September 19, 2007
Jon Conhaim, OCIO–TPO
The Vice Chancellor for Research, in partnership with Information Services and Technology (IST) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), is pleased to announce the Campus Cluster Computing Service. This fee-for-service, formerly available only to LBNL-administered research, is now being made available to campus researchers to meet the rapidly growing need for Linux cluster computing systems.
The availability of inexpensive, powerful microprocessors and advances in high-speed network switching have led to the rapidly rising use of cluster computing systems to run research simulations that previously could only be run on much more expensive supercomputers. Cluster systems are being utilized in fields as diverse as nanoscience, genomics, astrophysics, seismology, and political science.
Though many of the concepts are simple, it remains difficult for scientists to navigate the myriad technologies in order to arrive at a cluster configuration that will meet their needs; this is especially true for parallel computation systems. Researchers across the country have struggled to create and maintain cluster computing systems and some have made mistakes costing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even for researchers with the in-depth knowledge and experience with clusters, the maintenance process can be time consuming, taking valuable time away from their research or that of their graduate students who often become system administrators for clusters.
To address the rapidly growing campus demand for cluster computing and to make it easier for campus researchers to use these systems, UC Berkeley is partnering with the Scientific Cluster Support program (SCS) at LBNL to offer cost-effective cluster support for campus-administered research. In its fifth year of operation and with more than 30 clusters in production, SCS will work with campus researchers to design, build, and provide ongoing support for clusters that are optimized for the demands of research simulations. Clusters will be hosted in the campus data center which is equipped to provide the extensive security, cooling, and power backup systems that well-operated clusters require. Staff from IST's Technical Account Management (TAM) unit will coordinate all of the activities for the service's campus customers.
Already this partnership has resulted in the successful deployment of an IST 30-node 60-processor Linux cluster, known as calgrid.berkeley.edu, that is now available for general scientific use.
Charges to campus researchers for the service will depend upon the size and complexity of the cluster. For example, campus researchers would pay approximately $13,000 per year to host and maintain a standard 30-node cluster and approximately $27,000 for a 100-node cluster. The actual charges will depend upon the specific configuration of the cluster. Researchers wishing to procure the services for their LBNL-sponsored research should continue to contact LBNL's Scientific Cluster Support Service directly at Researchers wishing to procure the services for their campus-administered research (funding other than LBNL) should contact the Technical Account Management (TAM) unit at to determine if it is eligible for the service. Pricing for campus customers, which does not include the cost of hardware, will be commensurate with pricing afforded LBNL customers. This arrangement is made possible by funds provided by the Vice Chancellor for Research and IST.
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