Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of a non‐expensive dynamic computing resource, consisting of a Beowulf class cluster and a NoW, as an educational and research infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachClusters, built using commodity‐off‐the‐shelf (COTS) hardware components and free, or commonly used, software, provide an inexpensive computing resource to educational institutions. The Department of Informatics of TEI, Athens, has built a dynamic clustering system consisting of a Beowulf‐class cluster and a NoW called DYNER (DYNamic clustER). This paper evaluates the use of the DYNER system, as a platform for running the laboratory work of various courses (parallel computing, operating systems, distributed computing), as well as various parallel applications in the framework of research, which is in progress under on‐going research projects. Three distinct groups from the academic community of the TEI of Athens can benefit directly from the DYNER platform: the students of the Department of Informatics, the faculty members and researchers of the department, and researchers from other departments of the institution.FindingsThe results obtained were positive and satisfactory. The use of the dynamic cluster offers to the students new abilities regarding high performance computing, which will improve their potential for professional excellence.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research study are that the students clarified issues, such as “doubling the number of processors does not mean doubling execution speed”, and learned how to build and configure a cluster without going deeply into the complexity of the software set‐up.Practical implicationsThis research provides students with the ability to gain hands‐on experience on a not very common to them but useful platform, and faculty members – from a variety of disciplines – to get more computing power for their research.Originality/valueThis paper presents a dynamic clustering system where, its versatility and flexibility with respect to configuration and functionality, together with its dynamic, strong computational power, renders it to a very helpful tool for educational and research purposes.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
