Compaq sells Linux Clusters 54
sumdumgai noted that Compaq is now selling preconfigured Linux Clusters if you happen to have any weather patterns sitting around needing to be analyzed or something. But this is a pretty substantial bit of heft behind Linux as a valid Clustering platform, as well as an easier way to get one.
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:1)
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Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:2)
Re:Reliability? (Score:2)
Re:Compaq making computers? (Score:1)
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:2)
Open Source: Kimberlite [missioncriticallinux.com] from Mission Critical Linux, Inc [missioncriticallinux.com]
With Support & FULL NFS (not fully Open Source: Convolo [missioncriticallinux.com].
Kimberlite is the underlying technology, working today, designed from the ground up for HA on Linux (including some extremely robust data integrity capabilities). Convolo builds on it, adding full NFS support (state failover, host & netgroup failover, etc), and comes with 90 days support.
They also sell support contracts [missioncriticallinux.com] for Linux and Convolo (platinum, "we need a kernel fix now" type contracts, not just "buy a bundle of calls" type).
GPL'd HA - SGI's FailSafe (Score:2)
Try SGI's GPL'd FailSafe [sgi.com]:
(I have not tried it - all I know is from what's on the website.)
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There's clusters and then there's clusters (Score:2)
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:2)
True that.
But a 16 node ip failover turn key linux based web farm is still hotter than an over clocked P4 with a broken heat sink!
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Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:1)
HA Cluster (Score:1)
Just my $.02
Re:There's clusters and then there's clusters (Score:1)
Re:Good to see, but (Score:2)
Depending on your maintenance contract anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days. This is one of the reasons this isn't such a bad solution if you want a Linux cluster. Compaq has a excellent service unit. It's about the only thing left from Dec other than Storage works [now gutted, mostly], and the Alpha line [though nothing new has been released that wasn't already being designed at the time of the purchase]. Honestly I don't see VA Linux beating Compaq on this point.
Of course, I'd also like to see this product with Alphas, though that would never happen lest TruCluster sales would slip further.
Hmm (maybe slightly OT)... (Score:2)
I won't consider Compaq, Dell or any others to be truely supporting Linux until:
a. Linux is an option in paper catalogs.
b. A server w/Linux pre-installed costs less than the equivalent NT version.
I only say this because I would think PHBs and CTOs look more at paper catalogs than anything online (ooh - glossy paper)...
Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
Re:Compaq making computers? (Score:1)
However, on the non-server side, these things drive me NUTS! When user X can't get application Y running on his bastardized, Compaq patched-to-hell version of Windows 98, things aren't quite as easy to debug. And of course, user X can't be damned to follow all the little steps he needs to in order to fix the problem. Ah, hell...
In short, I think this applies to Compaq more than it does to any other computer manufacturer selling home systems: Keep It Simple, STUPID!!
Re:Reliability? (Score:1)
Re:How about a price? (Score:3)
Not a beowulf cluster (Score:5)
This is a high-availibility cluster, the idea being that one of the machines can die without losing anything. Kinda like RAID taken to the systems level.
That linux lacks this has been one of Microsoft's marketing points, so this is a really good thing. Unfortunately, the mirroring software is not open source or free software.
Re:Good to see, but (Score:2)
Oh, and Compaq usually says 3-5 business days, unless you have one of the 'hella support' contracts.
Re:Reliability? (Score:2)
In fact, the only current, conventionally single, 'system' I can think of that can claim five nines is the S/390.
And it runs Linux.
Re:Reliability? (Score:3)
This is Major League HA Clustering (Score:2)
The availability of LifeKeeper directly from Compaq is a big step forward for the deployment of Linux systems in enterprise environments because HA clusters need to be tested and supported on a system basis, i.e. HW and SW together.
Order the OS too!! (Score:1)
Have to love compaq.
Really, really old news.... (Score:1)
sorry.... (Score:1)
Its about time real action happened (Score:1)
Its good to finally see that the main players are starting to be a little more active about their Linux servers and not just making idle promises like so many have done in the past. This promises to make high end servers that are truly reliable a much easier and affordable option for many companies out there.
