Solve Complex Computations with UO's Beowulf Cluster

By Hans Kuhn (hak@oregon.uoregon.edu)

If you have a large, complex computational problem to solve, you might be interested in the University of Oregon's Beowulf cluster.

This parallel virtual supercomputer uses the network protocol PVM to pass instructions to a group of slave PCs. Currently, the Beowulf cluster has 18 Pentium Pro PCs, making it more powerful than DARKWING, GLADSTONE, and OREGON combined.

The main difficulty in using a parallel supercomputer is the need to port source code to solve computations in parallel. Fortunately, advances in software (such as Paralogic's Bert77 package) make this process much easier.

To learn more about the UO's Beowulf computer, contact Hans Kuhn (hak@oregon.uoregon.edu) or visit
http://limestone.uoregon.edu/beowulf/