The ZUSE Parallel PentiumPro Cluster
The ZUSE Parallel PentiumPro Cluster is a low cost but high performance parallel machine that
consists of 32 LINUX controlled computing nodes with 200 MHz PentiumPro processors. Each node
contains has a Tyan dual processor board (only one processor is installed yet), 256 KBytes Cache,
32 MByte RAM, SVGA card (usually not used), SCSI Controller, 1 GByte hard disk drive and a
FastEthernet controller. The computing nodes are connected by the FastEthernet communication
network with 100 MBit/s links. The FastEthernet network is divided into four segments with 8
computing nodes each. A switching hub connects the four segments with each other and an additional
entry node (PentiumPro 200 MHz, 256 KBytes Cache, 98 MByte RAM, 4 GByte SCSI hard disk drive,
CD Writer, SVGA graphics card, Framegrabber and 20" Sony Monitor, FastEthernet plus Ethernet
controller) provides a link to the campus 10 MBit/s ethernet and to the internet. The system
became operational at the
institute of
physics in December 1996. A
schematic
system overview is given on a seperate page.
The following applications are planned or already realized:
- Design of Neural Networks by Genetic Algorithms (primary use of the system)
- Architecture optimization of neural networks (already realized)
- Parallel Training of neural networks (already realized)
- Applications of Neural Networks
- Time series prediction by recurrent networks, e.g. high water forecast for the Rhine river
- Pattern recognition, e.g. handwritten characters
- Chaotic systems
- Mandelbrot and Julia sets (already realized)
- Magnetic pendulum (already realized)
- Artificial Life
- Simulation of Ising systems
- Simulation 3 dimensional cellular automata (in progress)
Contact Information:
Dr. Merten Joost
