by Mitch Williams mlw@sandia.gov
A small Linux cluster for portability. Useful for demonstrations, tutorials and roadshows.
- 4x Advanced Digital Logic Pentium MMX 266Mhz processors
- 10baseT private network
- external PCMCIA for wireless connection to the outside world
- quad KVM switch for local diagnostics
- dimensions: 5.3″x5.3″x13″
- can be built by hand for ~ USD $6700 or integrated by Parvus Corp. for an additional fee
Synopsis
This cluster turns out to be useful as a parallel programming teaching and demonstration tool. Created entirely out of commercial off-the-shelf PC/104 compliant parts, this cluster has all of the features that you would expect in normal-sized rack-mounted clusters, including individual keyboard, video and mouse access to every node. CPU power is a little light in this incarnation, but the CPU core module is upgradable to 700MHz, as of this date (11/20/01).
PC/104 Linux Minicluster Parts List
The following parts may be obtained from Parvus Corporation (800) 483-3152 www.parvus.com
| Quantity | Part Number | Description | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | PRV-0752A-02 | PC/104 10 Mbit Ethernet Hub | 169 | 338.00 |
| 1 | PRV-0886A-01 | PC/104 Quad CPU Switch | 259 | 259.00 |
| 1 | PRV-1016X-03 | PC/104 Dual PCMCIA Interface, Left Loading | 199 | 199.00 |
| 1 | N/A | 50 Watt Power Supply | 140 | 140.00 |
| 1 | PRV-0974A-01 | PC/104 Power Interface w/ Temperature Sensing | 249 | 249.00 |
| 1 | PRV-0912A-54 | Mounting Plate | 60 | 50.00 |
| 6 | PRV-0912A-10 | SnapGap set | 10 | 60.00 |
| 7 | PRV-0912A-01 | SnapSlot | 10 | 70.00 |
| 3 | PRV-0912A-02 | SnapGuide | 10 | 30.00 |
| 1 | PRV-0912A-20 | SnapMount | 10 | 10.00 |
| 1 | PRV-0912A-50 | End Plate | 15 | 15.00 |
| 1 | N/A | Custom 5X5 Clear Enclosure | 425 | 425.00 |
The following Parts may be obtained from Advanced Digital Logic, Inc. (858) 490-0597 www.adlogic-pc104.com
| Quantity | Part Number | Description | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 801562 | PC104plus Pentium 266 MHZ CPU | 642 | 2568.00 |
| 4 | 990725 | 128 MB SO-DIMM S-DRAM | 58 | 232.00 |
| 4 | 807005 | Opt. –P+ Option: PC/104plus short connector | 27 | 108.00 |
| 4 | 807008 | Opt. –CF Compact Flash Socket modified for type II | 27 | 108.00 |
| 4 | 802051 | Spacerkit-PC/104+ | 32 | 128.00 |
| 1 | 802605 | MSM-CK Cable Kit to PC/104 | 67 | 67.00 |
Links to Related Projects
Ron Minnich and and other contributors to the most excellent LinuxBIOS Project were inspired to create the Bento Cluster after our Minicluster demonstration at Supercomputing 2001.