Hybrid Computer Cluster with High Flexibility

In this paper we present a cluster middleware, designed to implement a Linux-Windows Hybrid HPC Cluster, which not only holds the characteristics of both operating system, but also accepts and schedules jobs in both environments. Beowulf Clusters have become an economical and practical choice for small-and-medium-sized institutions to provide High Performance Computing (HPC)resources. The HPC resources are required for running simulations, image rendering and other calculations, and to support the software requiring a specific operating system. To support the software, small-scale computer clusters would have to be divided in two or more clusters if they are to run on a single operating system. The x86 virtualisation technology would help running multiple operating systems on one computer, but only with the latest hardware which many legacy Beowulf clusters do not have. To aid the institutions, who rely on legacy non-virtualisation-supported facilities rather than high-end HPC resources, we have developed and deployed a bi-stable hybrid system built around Linux CentOS 5.5 with the improved OSCAR middleware, and Windows Server 2008 and Windows HPC 2008 R2. This hybrid cluster is utilised as part of the University of Hudders field campus grid.