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Before You Begin

You should read the Known Problems page first.

  1. Hardware Requirements

    A cluster usually consists of: For instance, if you want to build a cluster of 8 compute hosts, you need to buy 9 computers. Though we recommend having a cluster server, you may install software for the cluster server onto one of the compute hosts, so that you don't need to buy a computer for the server.

    A router is also necessary if you plan to connect the cluster to a LAN.

    All processor hosts forming a homogeneous cluster should be of the same architecture and use the same version of the operating system.

  2. Platform and Architecture Requirements

    There is a minimum list of basic parts that are necessary before you can start building your SCore Cluster System. Optional parts are also described.
    1. Basic Parts
      Processor
      The following Intel Pentiums (Pro, II, III, 4) and Compaq Alphas have been tested in Real World Computing Partnership:
      • Intel Pentium (Pro, II, III, 4)
        IBM compatible PCs using 440FX, 440BX, 450NX, 810, and 810E chipsets
        4-way Pentium II Xeon 450MHz, 450NX chipset
        2-way Pentium III 500MHz, 440BX chipset
        2-way Pentium III 800MHz, Server Set III
        Pentium 4 1.5GHz, i850 chipset
        2-way Xeon 1.7GHz, i860 chipset
        2-way Xeon 2.4GHz Serverworks GC chipset
        2-way Xeon 2.4GHz Intel E7500 chipset
      • AMD Duron, Athlon (XP)
        AMD 760 chipset
        2-way AMD 760MP chipset
        2-way AMD 760MPX chipset
      • Compaq Alpha
        XP-1000 and 164LX motherboard based systems
      Configuration
      Single or SMP (SMP support is only available for Pentiums at present)
      Memory
      Memory size depends on you applications. The SCore system software uses just a few MBytes
      Disk
      3 GB or more for each compute host, 4 GB or more for the server host
      Server hostCompute host
      System4 GB 2 GB
      User ~ ~
      ChkPnt0 B 1GB or more
      Total 4 GB or more 3 GB or more
      Ethernet Card and HUB/Switch
      We strongly recommend using an Ethernet switch or switching HUB instead of a HUB. If you use a HUB, you will not gain the benefit of parallelism.
      The following network cards have been tested in Real World Computing Partnership: eepro100, tulip, de4x5, and 3c509.
      VGA
      The SCore system does not require a VGA card in compute hosts, but requires the card in the server host. Note that most BIOS require a VGA card and a keyboard.
      Floppy and CD-ROM
      A floppy drive on each compute host is required for use by the Easy Installation Tool. A floppy and CD-ROM drive on the server host are required for use by the Easy Installation Tool.

    2. Optional Parts
      • Myrinet and Myrinet2000Myrinet Cards and Switch
        • PCI Cards
          Myrinet: M2M-PCI32, M2M-PCI64A-2, M2M-PCI64A-4, M2L-PCI32, M2L-PCI64A-2, or M2L-PCI64A-4
          Myrinet2000: M3F-PCI64B-2, M3S-PCI64B-2, M3M-PCI64B-2, M3F-PCI64C-2
          Note that M2M-PCI64A-4, M2L-PCI64A-2, and M2L-PCI64A-4 have not been tested in Real World Computing Partnership.
        • Switch
          Myrinet: M3F-SW8, M3-SW16-8S, M3-SPINE-8S, M2M-DUAL-SW8, M2M-OCT-SW8, or M2M-SW16
          Myrinet2000: M3F-SW8, M3S-SW8, M3M-SW8, M3F-SW16, M3S-SW16, M3M-SW16 Switches or Combinations of Enclosures (M3-E16, M3-E32, M3-E64) and Switch Line Cards(M3-SW-16-8F, M3-SW-16-8S, M3-SW-16-8M, M3-SPINE-8F, M3-SPINE-8S)

        To see the Myrinet network configuration, see the PM-II Myrinet Conf(5) man page. If you install the SCore system using the Easy Installation Tool, see these configuration pages:

        Myrinet: Myrinet Configurations
        Myrinet2000: Myrinet2000 Configurations

      • Gigabit Ethernet Cards and Switch
        Optional. The GNIC-II, Intel Pro1000, Broadcom bcm5701 based NICs and Syskonnect SK9843 card has been tested.

  3. Obtain Network Information

    It is advisable to obtain your network information before beginning the installation. The following data is used as an example for the Easy Installation, which is shown in the following pages. There is one server host (server) and eight cluster hosts (comp0, comp1, comp2, comp3, comp4, comp5, comp6, comp7):

    server IP Address 192.168.0.2
    comp0 to comp7 IP Addresses 192.168.0.100 -- 192.168.55.107
    Netmask 255.255.255.0
    Default Gateway IP address 192.168.0.1
    Primary Nameserver IP address 192.168.0.1
    Domain Name pccluster.org
    Server Hostname server.pccluster.org
    NIS domain name score

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CREDIT
This document is a part of the SCore cluster system software developed at PC Cluster Consortium, Japan. Copyright (C) 2003 PC Cluster Consortium.