The Beowulf Computer Cluster consists of 32 dual processor Dell 966 MHZ computers, each of the 32 computers has 2GB of RAM and the cluster has a shared 800GB disk. The cluster is internally connected using a 100Base-T network, with an external gigabit network connection to the Linux file server and specialized workstations in the multimedia room.

The cluster is meant for intermediate and large scale mathematical problems that are inefficient or ineffective for single processor computers to compute solutions.

The cluster can be programmed using MPI (Message Passing Interface) for writing your own parallel computer programs, or multiple programs can be run at the same time on different processors to generate output from different simulation runs. (I.E. PDE models with different boundary conditions.)

The department will be printing manuals on how to program with MPI shortly and we will have small work sessions on how to program the cluster. To obtain a bound copy of the manuals, please contact Kevin Marinelli.

The Beowulf cluster uses a shared virtual disk mechanism that allows the cluster to have a large 800GB research disk. To obtain space on the research disk, please contact Kevin Marinelli so that he can make suitable arrangements. Data in this disk is NOT saved to backup tape and is meant for efficient disk I/O when using the cluster for large data sets. Linux users may access the cluster disk from the cluster itself, or from the vistalization workstation "Crystal". The disk has the name /home/pvfs. The disk is available to Macintosh users as the server "Beowulf Cluster" under AppleShare in the Chooser and the volume name "pvfs". The disk will also be made available to Windows users in the near future.

Please contact Kevin Marinelli for more information on the cluster and to learn how to get started using it for research.

The department has a workstation (crystal.math.uconn.edu) connected to the gigabit ethernet for doing research with the Beowulf cluster. This workstation is intended for visualization research and generating computer graphics output. Because of the nature of this workstation, it is located in the multimedia room (M430) next to the conference room on the 4th floor. The computer is also connected to our large-scale color printer.

The multimedia room also has a Macintosh G4 and a Dell computer running MS Windows 98 which are both intended for video and graphics production. The Windows computer does not have MS Office installed on it since it is a specialized computer that does not require MS Office.

The department's first experience with digital video production has had some positive results, producing its first DVD from the Alfors-Bers Conference. The department is investigating the production of VCDs (video CDs that can play on computers or in some models of DVD players). VCDs hold approximately one hour of video and cost about 20 cents each to produce, so they provide an effective medium for disseminating information. These video technologies are expected to be useful in visual simulations from a number of research groups and for video recordings for pedagogy classes.