What is Cluster Computing?
What can clusters be used for?
How does it work?
Does my application need to be designed for a cluster for me to use TTI cluster computing services and do I have to use MPI?
What do I need and how do I access the cluster?
Can I run a Windows application?
I've never used a cluster before. How do I get help?
How do I start?

What is Cluster Computing?

Simply put, if you need more processing power you need more CPUs. You can get the CPUs from a service provider like TTI. Recently, the industry has used confusing terminology to describe this. Sometimes called "grid computing" or "utility computing", it is simply a way of efficiently utilizing the computational power of many servers (called nodes) for one task. The earliest known term for this is "cluster computing". We use Linux clusters to deliver the processing power. Clusters allow the greatest flexibility for us so that we can deliver the best service to you. Also, unlike grid or utility computing where the nodes can be separated geographically, our nodes are managed in one location - at our facility.

What can clusters be used for?

Typically they are used for computationally intensive problems that require a lot of runtime. Some problems require thousands of CPU hours to complete. Examples of these problems include: Rendering, Modeling, Quantum Mechanics, Bioinformatics, Molecular Dynamics, Statistics, Financial modeling, Weather modeling, Computational Biology, Oil and Gas, Economics, Genetics, Fluid Dynamics, data processing and much more.

Tsunamic Technologies provides you with access to high performance cluster computing resources. Each customer is given a generous amount of persistent storage (called the home directory) where they can store data, applications, code, results, etc. The computing resources are organized into several "clusters". Each cluster has many compute nodes and each compute node has one or more CPUs (or cores). A customer defines which type of CPU and how many compute nodes to use for an instance or "job". The common term is "run a job" or "submit a job" which means run your application on the cluster. A customer submits job requests to the job queuing system using a simple command. The queuing system takes over and places the job on the nodes the customer defined. The data is processed and the results are written to the customer's home directory in their TTI account. Below is an illustration of this concept.

Does my application need to be designed for a cluster for me to use TTI cluster computing services and do I have to use MPI?

No. Almost any application can be adapted to run on our cluster. We do support MPI but the most common use for a cluster is simple data processing. For example, if your workstation takes 10 hours to process your data set, it might take just 1 hour to process the same set using 10 nodes on the TTI cluster. The data is partitioned into 10 smaller units, each cluster node processes one unit. Our service makes it easy to do this and usually without modifying your code.

What do I need and how do I access the cluster?

You need a working executable or source code that will run on a Linux 32bit or 64bit system. We also have a number of compilers available if you need to compile or develop your code. You can also use just about any open source software. We also have a number of common preinstalled open source applications in our Application List. If it's not on our list, we can add it to the system for you.

To access the service, you need a Secure Shell (ssh) client. ssh is available free for Windows and comes with most Unix/Linux distributions. Familiarity with Linux command line is recommended.

Can I run a Windows application?

Maybe. Some Windows applications will run well under a Windows to Linux compatibility layer. If your application is not GUI dependent (i.e. you can run it from the MS Command Window) and does not have complex .dll dependencies, then your application is a good candidate. Contact us if you think your Windows application is a good candidate.

I've never used a cluster before. How do I get help?
We work closely with you during your free trial period to make your service as easy to use as possible.  All our services come with technical support. So, if you are a first-time Linux user or an expert, we want to provide you with hassle-free cluster computing services, so you feel no pressure or obligation.

How do I start?

Apply for a no obligation account. Or give us a call. We'd be happy to discuss your
computing needs.