Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
Beowulf, supercomputing clusters, higher education, data manipulation
College
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract
A supercomputer may be defined as a computer that leads the world in processing capacity, particularly in terms of calculation speed. Historically, the processing power of a supercomputer has been reserved for government or scientific research agencies; however, advances in computing technology have made the supercomputer an obtainable tool for academia. The Information Age has generated enormous amounts of data, which often require the processing capacity of a supercomputer for proper analysis. Modern supercomputers are well equipped to handle the demands of most data manipulations, but their cost is usually in the millions. A supercomputer design growing in popularity is Clustered Computing. Clustered Computing produces supercomputer capabilities by networking the processing power of inexpensive, off-the- shelf computer components. One of the most affordable Clustered Computing implementations is known as a Beowulf cluster. The intent of this research is to build and analyze the performance of Beowulf clusters and identify potential applications for Beowulf clusters in higher education.
Recommended Citation
Nielson, Curtis R. and Helps, C. Richard G.
(2014)
"An Analysis of Beowulf Supercomputing Clusters, and Their Potential Application in Higher Education,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014:
Iss.
1, Article 107.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/107