Virtualization Adds Value, Benefits to HPC Environments

VMware explores the concepts of virtual throughput clusters and CPU overcommitment with VMware vSphere to create multitenant and agile virtual HPC computing environments.

VMware moves Virtualized HPC Forward at SC17

In this video from SC17, and Martin Yip and Josh Simons from VMware describe how the company is moving Virtualized HPC forward. “In recent years, virtualization has started making major inroads into the realm of High Performance Computing, an area that was previously considered off-limits. In application areas such as life sciences, electronic design automation, financial services, Big Data, and digital media, people are discovering that there are benefits to running a virtualized infrastructure that are similar to those experienced by enterprise applications, but also unique to HPC.”

Docker Containers Come to Cray XC Software

Today Cray announced plans to deliver an HPC-optimized Docker solution for the Cray XC line of supercomputers. Available in 2016, the HPC virtualization capabilities will be offered for the Cray CS400, Cray XE and Cray XK platforms.

Reproducibility of CAE-computations through Immutable Application Containers

Ensuring a reproducible result of HPC workloads no matter the platform used is key to settle the battle between operations (update fast, due to compliance / security) and end- user (never touch a running system). By pushing his docker related HPC research further, Christian is showcasing his results on Immutable Application Containers.

Pros and Cons of HPC Virtualization

In this special guest feature from Scientific Computing World, X-ISS President Deepak Khosla argues that while enterprise computing makes extensive use of virtualization, it could make a big difference in HPC as well if it is introduced properly.

Slidecast: QNIBTerminal Plus InfiniBand – Containerized MPI Workloads

In this slidecast, Christian Kniep presents: QNIBTerminal Plus InfiniBand – Containerized MPI Workloads. “QNIB Solutions (early on called ‘QNIB Inc’) derives from the first project Christian did during his B.Sc. report, a InfiniBand monitoring suite. For the sake of the report is was named ‘OpenIBPM: Open Source InfiniBand Performance Monitoring’. Afterwards Christian renamed it to match his last name (Kniep): ‘QNIB: Qualified Networking with InfiniBand’. Since then QNIB becomes a pet project’s theme.”

An HPC Virtualization Update from VMware

Over at the VMware CTO Office, Josh Simons writes that HPC efforts are stepping at the company with new staffing and some exciting InfiniBand performance improvements that could help make virtualization a widespread technology for high performance computing.

StackEngine Startup Emerges to Automate Docker

Today Docker developer StackEngine formally exited stealth mode and announced $1M in seed funding from Silverton Partners and LiveOak Venture Partners.

Convergence of HPC and the Enterprise Computing

Both large-scale environments and scale-out workloads (such as Big Data) are becoming more important in the enterprise. In fact, with the rise of Big Data, the advent of affordable, powerful clusters, and strategies that take advantage of commodity systems for scale-out applications, these days the enterprise computing environment is looking a lot like HPC.

Wolfgang Gentzsch on Linux Containers for Cloud HPC

“One important recent technological development might have the power to change the world of HPC cloud: UberCloud Containers. The UberCloud started in mid-2013 using an open platform, called Docker, that can package an application and its dependencies in a virtual container that runs on any modern Linux server. The UberCloud enhanced Docker to suit it for technical computing applications in science and engineering.”