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Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa |
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Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa |
Ames Tribune, Saturday, September 18, 1999
U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson watched scientists at Ames Laboratory play games on a $500,000 computer system Friday afternoon. Afterwards he decided they were doing such a good job that they needed more money.
Actually, the scientists were using GAMESS, the General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System. Scientists replayed a brief animation, the result of 1,000 computer processor-hours of running GAMESS, for Richardson. The program allows chemists to simulate the actions and interrelations of atoms and molecules to understand the chemical reactions that underlie a large number physical phenomena.
Running intense programs like this is the goal of Ames Lab researchers working on "computer clusters," groups of powerful computer workstations connected together that can rival and surpass the speed and computing power of supercomputers.
Richardson toured Ames Lab Friday. He was accompanied by Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, as well as Ames Lab Director Thomas J. Barton and staff from Ames Lab and the Department of Energy.
After completing the tour, Richardson held a brief press conference at which he announced his support for increasing funding for the lab. Ames Lab is a DOE laboratory operated by Iowa State University.
Scientists affiliated with four projects, in various stages of completion, gave Richardson brief presentations about their work. The computing cluster was the last presentation of the public portion of Richardson's tour.
He also heard about research on magnetic refrigeration, thin-film solar cells and lead-free solder. After each presentation Richardson asked if his department was giving scientists enough support, and what else he could do to help their research. The researchers, obviously unaccustomed to Richardson's management style, didn't seem to be prepared for the ease with which he offered help.
"I am convinced today that the budget [for Ames Lab] deserves to go up," Richardson told reporters. "Just how much depends on these guys," he added, indicating Grassley and Boswell.
Daniel Lathrop
Insider, April 1999
When IBM officials arrived at the Lab on April 12, they could hardly wait to see how "Cluster" was doing. Like any doting parent, the folks from IBM were anxious to see where their child was living, how it had grown and how it was performing in its new home.
Cluster is the name given by Scalable Computing Lab staff to a network of 15 dual-processor, IBM Power3 RS/6000 workstations. The incredible infant lives in the fourth-floor "penthouse" of Wilhelm Hall and is the latest and greatest cluster computing network at Ames Lab and Iowa State University. It's birth was made possible by IBM's Shared University Research Grant to ISU$665,000 in top-of-the-line equipment.
Cluster computing involves networking groups of high-performance workstations to create clusters that operate at supercomputer speed and at a very economical cost.
"The SUR grant is highly competitive," said Mark Gordon, program director for Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences and an ISU distinguished professor of chemistry. "The fact that we received it says that Ames Lab's and ISU's combined expertise is very attractive to IBM and that they see great promise in our collaborative efforts."
Jeff VerHeul, vice president of Server and Workstation Development, IBM Server Group, said the SUR grant allows IBM, Ames Lab and ISU to work closely to explore the performance of clustered systems. "All three organizations will benefit from the discovery and shared learning currently underway," said VerHeul, who received a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from ISU in 1980. "Professor Gordon's team has built a world-class learning laboratory using this new technology to solve real-world scientific problems."
Already making its family proud, Cluster is running calculations on groups of atoms and molecules, helping researchers determine the best ways to communicate between computers in a cluster. A technology child prodigy of sorts, Cluster uses its outstanding computing power for applications in theoretical chemistry and physics, such as running quantum chemistry code and modeling new materials with specific magnetic and high-temperature properties.
Gordon said he thinks there is a good chance that Cluster may become an IBM showcase system. "It's allowing Ames Lab and ISU to do more good science, and because of the SCL, we'll be able to supply feedback on future developments that may be of benefit to IBM," he explained. "That's why it's a real partnership."
A tribute to the success of the cluster computing effort made possible by IBM's SUR grant is recent DOE funding to substantially enhance the RS/6000 cluster possibly increasing it to 24 dual-processor workstations. "What makes this even more interesting is a pending proposal to the National Science Foundation, which we hope would allow us to expand to 32 dual-processor workstations," said Gordon.
Saren Johnston
Ames Daily Tribune, April 12, 1999
Officials from IBM were in Ames today to tour Iowa State University facilities and talk to local researchers.
The company representatives visited the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and at the university to formally announce IBM's selection of the ISU department of chemistry for a shared university research grant (SUR) of $665,000 worth of computer equipment.
The day-long visit began with a 9:45 a.m. stop in the Ames Lab Scalable Computing Laboratory, where IBM officials saw the network of 15 dual-processor, top-of-the-line IBM workstations that were made possible by the grant.
ISU has been increasing its use of "cluster computing," which involves networking groups of high-performance workstations to create clusters that operate at supercomputer speeds and at a fraction of the cost of most parallel computers. ISU researchers are using the computers to do calculations on clusters of atoms to determine improved methods of communications between computers.
"The SUR grant is highly competitive," said Mark Gordon, distinguished professor of chemistry and director of Ames Lab's applied mathematics and computational sciences program. "The fact that we received it says that Ames Lab's and ISU's combined expertise is very attractive to IBM and that they see great promise in our collaborative efforts."
