Daniel Pfenniger wrote:
Douglas Eadline wrote:
All,
I posted this on ClusterMonkey the other week.
It is actually derived from a white paper I wrote for
SiCortex. I'm sure those on this list have some
experience/opinions with these issues (and other
cluster issues!)
The True Cost of HPC Cluster Ownership
http://www.clustermonkey.net//content/view/262/1/
This article sounds unbalanced and self-serving.
I thought it read a bit like a chronicle of my recent experiences.
While it I clear that self-made clusters imply added new costs
in regard of turn-key clusters, they also empower the buyer
using standard and open solutions by an increased independence from
the vendor, and increases also its knowledge for future choices.
This aspect is hard to measure in monetary terms, but certainly very
important for some users.
I have experienced all kinds of clusters (turn-key, mostly
self-assembled, and partly vendor assembled and tested), and my conclusion
is that the best is when the user has at least the choice to determine
the degree of vendor integration/lock-in. Bad choices occur
because people are badly informed, and the article is so biased
that it doesn't improve objective information on this regard, just
serves as increasing fear and doubt.
In our experiences over the last two clusters, one was delivered n a
bunch of flat boxes andwe spent several weeks racking, stacking,
cabling, loading, testing, tweaking and then releasing. Or, was that
months.
In our more recent cluster, we took delivery of a purported tested
system, then lived through 2+ weeks of vendor cabling (pretty, if an
extended time to achieve), hardware failures, replacements, BIOS
upgrades (wholesale; shouldn't have been needed), and more hardware
failures. Next time, I want to either get a complete turnkey system or
buy from the various sources and just do it myself, knowing the pitfalls.
gerry
--
Gerry Creager -- [email protected]
Texas Mesonet -- AATLT, Texas A&M University
Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.862.3983
Office: 1700 Research Parkway Ste 160, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843
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