SCIENCE

Platform Computing announced the availability of the next generation of its high performance computing (HPC) management product, Platform HPC 3.  Leveraging an 18-year legacy in developing established and affordable solutions for workload management, Platform HPC 3 includes the power expected of a mature HPC workload scheduler with the added benefit of new features for easily managing heterogeneous cluster environments.  With its completely re-designed web-based interface, improved monitoring and management and new high availability features, Platform HPC 3 is the easiest and most complete HPC management software available today.

Platform HPC redefines usability by taking the complexity out of creating, using, managing and monitoring cluster environments.  Supported by an extensive network of channel distributors and independent software vendors (ISVs) focused on the technical application market, Platform HPC provides the ability for non-technical users to create a complete HPC environment without being dependent on IT or an HPC administrator.  Robust cluster and workload management, monitoring, and reporting capabilities are accessible using the redesigned web-based interface – resulting in a shorter time to system readiness and higher user productivity.  Additionally, Platform HPC includes the capabilities to easily integrate with the most widely used HPC applications on the market, enabling users to quickly and easily leverage their clusters for the jobs they need processed. Using Platform HPC 3, administrators can also customize the metrics they need to monitor, including those from third-party management software tools, to create an environment that is tailored specifically to their organization's unique requirements.

Quotes:

• "Swift Engineering is an engineering company that specializes in light weight aerodynamic structures such as race cars and manned & unmanned aircraft," said John Winkler, Ph.D, Chief Aerodynamicist, Swift Engineering. "Platform HPC, the foundation for Cray Cluster Manager, simplifies our demanding design challenges by allowing us to run more simulations, thereby setting a new standard in innovative design, analysis and manufacturing."
• "Platform HPC is an integral part of our HPC offering to the scientific and research communities.  By coupling the improved usability of this product with our PowerEdge servers, we'll continue to reduce the complexity of our customer's HPC environments allowing them to drive faster results and discoveries," said Donnie Bell, Director of Enterprise Software Solutions, Dell Inc.  "Our long term partnership with Platform Computing enables us to deliver complete, integrated HPC solutions that provide our customers with the high performance computing they require."
• "An increasing number of users are taking the management of their computing resources into their own hands, particularly in disciplines where projects have fast turnaround times and both productivity and cost cutting are key," said Tripp Purvis, Vice President, Business Development, Platform Computing.  "Platform HPC provides a complete management solution for the HPC community reducing the need for an in-house HPC expertise.  The improvements in Platform HPC 3 take that ease of use even further with an intuitive, web-based dashboard, enhanced monitoring with GPU support, and simple building tools.

Key Benefits

• Platform HPC 3 is designed with end users in mind to help them improve business productivity by accelerating project completion and reducing infrastructure overhead costs.  The product's redesigned intuitive interface and support for a diverse set of applications make it ideal for a variety of industries that may struggle with poor application and workstation performance, including manufacturing, oil and gas, energy, life sciences, media/digital content creation, higher education, research and government.
• Platform HPC allows users of all skill levels to quickly deploy, run and manage HPC clusters while maintaining application performance and workload balance.  As the most complete HPC management product available today, users benefit from a mature and proven set of management tools based on Platform's 18-year history in workload management.
• Platform HPC includes support for a variety of widely used commercial and open source technical applications including: ANSYS Mechanical, ANSYS Fluent, LS-DYNA, MSC Nastran, NCBI Blast, Schlumberger ECLIPSE, Simulia Abaqus, NWChem, ClustalW and HMMER. More templates are being added regularly.  The product is also integrated with a variety of third party management software including Intel Cluster Checker, QLogic Fabric Manager and the Terascala management solution, enabling administrators to monitor and receive alerts on the status of non-server devices using the Platform HPC interface.

New Enhancements

• New, intuitive web-based interface
• Includes a new GUI for provisioning with a provisioning wizard and an enhanced view across of the HPC environment
• Enhanced monitoring
• Monitors GPUs, including number, temperature and ECC errors
• Provides enhanced alerts and provisioning status updates
• Integrates with third party management software to monitor and alert abnormal status for non-server devices
• High availability
• Includes fully automated failover capabilities for workload management, cluster management and reporting and monitoring tools, as well as automatic recovery when primary nodes return
• Improved cluster management
• Incorporates enhanced kit building tools, NIC bonding, status provisioning, two-step node installation, support for a various networks (custom, private, public/corporate), and license installation for arbitrary license servers