Doug Hughes disturbed my sleep to write:
>    Is your application really strictly CPU bound or is there a memory/IO
> component?

My understanding is that it's definitely CPU bound.

> You might be setting your bar a bit low. You could potentially get a
> full rack of 1U servers for less than that (40 U  * 8 cores * 2 CPUs).

Agreed; I was kind of lazy in my summary, which was based on blades.
(Half a rack of blades will just about max out our power budget per rack.)

> I'd recommend looking at the Supermicro Twin Squared if you want to
> stick in half rack configuration. You'll get better power efficiency and
> screwless maintenance/replacement.  Dell has a similar product for a
> similar price, but not as easily maintainable.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I've had a brief look at the C6500 from
Dell and noticed the web-only interface for BIOS/ILOM/what have
you...if there was a CLI, the reseller didn't notice it.  Was that
what you were referring to, or were there other things that make you
say it's not as maintainable?

> The twin squared has 4 servers in 2 U and each is on an independent
> sled.  I have a favorite supermicro dealer who will rack the whole
> thing, cable it to my specifications, do an acceptance test, and
> ship it as one unit for a relatively low install fee. They even
> label the machines and cables and color code according to our
> specs. Finally, they give us a spreadsheet with all of the IPs, mac
> addresses, etc. as part of the deliverable.

I hadn't thought about getting the vendor to do the test.  Do you do
that because it's convenient, or just because you trust the vendor
that much?

> Let me know if you want a vendor reference. (shipping an entire rack
> as one unit is optional)

I'm at a Canadian university, so there are conditions for funding that
are a pain to follow if you're not familiar with them...so the vendor
reference may not work out.

> Linpack is a good, general purpose, HPC benchmark.

Thanks again for the suggestion.  /me scurries off to bookmark the web page

Hugh
--
Hugh Brown
http://saintaardvarkthecarpeted.com
Because the plural of Anecdote is Myth.

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