Hardware
network topology
servers
nodes
auxillary equipment
Beowulf Cluster - Network Topology
Our cluster employs a simple single subnet, 2-layer network topology. Computational nodes are grouped by the physical cabinet in which they are mounted. Each cabinet (rack) has its own ethernet switch. Cabinets and servers are connected through a (managed) server switch.
The application server is a shared resource that serves both the cluster and the Linux desktops within the Department of Chemical Engineering. Therefore, although cluster network traffic passes through the login machine, the application server maintains an independent connection to the external campus network.
This allows for a simple and uniform IP address allocation scheme:
| login server | 10.1.10.10 | |||
| software server | 10.1.10.14 | |||
| file server | 10.1.10.15 | |||
| database server | 10.1.10.18 | |||
| switches | 10.1.X.1 | |||
| nodes | 10.1.X.Y | |||
| X | - Cabinet number. | 1-4 based on physical location | ||
| Y | - Node number. | Node number within each cabinet plus 20. (e.g. c2n03 = 10.1.2.23) |
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Wed Jul 20 10:56:53 2005