High Performance Linux Clusters with OSCAR, Rocks, OpenMosix, and MPI [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 9. Programming Software

After the operating system and other
basic system software, you'll want to install the
core software as determined by the cluster's
mission. If you are planning to develop applications,
you'll need software development tools, including
libraries that support parallel processing. If you plan to run a set
of existing cluster-ready applications, you'll need
to select and install those applications as part of the image you
will clone.

This chapter presupposes you'll want to develop
cluster software and will need the tools to do so. For many clusters
this may not be the case. For example, if you are setting up a
cluster to process bioinformatics data, your needs may be met with
the installation of applications such as BLAST, ClustalW, FASTA, etc.
If this is the path you are taking, then identifying, installing, and
learning to use these applications are the next steps you need to
take.^[1] For now, you can safely skip this
chapter. But don't forget that it is here. Even if
you are using canned applications, at some point you may want to go
beyond what is available and you'll need the tools
in this chapter.

^[1] Steven Baum's site,
http://stommel.tamu.edu/~baum/npacil,
while ostensibly about Rocks, contains a very long list of cluster
applications for those who want to write their own
applications.

This chapter describes the installation and basic use of the software
development tools used to develop and run cluster applications. It
also briefly mentions some tools that you are likely to need that
should already be part of your system. For clusters where you develop
the application software, the software described in this chapter is
essential. In contrast, you may be able to get by without management
and scheduling software. You won't get far without
the software described here.

If you've installed OSCAR or Rocks, you will have
pretty much everything you need. Nonetheless, you'll
still want to skim this chapter to learn more about how to use that
software. For cluster application developers, this is the first
software you need to learn how to use.