Avoiding common mistakes in high-performance computing

Pitfalls

Article from ADMIN 09/2012

By Douglas Eadline

A market based on multisourced commodity hardware and openly available software might significantly reduce the cost of HPC systems, but it could also conceal costs of ownership in time and money. We'll show you how to avoid common hazards when building your own HPC installation.

Success in high-performance computing (HPC) is often difficult to measure. Ultimately, it depends on your goals and budget. Many casual practitioners assume that a good HPL (High Performance Linpack) benchmark and a few aisles of servers demonstrate a successful HPC installation. However, this notion could not be further from the truth, unless your goal is to build a multimillion dollar HPL machine. In reality, a successful and productive HPC effort requires serious planning and design before purchasing hardware. Indeed, the entire process requires integration skills that often extend far beyond those of a typical data center administrator.

In this article, I will outline several common pitfalls and how they might be avoided. One way to navigate the possible pitfalls is to consider a partnership with an experienced third-party HPC integrator or consultant. An experienced HPC integrator/consultant has a practical understanding of current technologies (i.e., what works and what does not), has the ability both to listen and execute, and, most importantly, has experience delivering production HPC (i.e., HPC that produces actionable results for something other than HPC research or education.) Besides covering the five most common pitfalls, I talk about other aspects of HPC stewardship, including costs, consultants, and relationship intangibles.

Introduction

The current state of HPC is such that customers are now responsible for decisions and tasks previously handled by large supercomputer companies. Although you can still buy a turnkey system from a few large vendors, the majority of the market is now based on multisourced commodity hardware and openly available software. Transferring the responsibility for vendor selection and integration to the customer has significantly reduced the cost of HPC systems, but it has also introduced potential pitfalls that could result in extra or hidden

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