From Part 1:
“In this three-part series, I will introduce you to a clustering
technology for Linux called openMosix. As you may know, clustering
technologies allow two or more networked Linux systems (called
“nodes”) to combine their computing resources to solve computing
challenges faster than would be possible if they were tackling the
problem on their own. Choice of hardware is flexible of course, and
openMosix is not limited to any single hardware platform, but
clusters built on IBM xSeries servers running Intel®
Xeon™ processors will have some unique advantages. Making use
of performance-enhancing technologies such as Intel’s
Hyper-Threading Technology, now supported under Linux, improves the
performance of multi-threaded applications by allowing a single
Xeon processor to appear to the operating system as two virtual
processors. By taking advantage of Hyper-Threading, you can benefit
from having multiple physical and/or virtual processors and also
enjoy the benefits of openMosix itself. As this series progresses,
I’ll guide you through the process of setting up your own openMosix
cluster. By the end of the series, you’ll have your own openMosix
mini-cluster up and running and will be ready to use it to
effectively accelerate your computing tasks.“In this first article, I’ll provide you with a very clear and
understandable introduction to the current clustering technologies
available for Linux and then introduce you to openMosix. I’ll also
explain how openMosix compares to other more traditional Linux
clustering technologies, as well as point out differences and
similarities between openMosix clusters and multi-processor
computers. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the
necessary background to prepare you for setting up your own
openMosix cluster. As you might guess, I’ll show you how to do that
in part 2 of this series…”