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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sgl INN | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | >GI introduces SGI Altix ICE, a high density integrated blade platform that offers a revolutionary lew approach to scale-out high performance computing |HPC). SGI Altix ICE provides breakthrough scalability, manageability, reliability, and price/performance without the compromises inherent in nany traditional HPC systems. SGI Altix ICE sets a new standard in reliability, featuring innovations n a number of key areas | | | | | | | | | Reliability in Scale-Out Environments Reliability can be an area for concern when venturing into larger scale clusters. Compute nodes and other components inevitably malfunction over time, and cluster installations often lack sufficient redundancy to deal robustly with component failures. The networks tying the cluster nodes together can also suffer from reliability issues that grow exponentially as clusters scale. The complexity of scale-out cluster environments, with their multiplying points of failure, can lead to further reliability problems in large-scale deployments. SGI Altix ICE Reliability Innovations SGI Altix ICE, with its focus on component integration and other innovative features, achieves a new standard of reliability for scale-out configurations. | | | | | | | | | | Cable-Free Blade Enclosures The SGI Altix ICE individual rack unit (IRU) enclosure, with 16 two-socket blades and up to 128 cores, is entirely cable-free. Instead of industrial cables, it makes use of an onboard InfiniBand interconnect across a backplane. A 3D torus network topology further serves to limit the number of cable connections between enclosures in a scale out environment. For example, a 128 socket/512 core installation, consisting of a single rack of four blade IRUs, requires just 24 cables. In addition to the cable-free InfiniBand backplane, all switches are integrated into the enclosure, eliminating external switches entirely from the system. | | | | | | Traditional cluster cabling | | SGI Altix ICE cable-free blade enclosures | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The SGI Altix ICE approach to interconnect design and implementation stands in sharp contrast to the cable chaos endemic to many cluster systems. This clean and lean design markedly increases both the reliability and the serviceability of the overall system. Diskless Compute Blades The SGI Altix ICE blade has no onboard disk, instead using diskless booting at the IRU level. This innovation offers a number of benefits. It increases blade reliability by eliminating a key failure point. It increases density by reducing the blade footprint. It lowers the cost of powering the blade, as well as reducing the cost of the blade component itself. Redundant, Hot-Swappable System Components To enhance reliability and maximize uptime, SGI Altix ICE includes redundant, hot-swappable switched mode power supplies and blowers. Each enclosure includes (7+1) 1625W 12VDC output front-end power supplies and (7+1) 175mm blowers. This design ensures operational continuity of critical system function in the event of component failure. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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