that size has many "practical" applications. It *can* be done
without partitioning it into a tree hierarchy, however, you will need a very
capable interconnect (quadrics and myrinet come to mind). Tt that you'll have a
tiered switching hierarchy even if the nodes are presented in a flat layer.

IMHO nearly any level of breakout for grid computing (basically a cluster
hierarchy) starts to become interesting as a function of your app/problem size
and how many simultanous jobs you are running.

Of course, we can stop and hit reality for a second: not many people can afford
a 1024 cpu cluster, hence the proliferation of smaller ones ;)

-- craig

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