Comments on: Setting Up an IRIX Cluster http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/87 Sharing Software Development Knowledge With You Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:51:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Toni http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/87#comment-34401 Toni Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:40:33 +0000 http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/87#comment-34401 This is all through TCP/IP, so ethernet (or PPP or whatever your stack is running on) will work fine, no need for NumLink (Which I believe is only available for a few SGIs anyway). I also wanted to do a render farm with mine (using Blender), but unfortunately my workstations were too old to run a version of Blender that supported this. The toughest part is actually getting preexisting software to use the cluster - if you're programming your own stuff you can use the libraries to share resources, but otherwise you have to have software that supports it. However, something like SETI or Folding at home is almost already clustered since those programs operate on the cloud concept anyway. But I would definitely try it with the 3d render farm if you can, I did find scripts out there that break up animations in Blender into multiple parts, and give different machines in the cluster each a part to do. Good luck! This is all through TCP/IP, so ethernet (or PPP or whatever your stack is running on) will work fine, no need for NumLink (Which I believe is only available for a few SGIs anyway). I also wanted to do a render farm with mine (using Blender), but unfortunately my workstations were too old to run a version of Blender that supported this.

The toughest part is actually getting preexisting software to use the cluster – if you’re programming your own stuff you can use the libraries to share resources, but otherwise you have to have software that supports it. However, something like SETI or Folding at home is almost already clustered since those programs operate on the cloud concept anyway. But I would definitely try it with the 3d render farm if you can, I did find scripts out there that break up animations in Blender into multiple parts, and give different machines in the cluster each a part to do. Good luck!

]]> By: Chance http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/87#comment-33460 Chance Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:20:39 +0000 http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/87#comment-33460 Sorry for being dense, but is this cluster using ethernet networking or is it done via fibrechannel/NumaLink? I'm interested in hooking my O2, Indigo and other old SGI boxes I can collect into a cluster to run some 3d rendering as well as chugging away at Seti@Home, or protein folding calculations but I am only connecting via an ethernet hub... Any advice you can give would be great! Chance p.s if you know where I can find a Crimson in the UK, I'm eager to find one! Sorry for being dense, but is this cluster using ethernet networking or is it done via fibrechannel/NumaLink? I’m interested in hooking my O2, Indigo and other old SGI boxes I can collect into a cluster to run some 3d rendering as well as chugging away at Seti@Home, or protein folding calculations but I am only connecting via an ethernet hub…

Any advice you can give would be great!

Chance

p.s if you know where I can find a Crimson in the UK, I’m eager to find one!

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