Open Source Technology Helps Improve Computer Clusters

March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Computer clusters and cluster grids have plenty of challenges. Even though the idea helps a group of smaller computers function as a more powerful computer, the very nature of networking various machines that may or may not be in the control of a single individual means that there are just more hard drives and operating systems for something to go wrong with. It can easily be said that open source technology helps improve computer clusters and grids.

This means that most of the participating computers need to have Linux components. These may be software programs, blog or web hosting sites, or the actual operating system of the computers in the cluster. Linux is meant to be accessible to anyone, so many Linux based programs will ask users for permission to gather information about the program on their machine. This is how open source is defined. By doing this, programmers can study problems and make improvements as needed. There is a level of trust needed in an open source environment, so many fail safes must also be in place. If a outage does occur, Linux can be restored without having to re-purchase the softwares or systems. Linux can also make corrections and push updates without slowing down a computer.  This keeps the cluster working as efficiently as possible.

Certainly, many computers on a grid may be Windows based. That’s O.K. Linux is compatible with Windows. This keeps the cluster from having to be exclusive to one system, and therefore, makes more information available to the other computers on the grid. More companies are recognizing that Linux technology is good for cluster computing.

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Cluster Computer Technology Is Older Than You Think

February 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Cairo cluster

Image by btornado via Flickr

For those who know a little about cluster computers, they may think that IBM invented the concept. These groups of computers are networked together to improve performance and information availability that is better than what a single computer can provide. The engineering of this idea was formalized by an IBM employee, but it was customers who invented clusters, and cluster computer technology is older than you think.

Probably as early as the 1950s or 1960s, people were creating networks that would improve the power of their computing needs. Basically, when one computer was filled up, and people needed more space, they would create a backup out of one computer and add a new one. Therefore multi processes were happening outside of the a single computer. These separate machines were referred to as commodity computers. As a parallel work source, IBM began to develop a protocol for parallel processing. This was done in 1967.

This seems surprisng considering that the world wide web didn’t become publically popular until the early 1990s. Before that time, only a few households even owned a computer, and the ones they did have were fairly slow and clunky. However, once the personal computer became a common household item, cluster computing became fairly common among those looking to push the power of computing. Clusters weren’t just used by the Defense Department, large laboratories or NASA. The average user could create the same kind of environment on a smaller scale. This was definitely different than what was being done by customers in the 1960s, but the technology enabled anyone to enjoy big, fast computer processes. Today, open access programming continues to improve cluster computing and its availability via the internet and open source software. What started as business and government necessity has become a world wide collaboration to share knowledge.

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Security and Cluster Grids

February 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Cluster grids are defined somewhat differently by different people. Some would say that the internet is the world’s largest grid, and others would define a grid as something more controlled. Maybe a network among computers for a certain entity. At any rate, these computer clusters are called grids because they are similar to the electric grid, as the machines are not all housed in the same place. Therefore, security and cluster grids is an ongoing task.

Each operating system within a given grid is called a node. The node may be a PC, an iPhone, or router. Under this definition, the internet certainly functions as a grid. So how are these clusters kept secure? Basically, the network sends tasks to random nodes on the grid to make sure they’re functioning properly and securely. Obviously, malicious programs can infect a grid and cause widespread problems. As work is sent to the various and random nodes, the system waits for two nodes to complete the work with the same result. If a node does not respond, or responds incorrectly, there could be a security issue.

Linux based systems are often touted as the best operating system for cluster grids. One of the arguments is that a Linux system doesn’t slow down a machine when updates are needed. Linux is also open source, so the positive work can be done faster and more thoroughly. If a user were to download a Linux based program, the programmers would ask permission to track any problems with that program. You are, then, participating in open source computing and helping to keep the cluster grid secure. If there is an error or problem with the program on your machine, the programmers can get a report and look at what happened. They can then correct the problem and also identify any security or grid function issues.

Since you are basically participating in grid computing whenever you log onto the internet, your paticipation in security would be to keep your antivirus up-to-date and always operating. Also agree to let open source programmers access your grid programs.

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Understanding the Differences Between Freeware, Shareware and Open Source

October 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

With the many different types of software available on the internet, sometimes the lines get blurry and users get confused about what rights they have when using certain software programs. And, not understanding exact usage rights when downloading and using software can lead to problems down the road.

Freeware

Freeware is often confused with open source, however there are some major differences that should be noted. Freeware is essentially free to download, use and distribute, provided it is an exact copy of the software. The user does not have access to the source code, meaning they cannot modify it in any way, and the original programmer still maintains the copyright. There is normally no way to update or offer support to the users of the software.

Shareware

Shareware also has a copyright, and is allowed to be downloaded and used only as a trial basis. The concept behind shareware is to let a user try the software before purchasing, but there is normally a set time limit that it can be used before having to pay, or limited functionality until the full version is purchased. The user does not have access to the source code, and no modifications can be made. In the case of shareware, it is up to the developer to offer support and updates for the software users.

Open Source

The source code in open source software like open office and FileZilla is available to everyone. It can be modified, used and the source code can be re-distributed to other developers and users. Most of the time, the software is free, which is sometimes where the confusion between freeware and open source can come from. However, it is possible that some open source applications are not free, but the source code may be. There is usually a large support community with an open source project, and frequent updates and modifications by members, which means that the user is not dependant on just one developer.

It can be confusing when trying to understand the different software options, but it is important to know usage rights before downloading and using a software program.

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