As an aside, now that Sun owns Cobalt, does anyone know if the Cobalt servers are going to have Linux replaced by SunOS or whether Sun intends to keep Linux as the primary OS for the Cobalt servers. In all honesty, I cannot see devices like the Cube and so on remaining competitive if a proprietry/commercial OS like SunOS is used. They would then have to directly compete with Windows NT/2K and HP's servers.
With Compaq up'ing the stakes like this, now what you truly are paying for is the server and the technology. Most excellent. This will truly help the Linux community increase its reputation as well as put some real servers out there that can be used to directly compare stats against the other more established server OS's.
Kudos Compaq, Kudos IBM
Re:Not as long as you implie (Score:1)
Clustered servers eh? (Score:1)
Re:Reliability? (Score:1)
LifeKeeper and compaq (Score:3)
It has been part of my job to get the system implememted with RH6.2, Apache, Informix and a shared mass storage device.
A bit of background on LifeKeeper first. Lifekeeper is a process monitoring tool that monitors a number of services and its dependencies, and manages the re-start and failover of these services to a group of defined servers.
If you can imagine a stacks of servers with, for example, a firewall, a web server, and a db server as a unit, you can implement failover in a N+N configuration.
primary.......backup
firewall......firewall
apache........apache
informix......informix
Each layer has a virtual Ip that flips back and forth between primary and failover so that each layer knows how to talk up and down to the other layers blindly.
We found that we had to do a lot of custom work to get everything implemented the way we wanted it.
The Informix kit was a bit messy to failover, however apache and tomcat failed over very well. we had some issues with the NFS kit, as our Informix DB was mounted on the shared mass store.
We had and still have some issues with our firewalls. We are using gShield (ipchains) for our firewalls, and the gshieldconf tool allows for only one IP per box, and we had the real IP's plus a Virtual IP that floated between the firealls. (our production url resolves to this virtual IP). We loose connectivity to our primary firewall on its _real_ ip, and must access it from the VirtIP. It went on to cause us problems with routing mail up thru the stacks, with accessing customer sites from behind the firewalls, and a few other things. Bottom line, Lifekeeper doesnt work so well to fail firewalls over.
It is pretty neat to watch apache or informix or tomcat (or our firewalls for that matter) to flip over from the primary to failover box.
It ends up that all services that LifeKeeper Monitors need to be started by lifekeepr with some command such as: perfome_action -t apache -a restore, instead of apachecrl start.
we are putting ssl on the boxes right now and will see how Lifekeeper handles mod_ssl!
Neat product, would love to see it open.
Its also too bad, because the dl580's compaq sent us took about 3 weeks to get up and running, lots of wierd hardware problems with the pci bus.
A good thing (Score:1)
Re:LifeKeeper and compaq (Score:1)
-dB
Re:sorry.... (Score:1)
Good to see, but (Score:2)
Nice LOGO -- True Legitimacy (Score:1)
Re:Good to see, but (Score:2)
I've seen far more "servers" built using PC-grade parts fail, than I have seen servers (and I admin 280 HP servers) go down due to failed power supplies. The amount of cooling, as well as the quality and size of the power supply components is vastly better in those custom power supplies you disklike so much.
If your server availability is important enough to you to have redundant power supplies, then it should be important enough to get at least a 24-hour service level agreement in place with your hardware vendor (you could also stockpile a few spare parts).
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:1)
Not really, but combined with the HA stuff at Linux-HA [linux-ha.org], we can get a load-balanced, HA system. We have a running hack at Virtual Malaysia [virtualmalaysia.org] that does this. Basically, we put a Linux box at the front of a couple of NT web servers with monitoring software to check for downed boxes. We just have to add another box for failover and LVS + HA should be complete.
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:1)
Argh... Link to Virtual Malaysia was wrong. It's a dotcom thingy.
Here's [virtualmalaysia.com] the right link.