Jeff VerHeul, vice president of server and workstation development in IBM's Server Group, said the SUR grant allows his company, Ames Lab and ISU to work together to study clustered systems.
"Professor Gordon's team has built a world-class learning
laboratory using this new technology to solve real-world scientific
problems," said VerHeul, who received a bachelor's degree
in computer engineering from ISU in 1980.
While in Mid-Iowa, the IBM officials also planned to meet with
ISU President Martin Jischke.
- Mark Kovac, Business Editor
April 9, 1999
The U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University will host IBM officials on April 12 when they arrive in Ames to formally announce the company's selection of ISU's chemistry department as the recipient of a Shared University Research grant.
The daylong visit will include a 9:45 a.m. stop at Ames Laboratory's Scalable Computing Lab (SCL) to see the network of 15 dual-processor, top-of-the-line IBM Power3 RS/6000 43P Model 260 workstations made possible by the SUR grant. The chemistry department, SCL and Ames Laboratory's Condensed Matter Physics Program will use the workstations to foster "cluster computing."
Cluster computing involves networking groups of high-performance workstations to create clusters that operate at supercomputer speed and at a very economical cost.
"The SUR grant is highly competitive," said Mark Gordon, an ISU distinguished professor of chemistry and director of Ames Laboratory's Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences Program. "The fact that we received it says that Ames Lab's and ISU's combined expertise is very attractive to IBM and that they see great promise in our collaborative efforts."
Jeff VerHeul, vice president of Server and Workstation Development,
IBM Server Group, said the SUR grant allows IBM, Ames Lab and
ISU to work closely to explore the performance of clustered systems.
"All three organizations will benefit from the discovery
and shared learning currently underway," said VerHeul, who
received a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from ISU
in 1980. "Professor Gordon's team has built a world-class
learning laboratory using this new technology to solve real-world
scientific problems."
Fondly called, "Cluster," because SCL researchers have
been using it to do calculations on clusters of atoms, the network
of 15 IBM RS/6000 workstations will be used to determine the best
ways to communicate between computers in a cluster and for applications
in theoretical chemistry and physics, such as running quantum
chemistry code and modeling new materials with specific magnetic
and high-temperature properties.
Gordon said he thinks there is a good chance that Cluster may become an IBM showcase system. "I know there are other SUR grants like this one where the focus is to use the RS/6000 workstations to do good science. Ames Lab and ISU are already doing good science, and because of the SCL, we'll also be able to supply feedback on future developments that may be of benefit to IBM," he explained. "That's why it's a real partnership."
Gordon added, "One of the reasons for the existence of the SCL is to develop new methods for doing scalable computing. We are hoping that people in other parts of the ISU campus and the Ames Laboratory will make use of Cluster to gain expertise in how to do high-performance computing on systems like this, and to extend that expertise to training students."
A tribute to the success of the cluster computing effort made possible by IBM's SUR grant is recent DOE funding to substantially enhance the RS/6000 cluster -- possibly increasing it to 24 dual-processor workstations. "What makes this even more interesting is a pending proposal to the National Science Foundation, which we hope would allow us to expand to 32 dual-processor workstations," Gordon said.
Ames Laboratory is operated for the DOE by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into areas of national concern that include energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
- Saren Johnston
April 5, 1999
AMES, Iowa -- Chris Csanady, a research programmer in the Scalable Computing Lab at the U. S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and an Iowa State University undergraduate student in physics, has authored a unique driver code for high-performance computer networking.
Csanady's code is the only BSD Unix Gigabit Ethernet network interface card driver available today, and is the result of ongoing collaboration between the SCL and Packet Engines, an Alcatel company and a worldwide leader in Gigabit networking solutions. Alcatel, which is based in Paris, specializes in communication technologies and has 120,000 companies worldwide. Csanady's driver was designed for use with Packet Engines' G-NIC II, the industry's only second-generation Gigabit Ethernet NIC, which allows specialized applications, such as intranets, server clusters, graphics systems and World Wide Web servers, that require high-speed, reliable network connectivity.
Csanady also wrote the driver for the first generation Packet Engines' cards and used the code in an internship project at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories. In December, he presented a paper on the BSD Unix driver at the 2nd International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing and Networks in Brisbane, Australia.
"For an undergraduate student to present a paper at an international conference, work with industry and other national labs, and be able to say, 'Yes, I've done original research,' is exceptional," says David Halstead, associate scientist in the Lab's Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences Program.
Mark Gordon, director of the Lab's Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences Program and an ISU Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, adds, "Chris represents one of the outstanding benefits of Ames Lab's unique relationship with Iowa State University. The two institutions are totally intertwined -- almost inseparable. That gives us the best of both worlds. We get people like Chris, really bright undergraduates who gravitate to the forefront of science and engineering."
