A Linux supercomputer worth $6m (£3.9m) is being built for the Los
Alamos National Laboratory to run unclassified analyses and nuclear
weapons simulations.
Among the key features of the system is that it is being
constructed without internal storage discs to increase reliability
and reduce the number of moving parts inside the machine.
The machine, The Science Appliance, is being built by hardware
vendor Linux NetworX, using 2,048 processors and more than 30Gbytes
of memory.
The machine will be used to crunch numbers as part of massive
calculations for unclassified weapons simulations and other work,
said Jim Danneskiold, a spokesman for the lab.
The technology involved in creating this Linux supercomputer is
seen as a model that could later be used to build powerful,
high-security Linux supercomputer clusters that could perform
classified work on nuclear weapons and related simulations, he
added.
Scientists will use the Science Appliance to run non-classified
analyses on molecular dynamics and other investigations.
When delivered by the end of this year, the cluster is expected to
be one of the five fastest supercomputers in the world, pumping out
10 trillion operations per second, according to LinuxNetworX.
The Linux NetworX Evolocity cluster will also incorporate
LinuxBIOS, an open source BIOS alternative developed by Los Alamos
with Linux NetworX and others. LinuxBIOS replaces the proprietary
BIOS with an open source BIOS that incorporates the Linux kernel,
making the cluster easier to install and manage. By using
LinuxBIOS, the machine will have an extremely fast boot time and
other benefits.
Clark Roundy, vice-president of marketing at LinuxNetworX, said
leaving out storage drives in the nodes boosts the machine's
reliability, reduces internal heat build-up and makes it easier to
service. When needed, drives will be available using
network-attached storage configurations. Calculations are stored in
the massive amounts of memory in the machine when it is in use.
The machine is running Los Alamos' own version of Linux, which is
based on the kernel from Red Hat Linux.
The experimental cluster system will give Los Alamos researchers
opportunities to improve the open source software environment,
parallel file systems and ancillary operating system software to
prepare for future classified supercomputers.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of
California for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
of the US Department of Energy and works in partnership with the
NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. Los
Alamos is used to ensure the safety and reliability of the US
nuclear stockpile and for solving problems related to energy,
environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.