Re:Not a beowulf cluster (Score:2)
Umm, sorry? Are you implying that the only high performance clustering solution available is beowulf? Stop smoking the cheap crack, it's messing with your head. Most clusters are not focused on computation, but providing services. Often the bottleneck that's being overcome is not the CPU.
Just because it's not plotting weather patterns doesn't mean that it's not high performance. The performance is just measured in other ways (HTTP req's
That you _believe_ that Linux lacks this is testimony to the success of Microsft's marketing...
It's here, and it's been around for a while. http://www.linuxvirtualserver.org [linuxvirtualserver.org]
is where you can read about it. Not only does LinuxDirector exist, but it scales farther than MS's offerings, is GPL'd, and in typical Linux fashion, doesn't require fancy, expensive, matching hardware...
Chicken-and-egg problem with preconfigured Linux (Score:2)
It actually cost $300 more than the same hardware with NT (: But I did it to save dealing with drivers for state-of-art stuff which burned me in the past; saving a few days on company time is worth it.
The sad thing is that it had only the original obsolete 7.0 without security patches available 6 months ago. Last week, within hours of hooking it to the Internet to install security patches, it was wiped out by the Ramen worm. Chicken and egg problem: how do I get the security patches without hooking to the Internet, and how do I hook to the Internet without the security patches? (OK, I could have used another computer but you see my point...)
Anyway the OS is reinstalled, and it rocks... :)
Moral: If you get a preconfigured Linux, check the security updates status pronto.
Re:Reliability? (Score:1)
As a former Tandem employee, what I find interesting is the wide range of HA technology being used by Compaq. In addition to the Nonstop Guardian systems (Tandem), they have DEC Tru-Clusters, Microsoft HA clustering, and now the LifeKeeper solution (this thread). They also recently announced they were licensing unspecified "stuff" from Stratus (formerly the 2nd banana in the Fault-Tolerant market behind Tandem). I know that no one technology works best for all situations, but this is getting ridiculous.
These "clusters" are not clusters. (Score:1)
It's not just for breakfast anymore.... (Score:1)
Compaq Linux Clusters - stay crispy in milk and give you your RDA of iron!
BrianYour Tech Humor Source [bbspot.com]
That's good to know... (Score:1)
Re:Compaq making computers? (Score:1)
This may sound a little roundabout, but when one has to support 50+ of these, having a working method is a godsend...
"Titanic was 3hr and 17min long. They could have lost 3hr and 17min from that."
I deal with Compaqs a LOT... (Score:2)
We do have one of those paranoid service contracts from hell where the Compaq paid technician will come out the next day and fix it...
"Titanic was 3hr and 17min long. They could have lost 3hr and 17min from that."
Compaq making computers? (Score:1)
Not as long as you implie (Score:1)
"Me Ted"
But which do you Need? Beowulf vs HighAvailability (Score:1)
Personally, it's my belief that the vast and overwhelming majority of
The main question most of would have now pertains to security. Granted, it's not BSD, or SecureLinux, but is this a buttoned-down failover system or does it come in the vanilla wrapper with all the ports open and services ready to be exploited?
Let's hope it's fairly buttoned down with some easy admin tools.
Re:Compaq making computers? (Score:1)
now selling Linux with its computers. Maybe that's a good operating system.'
Not quite. What journalist would be looking at anything that would relate to these clusters that would not already know the power of Linux, that would be swayed by such a small quantity?
Re:Reliability? (Score:1)
Heck, based on that little marketing strategy, Linux just better tuck their little wagger between the legs and head for the porch.
.
Re:This is Major League HA Clustering (Score:1)
Of course, IBM was something of a fuckup themselves a while back, and with NCR making cheap knockoffs of everything IBM was doing, I suppose it could only be for the better of that software to be placed in the hands of some other company.
The same could be said for the products of my company. We were one of dozens of fragments that were cast from Control Data Corporation in its tailspin before they crashed and burned -- most of them are doing OK, but AFAIK what remains of CDC is gone, at least by name.
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Linux mainstream (Score:2)
Re:Compaq making computers? (Score:2)
How about a price? (Score:1)