ACADEMIA

Platform Computing today announced that it has expanded its strategic relationship with Silicon Graphics to provide a qualified and supported Linux cluster management solution for the SGI Altix 1350 cluster. Platform Rocks 4.0 will be available to SGI customers late summer 2005. Adding SGI to the list of supported Linux cluster providers enables Platform Rocks 4.0 to reach enterprises of all shapes and sizes. "When looking at our customers needs we saw an opportunity to deliver a robust user experience for cluster management and deployment," said Terry Oberdank, Vice President for Technology Solutions, Silicon Graphics. "Our relationship with Platform strengthens our Altix 1350 cluster offering by providing a pre-engineered cluster management solution that will enable the rapid creation and easy management of Linux clusters, allowing us to better serve a large and growing segment of the market." "Customers today demand end-to-end high performance computing solutions that can be rapidly deployed and easily managed," said Chris Purpura, Vice President of Alliances and New Ventures, Platform Computing. "In selecting Platform, SGI brings a strategic software partner to the table with a common vision for high performance computing, enabling them to broaden their customer footprint and accelerate time to market. With partner and ecosystem support from leading technology organizations like Intel, Dell, Cisco, Red Hat, SDSC and now SGI, Platform Rocks 4.0 is the solution of choice for simplifying the deployment and management of large-scale Linux clusters." Platform Rocks 4.0 is based on the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (NPACI) Rocks developed by the San Diego Supercomputing Center (SDSC). It provides users with the ability to quickly install and manage Linux clusters, as well as simple, easy-to-use Linux cluster management software that can be rapidly deployed. Silicon Graphics will be offering Platform Rocks Enterprise Edition as a cluster management solution, which is built around the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System.