By John Leyden, VNU Net
Aeronautics manufacturer Lockheed Martin switched to using a
Linux-based clustering system to perform the complex
number-crunching computational analysis necessary to evaluate the
safety of US Navy aircraft.
Using a Linux NetworX R-Cluster system with 64 computers and 128
processors, Lockheed is assisting the Navy with evaluating the
remaining service life of the EP-3E Reconnaissance Airplane.
The R-Cluster helps Lockheed compute the aerodynamic loads on
the EP-3E throughout the flight envelope, as part of the Navy’s
Service Life Assessment Programme, which estimates the fatigue
damage and operational availability of aircraft.
The firm moved to a Linux cluster, from a Unix-based system on
Silicon Graphics Origin 2000 boxes. Clustering is a method of
linking multiple computers through high-speed networks to form a
single, more powerful system.
Jeff Layton, Lockheed’s senior engineer, said: “We are seeing a
40-times greater price-to-performance ratio over our past system,
and can now test and model four times as many analyses in the same
amount of time.”
Jon Collins, senior analyst at Bloor Research, said the project
proved that – when properly configured – Linux systems are a match
for even high-end computational systems, but the difficulty of
setting up such systems remains an issue.
“The technology is there and the issue now is when will
mainstream providers of Linux provide support for clustering? It’s
an issue of general acceptance, and for this kind of technology to
really take off it needs the backing of companies like Red Hat and
IBM which offer services as well as support,” said Collins.
Linux NetworX builds its cluster systems from commodity
components and then implements its proprietary cluster management
and optimisation tools. Lockheed is using a version of cluster
management software from Linux NetworX, ClusterWorX version 1.2,
which was released this week. The software allows users to control
a cluster as one single system while providing remote monitoring
and management capabilities.
ClusterWorX, which is distributed with Linux NetworX cluster
systems and not available separately, provides users with a
graphical user interface featuring both command line and HTML.
Other management tools include remote access, disk cloning and
serial access to nodes, including remote monitoring and resetting
of individual nodes without effecting the uptime of the entire
system.
Disk cloning is a valuable feature for large cluster systems
because it allows software and other updates to be installed on one
node and automatically distributed to the entire system.
Lockheed plans to use its Linux NetworX R-Cluster system for the
EP-3E project through 2001, and will continue using the system in
other projects demanding high-computation power in the future.