INDUSTRY

Cluster Resources Inc. joins IBM to offer the Moab Hybrid Cluster solution with IBM’s new iDataPlex to enable both Windows and Linux OSes to run on the same platform. This solution set will address the technology needs of massive data centers while enabling more efficient computing. Cluster Resources and IBM will demonstrate the Moab Hybrid Cluster solution on an iDataPlex server in IBM’s booth, #208, today at HPC on Wall Street. Cluster Resources developed Moab Hybrid Cluster—a high-performance computing solution that dynamically changes cluster servers between Linux and Windows based on workload, defined policies, and application needs—to improve cluster efficiency through its ability to cater to the needs of multi-platform users. The hybrid solution surmounts capacity-planning challenges that stem from trying to estimate the number of servers to allocate to different OS-specific resource pools. In the hybrid paradigm, a cluster is a single, unified resource, with Moab intelligently creating efficiencies within shared resource pools. “Cluster Resources' Moab Hybrid Cluster solution allows administrators to efficiently and dynamically manage workload across mixed-OS environments,” said Herb Schultz, marketing executive for IBM's HPC business. “Customers require greater ease of use along with the ability to manage mixed workloads effectively; Moab Hybrid Cluster fills those needs.” “For years Cluster Resources has used Moab in standard single-OS environments to deliver the industry’s highest utilization and broadest policy controls,” stated Michael Jackson, president of Cluster Resources. “Taking our multi-OS cluster solution to IBM’s new, affordable scale-out iDataPlex platform provides ultra-efficiency and flexibility at a mass-market price.” IBM’s System x iDataPlex is a cost-effective computing system for organizations facing power, cooling, or physical-space constraints. Its innovative design has a smaller footprint yet accomodates double the number of servers in a single rack, facilitating better overall space utilization; it uses up to 40 percent less energy while increasing data center computing power up to 5x. The iDataPlex also features front-access cabling and a liquid cooling system designed to significantly reduce cooling costs. Adding the Moab Hybrid Cluster solution to the iDataPlex gives organizations cost-effective, high-power computing in an energy- and space-efficient system.