Cluster computing: the commodity supercomputer

Abstract

The availability of high-speed networks and increasingly powerful commodity microprocessors is making the usage of clusters, or networks, of computers an appealing vehicle for cost effective parallel computing. Clusters, built using Commodity-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware components as well as free, or commonly used, software, are playing a major role in redefining the concept of supercomputing. In this paper we discuss the reasons why COTS-based clusters are becoming popular environments for running supercomputing applications. We describe the current enabling technologies and present four state-of-the-art cluster-based projects. Finally, we summarise our findings and draw a number of conclusions relating to the usefulness and likely future of cluster computing.