Windows selected for cluster project

University chooses Microsoft over Linux for aerodynamics research

The University of Southampton has opted for Windows over Linux to run a clustered computing project to investigate vehicle aerodynamics.

The university is using Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 to cope with the Spitfire project’s high-performance computing demands.

Dr Kenji Takeda, a project Spitfire leader, is critical of Linux’s ability to solve complex mathematical problems and carry out large, sophisticated simulations.

‘Using Windows solves a traditional barrier to entry for new users because it takes the use of the cluster out of the hands of Unix and Linux hacks,’ he said.

In the past, Takeda used an IBM SP2 Unix system to run complex calculations, but found it difficult to integrate into Southampton University’s Windows environment.

With the Windows cluster system, users can be given access much more easily, he says.

‘This way, ordinary people can do the research and design work without having to battle against Unix scripts,’ said Takeda.

Using Windows also makes clusters cheaper, because there is no need to hire Unix or Linux administrators to run them.

But Phillip Fayers, an IT manager working on an IBM-based brain research cluster at Cardiff University, is not convinced Windows is the best platform for high-performance computing.

‘If you look at benchmarks on similar server platforms, Linux or Sun’s Solaris operating system will run significantly better than Windows,’ he said. ‘Windows does not always have the tools to deal with difficult problems.’

The trend in university clusters is towards Sun’s Solaris, which has the tools to deal with cluster problems, says Fayer.

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Further reading:

UK computer cluster boost
Open source adoption set to rise
Supercomputing Windows released to manufacturing