Matlab-Like Tools for HPC

The Matlab numerical computing environment is a good candidate for HPC systems applications, but a number of free and open source Matlab-like tools are available as well. These tools have a large number of built-in computational routines and are easily programmed.

Profiling Is the Key to Survival

Computing hardware is constantly changing, with new CPUs and accelerators, and the integration of both. How do you know which processors are right for your code?

Living with Multiple and Many Cores

As core counts increase in both CPUs and GPUs, the HPC lifestyle could become a bit more difficult.

Introduction to OpenMP

Parallel programming is not easy, but one tool you can use to help parallelize your application is OpenMP. Most compilers are compatible with OpenMP and allow you to parallelize your code on a single node.

Keeping It Straight: Environment Modules

The Modules package makes life easier in the HPC world (and beyond).

The RADOS object store and Ceph filesystem: Part 2

In this second article on scalable storage in cloud environments, we cover the inner workings of RADOS and how to avoid pitfalls.

Moving HPC to the Cloud

HPC has a unique set of requirements that might not fit into standard clouds. However, plenty of commercial options, including cloud-like services, provide the advantages of real HPC without the capital expense of buying hardware.

openlava – Hot Resource Manager

HPC systems are really designed to be shared by several users. One way to share them is through a software tool called a resource manager. Openlava is an open source version of the commercial scheduler LSF. It shares the robustness of LSF while being freely available, very scalable, and easy to install and customize.

Grid Engine: Running on All Four Cylinders

Two years after the Oracle acquisition of Sun, Grid Engine is still alive and scheduling jobs.

Gathering Data on Environment Modules

Gathering data on various aspects of your HPC system is a key step toward developing information about the system and one of the first steps toward tuning your system for performance and reporting on system use. It can tell how users are using the system and, at a high level, what they are doing. In this article, I present a method for gathering data on how users are using Environment Modules, such as which modules are being used, how often, and so on.