Ames Laboratory is operated for the Department of Energy by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into areas of national concern that include energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
Ames Daily Tribune, February 1, 1999
Iowa State University researchers have $665,000 worth of state-of-the-art computers from IBM to do research on high-performance computing and how it can be applied to certain disciplines.
The grant will allow researchers from ISU and the Ames Laboratory to advance "cluster computing" networking groups of high-performance workstations to create computer clusters that operate at high speeds.
Mark Gordon, a distinguished professor of chemistry at ISU and program director for Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences at the Ames Lab, heads the project.
The project, which involves eight researchers, is a consortium between the ISU chemistry and physics departments and the Ames Lab's Scalable Computing Lab.
Computer clusters operate at speeds comparable to the most advanced parallel computers for a fraction of the cost, making supercomputing power more cost effective, Gordon said.
The old method of computing is sequential the computer is programmed to do a calculation and it completes that problem one step at a time, Gordon said.
High-performance computing, or scalable computing, involves lots of computers talking to each other each one doing a different part of the problem at the same time, he said.
"It's really changing state-of-the-art computing," he said. "It's much faster and allows for bigger, more challenging problems."
The Ames Scalable Computing Lab is home to the 15, dual-processor IBM Power 3 computers supplied by the grant. The computers will be used to find more effective ways of high-performance computing; to determine the best ways to communicate between computers in a cluster; and for applications in specific science disciplines, such as running quantum chemistry code, Gordon said.
"We'll do research on how to make optimal use of these computers for general calculations, and we'll look at using these computers and the new, effective methods to solve important problems in chemistry and physics," he said.
The research team will share their knowledge with and get feedback from IBM on the project, Gordon said. The partnership could result in more IBM grants in the future, he said.
"The SUR grant is highly competitive," he said. "The fact that we received it says that Ames Lab and ISU's combined expertise is very attractive to IBM."
Insider, February 1999
Chris Csanady, a network research programmer in the Scalable Computing Lab and an ISU undergraduate student in physics, has authored a BSD Unix driver code for Packet Engines. Packet Engines is an Alcatel company and a worldwide leader in Gigabit networking solutions.
Csanady's code is the only BSD Unix Gigabit Ethernet interface card driver available to day and is the result of ongoing collaboration between the SCL and Packet Engines.
Csanady wrote much of the driver code while doing a summer internship at Sandia National Laboratories. In December 1998, he presented a paper on the BSD Unix driver at the 2nd International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing and Networks in Brisbane, Australia.
"For an undergraduate student to present a paper at an international conference, work with industry and other national labs, and be able to say, 'Yes, I've done original research,' is exceptional," says David Halstead, associate scientist in the Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences Program. "And it's not just the SCL doing that for him; it's Chris doing the work."
Mark Gordon, program director of Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences and an ISU Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, adds, "Chris represents one of the outstanding benefits of Ames Lab's unique relationship with Iowa State University. The two institutions are totally intertwined almost inseparable. That gives us the best of both worlds. We get people like Chris, really bright undergraduates who gravitate to the forefront of science and engineering."
Insider, December 1998
Do you remember what the computers you were using 10 years ago looked like and what their capabilities were? Don't shudder. Fortunately those days are gone, and today we all gratefully enjoy much faster, stronger and better hardware and software.
At SC98, the high-performance computing community's premier conference for showcasing its latest supercomputing achievements, participants had the opportunity to look back ten years at the history of computing resources and the issues that brought the community together. But even more importantly, the November event held in Orlando, again provided a forum for researchers from DOE national labs and numerous universities to share their computing accomplishments and discuss future goals.
Researchers from the Lab's Scalable Computing Lab who attended SC98 presented performance results from a variety of cluster-computing architectures and demonstrated real-world atomic-scale simulation applications. They also showed and discussed tools that simplify cluster installation, monitoring and management tasks.
"The information we presented was based on research with our Alpha and ALICE clusters," says David Halstead, associate scientist and SCL team member. "The Alpha cluster is 25 Alpha machines connected by Gigabit Ethernet, and the ALICE cluster is 64 dual-processor Pentium Pro machines connected by Fast Ethernet. We set up a third of our Alpha cluster on the conference show floor eight Alpha machines and one server with the Gigabit Ethernet switch we have on loan from Packet Engines, a high performance networking company."
One of the SCL's objectives for SC98 was to show the work they've done to improve the speed and reliability of message-passing on cluster networks. MPLite, a message-passing subset that assistant scientist David Turner developed doubles the speed of communication processes. The SCL group also showed how their computer clusters ran physics code for photonic band gap materials and a quantum mechanics code called GAMESS, which stands for General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System. In addition, they showcased the Hint computer benchmark, AppMap and Rabbit, powerful performance monitoring tools, which have the ability to predict real application performance for a wide range of computers.
"The supercomputing conference advocates research and collaboration and interacting closely with the vendors," says Halstead. "Because we set up and work with research machines, we want to get our input into the process before the production cycle begins. After that it's too late. So we try to push for modifications and standards that help us with our very demanding environment."
- Saren Johnston
February 16, 1998