Construction and Configuration of MPI Cluster

Construction and Configuration of MPI Cluster

A computer cluster consists of a number of computers that are coupled to solve complex problems in parallel. They provide a single front-end so that they can be managed and used from a single user interface. The cluster not only provides a excellent cost-performance trade-off compared to a super computer but it also provides the flexibility of using less power when the computational load is lower. Its performance is about the same as a super computer having computational power equal to combined computational capacity of all the computers in the cluster, but at a much lower cost.

This project provides a proof of concept in our capability to build a cluster using open source Message Passing Interface (MPI) at the NSU’s Network, Security and Communications laboratory. We have implemented a cluster using old machines, and verified the correct operation of the cluster by running a complex nonlinear dynamics problem. If faster machines are available, this team is ready to implement a powerful cluster that could be used to handle complex computational problems in areas such as prediction, data mining, physics, cryptography, number theory, and protein folding.