Cluster and Computing Grids

Dr. Smita Kachole

 Cluster and Computing Grids
• When we want to solve a computing problem that
requires resources more than one computer can handle,
we need to connect it with other computers and get the
job done.
• Also, we do not come across such problems always. We
need a dynamic way to connect the computers only when
required. This helps us to achieve optimum utilization of
resources.
• Grid and cluster computing are two such methods that
help us to nail down mammoth computing tasks by
connecting computers together.
 Grid Computing
• Definitions-
• A service for sharing computer power and data
storage capacity over the Internet
• An ambitious and exciting global effort to
develop an environment in which individual
users can access computers, databases and
experimental facilities simply and transparently,
without having to consider where those
facilities are located.
 Grid Computing
• Definitions-

• Grid computing is a model for allowing

companies to use a large number of
computing resources on demand, no matter
where they are located
 How it is done
• Thousands of computers are employed in the process.
All the devices that have computing power like
desktops, laptops, tablets, mobiles, supercomputers,
mainframes, servers, and meteorological sensors are
connected together to form a single network.
• They are all connected together using the Internet.
• A software that is capable of dividing the program
over many computers is used for this purpose.
• This entire infrastructure of connected computers is
called a grid.
 How it is done
• When a problem that requires a lot of CPU
processing or access to a huge repository of data,
grid computing is used.
• To solve a computing problem, one can avail all the
computing power needed to solve the problem by
just logging in to the internet.
• The grid connects several different platforms but it
can be accessed from a single web browser.
• The problem that needs to be solved is not within
the capacity of a single computer. Hence, the idle
capacity of other computers is harnessed to solve it.
 Grid Computing
• Computational Grids (including CPU
scavenging grids)- focuses primarily on
computationally-intensive operations
• Data grids- controlled sharing and
management of large amounts of distributed
data.
 Cluster Computing
• When two or more computers are used
together to solve a problem, it is called a
computer cluster .
• Then there are several ways of implementing
the cluster, Beowulf is the most known way
• It is cooperation between computers in order
to solve a task or a problem. Cluster
Computing is what you do when you use a
computer cluster. 
 How it is done
• Similar computing components are connected
together using a fast Local Area Network.
• In parallel processing, the processing power
of two or more CPUs is utilized at the same
time to achieve a common computing goal. In
cluster computing, the same technique is used
 How it is done
• In fault tolerance, even if one node fails, the
operation can be completed by other nodes.
• The computing power of the cluster gets
affected when one system is at fault, but
nevertheless, other systems are still available to
perform the operation.
• In load balancing, computing tasks are
distributed over the cluster in such a way that
one single machine is not burdened with heavy
processing.
 Cluster Computing
• Computer clusters can be classified in three
main types of clusters but these can be mixed
to achieve higher performance or reliability.
• High performance clusters
• High availability clusters
• Load Balancing clusters
 High Performance Cluster:
• High performance computing sometimes refer to as
high performance computing are used for computation-
intensive applications, rather than handling IO-oriented
applications such as web service or databases.
• examples of HPCs can include the computational
simulations of vehicle crashes or weather.
• Very tightly coupled computer clusters are designed for
work that may approach “supercomputing”. The world’s
fastest machine in 2011 was the K computer which has
a distributed memory, cluster architecture.
 High Availability Cluster
• High availability clusters are commonly known as
failover clusters. They are used to improve the
availability of the cluster approach. In high
availability clusters, redundant nodes are used
which take over in case of component failure.
• It is used to eliminate single point of failure by
having redundant cluster components.
• High Availability clusters are often used for critical
databases, file sharing on a network, business
applications, and customer services such as
electronic commerce websites.
 Load Balancing Cluster
• Load balancing clusters, as the name suggests
are the cluster configurations where the
computational workload is shared between
the nodes for better overall performance.
• One of the best examples of load balancing
cluster is a web server cluster.
• It may use a round robin method to assign
each new request to a different node for
overall increase in performance.
 Cluster computing
• It aims at solving problems of database or
WebLogic application servers.
•  The internet, search engine, Google uses
cluster computing to provide reliable and
efficient internet search services.
 Cluster computing
• Cluster based can be used for applications like
–
• Web Servers
• Search Engines
• Email
• Security
• Proxy and Database Servers
• Bioinformatics research and data analysis
 Cluster computing
• In bioinformatics Clusters are used to run DNA
string matching algorithms or to run protein
folding applications.
• It also use a computer algorithm known as
BLAST,(Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), to
analyze massive sets of DNA sequences for
research into Bioinformatics.
 Difference between grid and cluster

• Cluster is homogenous while grids are

heterogeneous- The computers that are part
of a grid can run different operating systems
and have different hardware whereas
the cluster computers all have the same
hardware and OS.
 Difference between grid and cluster

• A grid can make use of spare computing power

on a desktop computer while the machines in
a cluster are dedicated to work as a single unit
and nothing else.
 Difference between grid and cluster

• Grid are inherently distributed by its nature

over a LAN, metropolitan or WAN. On the
other hand, the computers in the cluster are
normally contained in a single location or
complex.
 Difference between grid and cluster

• In case of Cluster, the whole system (all nodes)

behave like a single system view and resources
are managed by centralized resource manager.
In case of Grid, every node is autonomous i.e.
it has its own resource manager and behaves
like an independent entity.
 More about Cluster and Grid
• Characteristics of Grid Computing
– Loosely coupled (Decentralization)
– Diversity and Dynamism 
– Distributed Job Management & scheduling

• Characteristics of Cluster computing

– Tightly coupled systems
– Single system image
– Centralized Job management & scheduling system
Areas and applications of Grid Computing

1. Predictive Modeling and Simulations 

2. Engineering Design and Automation 
3. Energy Resources Exploration 
4. Medical, Military and Basic Research
5.  Visualization 
Predictive Modelling and Simulations
• Predictive Modelling is done through extensive
computer simulation experiments, which often involve
large-scale computations to achieve the desired
accuracy and turnaround time. It can also be called
"Modelling the Future".
• Such numerical modelling requires state-of-the-art
computing at speeds approaching 1 GFLOPS and
beyond.
• Areas of Research- Numerical Weather Forecasting,
Flood Warning, Semiconductor Simulation,
Oceanography,  Astrophysics,  Sequencing of the human
genome, Socio-economic and Government use. 
Engineering Design and Automation

1.Finite-element analysis. 
2.Computational aerodynamics. 
3.Remote Sensing Applications.
4.Artificial Intelligence and Automation
 Energy Resources Exploration
Applications include: 
1. Seismic Exploration. 
2. Reservoir Modelling. 
3. Plasma Fusion Power. 
4. Nuclear Reactor Safety. 
 Medical, Military and Basic Research

• Applications include: 
1. Medical Imaging 
2. Quantum Mechanics problems. 
3.  Polymer Chemistry. 
4. Nuclear Weapon Design.
 Visualization 
• Applications include: 
1.Computer-generated graphics, films and
animations. 
2.Data Visualization.