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RackSaver Delivers Second Supercluster [AMD supercomputing]
CNet.com ^ | 8-19-2002 | Business Wire

Posted on 08/20/2002 1:10:21 PM PDT by JameRetief

RackSaver Delivers Second Supercluster to University of Delaware Research Institute
8/19/02 6:04 AM
Source: Business Wire

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 2002--

Dubbed SAMSON-2, The New System Already Ranks Among the Most Powerful Supercomputers in the World.

RackSaver, a leading provider of high-density individual rack-mounted computer servers and supercomputer clusters, today announced that the University of Delaware's Bartol Research Institute has completed installation and benchmarking of its second RackSaver supercluster system.

The high performance, highly scalable system, known as SAMSON-2, is also the first supercluster system in the United States to use the new WulfKit3 three-dimensional interconnect, an innovative high-performance interconnect developed by partner Dolphin Interconnect Solutions.

SAMSON-2 joins the first SAMSON supercluster system, which RackSaver installed at Bartol in Fall 2000 and at the time was the largest custom supercomputer to use the AMD Athlon(TM) processor.

"We're very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with UD's Bartol Research Institute and excited to be able to assist them in the important computational physics work they're undertaking," said David Driggers, RackSaver CEO. "I think this proves yet again that RackSaver's reputation is well deserved for fierce loyalty to our customers and their needs and delivering quality, reliable, state-of-the-art computing systems at a fair price."

SAMSON-2, already delivering an impressive 230 Gigaflops on the Linpack benchmark, consists of 64 dual-processor 1U rack-mounted nodes with a total of 128 AMD 1.4GHz Athlon(TM) processors. Dolphin's WulfKit3 system interconnects the nodes in a 4x4x4 three-dimensional torus distributed switch topology.

According to Professor Bill Matthaeus, principal investigator at Bartol, SAMSON-2 will provide state-of-the-art supercomputing for the demanding computational physics research at the University. Bartol leads a University of Delaware consortium that includes the departments of physics and astronomy, mechanical engineering, and computer and information sciences. Research projects to be supported by the supercluster include studies of space physics, cosmic rays, solar physics, plasma physics, turbulence and molecular physics.

"We are using cluster supercomputers to develop models that will enable us to understand various important properties of the sun, the near earth space environment as well as more distant phenomena in the galaxy and elsewhere in the universe," Matthaeus said.

An example is the ongoing effort to understand how the surface of the sun and the lower atmosphere of the sun become so hot. It is the temperature and other properties of the lower corona that establish the baseline conditions for the gaseous, magnetic field and cosmic ray environment of the entire solar system. This is important as basic science and also because of its implications for "space weather" that affect satellites, communications and power grids on the Earth's surface.

SAMSON-2 is funded by a National Science Foundation Major Research Infrastructure grant.

About RackSaver Inc.

RackSaver(R) Inc. is a world-class provider of high-density individual rack-mounted computer servers and supercomputer clusters, high-density computing solutions, computing systems as well as other software integration services. The company's state of the art servers and supercomputer clusters primarily utilize the Linux operating systems, the fastest growing segments of the server market. The company also offers servers with the Microsoft Windows XP and 2000 operating systems. RackSaver's management team has over 30 years of experience in server design and manufacturing. RackSaver has been installing supercomputer clusters for the past four years. The company's systems are sold primarily to Fortune 2000 companies, universities, major research institutions, Internet service providers, and research & development entities. RackSaver has been based in San Diego for over five years and its committed to providing custom and turnkey solutions for virtually any market needing high-performance computing power at the lowest possible cost. To learn more about RackSaver(TM) and its unique supercomputing cluster solutions visit http://www.racksaver.com or call 858/874-3800.

About Dolphin Interconnect LLC

Dolphin Interconnect LLC, headquartered in Natick, Mass., develops and manufactures high-speed, high-bandwidth interconnect products based on the scalable coherent interface (SCI). Dolphin Interconnect products and technologies enable customers to build cost effective, highly scalable, enterprise-class clustering solutions with standards-based hardware and software. For additional information, visit www.dolphinics.com.

About AMD

AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor's 500 company, produces microprocessors, flash memory devices and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, Calif., AMD had revenues of $3.9 billion in 2001. (NYSE:AMD). For additional information, visit http://www.amd.com/.

 


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amd; athlons; cluster; techindex

1 posted on 08/20/2002 1:10:21 PM PDT by JameRetief
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; rdb3
FYI ping.
2 posted on 08/20/2002 1:10:49 PM PDT by JameRetief
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To: JameRetief
But does it play Warcraft III?
3 posted on 08/20/2002 1:13:43 PM PDT by Darth Sidious
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To: JameRetief
Nifty. I wonder how much disk storage they have, and whether they will do any grid projects with it.
4 posted on 08/20/2002 1:17:51 PM PDT by Physicist
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To: JameRetief
good lord! Can you imagine how much heat that thing must put off?
5 posted on 08/20/2002 1:21:29 PM PDT by WindMinstrel
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To: JameRetief
All that just so Microsoft paint will work properly..hehe

Set that puppy up as a counter-strike server !!
6 posted on 08/20/2002 1:32:30 PM PDT by MD_Willington_1976
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To: JameRetief; *tech_index; Mathlete; Apple Pan Dowdy; grundle; beckett; billorites; One More Time; ...
To find all articles tagged or indexed using tech_index

Click here: tech_index

7 posted on 08/20/2002 1:36:00 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: JameRetief
That 3 dimensional interconnect stuff sounds brilliant. Anyone trying to do the same thing in processor fabrication?
8 posted on 08/20/2002 1:58:20 PM PDT by liberallarry
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To: Darth Sidious
If it does it plays undead.
9 posted on 08/20/2002 7:03:58 PM PDT by Jonathon Spectre
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To: JameRetief
The company's state of the art servers and supercomputer clusters primarily utilize the Linux operating systems, the fastest growing segments of the server market.

'nuff said!

10 posted on 08/20/2002 10:06:24 PM PDT by The Duke
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To: The Duke
But that can't be!!!

Everyone knows that Microsoft is better!

That Linux thing is just a fad, the Microsofties all say so.

Not to worry, Microsoft's new licensing scheme will put them right back on top of the server market.

I'm going to love seeing the Microsofties stretch tie themselves into knots trying to pooh pooh this.

11 posted on 08/20/2002 10:19:20 PM PDT by Knitebane
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To: Jonathon Spectre
Will it speed up my Everquest play?
12 posted on 08/20/2002 11:22:17 PM PDT by lwoodham
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To: Darth Sidious
But does it play Warcraft III?

Who doesn't?!?!

13 posted on 08/21/2002 3:51:51 PM PDT by rb22982
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