ClusterMonkey: Cluster Interconnects: The Whole Shebang

[ Thanks to Douglas Eadline for this
link. ]

An often asked question from both ‘clusters newbies’ and
experienced cluster people ask is, ‘what kind of interconnects are
available?’ The question is important for two reasons. First, the
price of interconnects can range from as little as $32 per node to
as much as $3,500 per node, yet the choice of an interconnect can
have a huge impact on the performance of the codes and the
scalability of the codes. And second, many users are not aware of
all the possibilities. People new to clusters may not know of the
interconnection options and, sometimes, experienced people choose
an interconnect and become fixated on it, ignoring all of the
alternatives. The interconnect is an important choice and
ultimately the choice depends upon on your code, requirements, and
budget.

“In this review we provide an overview of the available
technologies and conclude with two tables summarizing key features
and pricing for various size clusters…”

Complete
Story