> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:pgsql-hackers- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Christopher Browne > Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 9:56 AM > To: pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org > Subject: [HACKERS] Will PostgreSQL get ported to CUDA? > > 2008/1/30 Dann Corbit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > http://www.scientificcomputing.com/ShowPR~PUBCODE~030~ACCT~3000000100~IS SU > E~0801~RELTYPE~HPCC~PRODCODE~00000000~PRODLETT~C.html > > > > http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_learn.html > > > > http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_get.html > > Someone at CMU has tried this, somewhat fruitfully. > > http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ngm/15-823/project/Draft.pdf > http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ngm/15-823/project/Final.pdf > > This was based on GPUSort: > http://gamma.cs.unc.edu/GPUSORT/ > > Unfortunately, the licensing of GPUSort is, if anything, more awful > than that for CUDA. > http://gamma.cs.unc.edu/GPUSORT/terms.html > > This would need to get pretty totally reimplemented to be useful with > PostgreSQL. Happily, we actually have some evidence that the exercise > would be of some value. Further, it looks to me like the > implementation that was done was done in a pretty naive way. > Something done more seriously would likely be radically better...
It's too bad that they have a restrictive license. Perhaps there is an opportunity to create an "information appliance" that contains a special build of PostgreSQL, a nice heap of super-speedy disk, and a big pile of GPUs for sort and merge type operations. The thing that seems nice to me about this idea is that you would have a very stable test platform (all hardware and software combinations would be known and thoroughly tested) and you might also get some extreme performance. I guess that a better sort than GPUSort could be written from scratch, but legal entanglements with the use of the graphics cards may make the whole concept DOA. ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 5: don't forget to increase your free space map settings
