If you have a couple of old Linux boxes sitting around, then you've got the makings of a supercomputer. Dust them off, install Secure Shell (SSH) and Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM), and start your complex algorithms. All right, it's not quite as simple as that. PVM handles only the messaging between the machines. You must write your own programs to actually do anything. First, network your PCs and set up NFS on each. I'm not going to go into detail because most Linux distributions take care of everything for you. With Debian, for example, simply connect a cable between your new PC and your network switch, stick in your installation CD, switch the PC on, and follow the prompts. If you need more information, take a look at the Linux.com how-tos on networking and NFS. Now you can start setting up your PCs as a single supercomputer. In order for them to work as one, you need a single home directory -- hence, the need for NFS. Choose the machine that hosts the home directory and edit /etc/exports. If the file isn't there, then you must set up the PC as an NFS server -- check your distro's documentation. If you're using Debian, simply type sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server. Now add in the details for each of the hosts where you want the common home directory. In this example, I'm exporting my home directory from polydamas (my NFS server) to three hosts: acamas, cassandra, and hector: /home acamas(rw) /home cassandra(rw) /home hector(rw) You can see the full list of possible options when exporting by typing man exports on the command line. Don't forget to add all hosts into your /etc/hosts file too. Now either reboot your NFS server or check your distro's documentation for the relevant command that lets your hosts see the exports. On Debian, the command is exportfs –a. You can now turn to your NFS client hosts and set them up so that they use the home directory that you're exporting from the NFS server. If you feel that exporting the whole /home is overkill, simply export the home directory for the user that you want to be able to run the supercomputer. .................................. **************** ***************************** Kiggundu Mukasa # Computer Network Consultancy### KYM-NET LTD. # Intranets & Internet Solutions# Plot 80 Kanjokya Street P.O. Box 24284 Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 77 972255 +256 71 221141 Fax: +256 31 262122 ***************************************************************** |
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