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Summary: Small-College Supercomputing:
Building A Beowulf Cluster At A Comprehensive College
Joel Adams David Vos
Department of Computer Science
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
{adams, dvos12} @calvin.edu
Abstract
A Beowulf cluster is a MIMD multiprocessor built from
commodity off-the-shelf personal computers connected via
a dedicated network, running free open-source software.
Such a cluster can provide a supercomputer's performance
at a small fraction of one's cost. For small colleges and
universities, the relatively low cost of a Beowulf cluster
makes it an attractive alternative to a commercial
supercomputer. This paper details our experience building
a Beowulf cluster at a four-year comprehensive college.
1 Introduction
In the early 1990s, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
researchers Donald Becker and Thomas Sterling needed
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