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Section: New Software and Platforms
ComputeMode
ComputeMode: On-demand HPC cluster manager
Keywords: HPC - Clusters - Operating system provisioning
Functional Description
ComputeMode is a on-demand HPC cluster manager, it allows deploying lightweight clustering framework on intranets.
ComputeMode is a software infrastructure that allows to extend or create a Grid through the aggregation of unused computing resources. For instance, a virtual cluster can be built using anyone's PC while not in use. Indeed, most PCs in large companies or university campus are idle at night, on weekends, and during vacations, training periods or business trips.
The main benefits of ComputeMode are the following
Easy deployment: the integration into an existing infrastructure is very easy: no modification is required on your PCs. ComputeMode comes as a software-only solution. The integration with major batch manager systems such as Sun Grid Engine, Platform LSF and Portable Batch System (PBS) can also be achieved. Seamless integration for the scientist: he/she submits unmodified computational jobs through his/her usual interface (batch submission engine), just like with any Beowulf type cluster. Seamless integration for the PC owner/user: ComputeMode runs when his/her PC is idle (night, weekends, ...) so annoyance is minimal if existant
Using ComputeMode, the life cycle of the PCs is basically split between 2 modes of operation a user mode, where the company's installation of Microsoft Windows or GNU/Linux remains a computation mode (hence the product name): uses a diskless boot of a GNU/Linux system and offers the PC's CPU power, RAM and connectivity to the Grid.