Finistar, MPI and NCSA team to solve clustering on Windows NT

Orlando, 24 November 98 Finistar Corporation, MPI Software Technology, and the U.S. National Center for Supercomputing Applications claim to have an answer to the problem of cluster computing on Windows NT using Message Passing Interface (MPI), Virtual Interface (VI), and Fibre Channel technologies. In a demonstration, held at SC '98, cluster computing application scalability up to ten nodes was shown.

Each of the partners delivered a contribution to the software package. Finisar offered a new FC-VI PCI host bus adapter for Windows NT cluster applications such as parallel database, scientific computing and OEM embedded applications. MPI Software Technology provided the MPI/Pro software for FC-VI. Third member is NCSA, wich is evaluating MPI on VI and Fibre Channel on one of its testbeds to look at functionality and performance for comparison to the current large scale cluster on real world MPI applications.

This type of technology may be useful in solving the problem of having separate messaging and storage networks. Fibre Channel is attractive because it is standards-based and allows storage and messaging to coexist on the same network. NCSA has built a large NT cluster using commodity PCs and a proprietary network as a low-cost alternative to supercomputers for scientific researchers.

MPI is a message passing and parallel programming model for parallel and cluster computers. Virtual Interface Architecture is an open industry protocol specification designed to reduce latency and cpu utilization in high-bandwidth message passing systems between interconnected nodes. Fibre Channel is a1.062 Gbps interconnect that supports multiple protocols such as SCSI and IP. Finisar is leading an ANSI committee effort for standardizing VI over Fibre Channel.

Sandra Wermer