Multiprocessor computers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick
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Nick

I remember reading a while back (a few years?) about some research into
creating a supercomputer from all kinds of processors - whether the
processors were perfect or not. The results were something along the lines
of *very* stable processing power as it was able to detect faults in the
processors and reroute the commands elsewhere, something supercomputers
couldn't cope with (at the time) as their routines were set in stone.

I tried a little searching on Google, but can't really limit what I want to
find to anything meaningful.

Does anyone else remember something like this, and what it was?

How hard would it be to recreate the system to create a 'home supercomputer'
from old processors? More importantly how much would it cost? (This will
determine whether I even think about dreaming about having a home
supercomputer.)

Very curious,

Nick
 
Nick said:
I remember reading a while back (a few years?) about some research
into creating a supercomputer from all kinds of processors - whether
the processors were perfect or not. The results were something along
the lines of *very* stable processing power as it was able to detect
faults in the processors and reroute the commands elsewhere,
something supercomputers couldn't cope with (at the time) as their
routines were set in stone.

I tried a little searching on Google, but can't really limit what I
want to find to anything meaningful.

Does anyone else remember something like this, and what it was?

How hard would it be to recreate the system to create a 'home
supercomputer' from old processors? More importantly how much would
it cost? (This will determine whether I even think about dreaming
about having a home supercomputer.)

Very curious,

Nick
Click to expand...

One tiny flaw - I've yet to see a motherboard that would accommodate more
than one type of chip. Yes, obviously, are dual processor boards, but both
CPUs have to be identical.
 
One tiny flaw - I've yet to see a motherboard that would accommodate more
than one type of chip. Yes, obviously, are dual processor boards, but both
CPUs have to be identical.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem, yes. But don't the latest supercomputers use thousands
of chips? (They probably build a motherboard to cope for the money they
cost, but still...)

How could it be solved? Assume I have far more time than money...

I think it would almost definitely require some very low-level(deep in the
bowels - not basic) programming ability, to be able to write software that
can recognise faulty chips and bypass them. No?

Nick
 
Part of the problem, yes. But don't the latest supercomputers use thousands
of chips? (They probably build a motherboard to cope for the money they
cost, but still...)

How could it be solved? Assume I have far more time than money...

I think it would almost definitely require some very low-level(deep in the
bowels - not basic) programming ability, to be able to write software that
can recognise faulty chips and bypass them. No?

Nick
Click to expand...

Most supercomputers are now clusters. Bunches of machines connected by high
speed networks. Can be done with lots of inexpensive machines and network
cards on a smaller scale. Look at project Beowulf for example. Lots of
machines running Linux, each sharing part of the processing load.

JT
 
Nick said:
I remember reading a while back (a few years?) about some research into
creating a supercomputer from all kinds of processors - whether the
processors were perfect or not. The results were something along the lines
of *very* stable processing power as it was able to detect faults in the
processors and reroute the commands elsewhere, something supercomputers
couldn't cope with (at the time) as their routines were set in stone.

I tried a little searching on Google, but can't really limit what I want to
find to anything meaningful.

Does anyone else remember something like this, and what it was?

How hard would it be to recreate the system to create a 'home supercomputer'
from old processors? More importantly how much would it cost? (This will
determine whether I even think about dreaming about having a home
supercomputer.)

Very curious,

Nick
Click to expand...
Are sure you aren't thinking of distributed processing? That would account
for the "all kinds of processors" quite neatly. I've read that the
"supercomputer" represented by the seti@home project is one of the most
powerful in the world based on the number of calculations performed over its
lifetime.
 
Are sure you aren't thinking of distributed processing? That would account
for the "all kinds of processors" quite neatly. I've read that the
"supercomputer" represented by the seti@home project is one of the most
powerful in the world based on the number of calculations performed over its
lifetime.
Click to expand...

Could well be. Would that mean that I'd have to have many computers, or
could it be done with say linked motherboards, but not the rest of the
system?

What would be the requirements for something like that?

Nick
 
After some more googling, I've found out about the "Cell chip" from IBM/Sony
(It's going to be in the PS3.) It is supposed to be roughly 100 times faster
than a 2.5 GHz processor, running at 1 teraflop. The PS3 will come out in
12-18 months, so the chip should be ready by then. This ought to pretty much
shatter any home computing processor standards, so don't think I need to
consider trying to build anything.

Read more about it here:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=3168

or here:

http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1552479,00.asp

The future's bright, the computers are *quick*.

Nick
 
I didn't do any research on this yet, but mobo don't post without a video
card and ram and a plug to the PSU, and maybe an HDD. So even if you had a
all-in-one mobo, you'd still need some ram and a new PSU.

So in order to have a supra computer, you'd need a supra power supply too :)
Prolly run by gas.

-bron
 
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