HPC Server Gets Azure Compute Nodes

A service pack for HPC Server 2008 R2, Microsoft’s high-performance computing (HPC) platform, adds the ability to use Windows Azure resources as HPC nodes and manage them as if they were part of the HPC cluster. The new version brings more access to HPC resources from the desktop by allowing an HPC installation to use a combination of dedicated servers, available on-premises Windows 7 client computers, and Microsoft-hosted compute resources.

Servers, PCs, and HPC Packs

Windows HPC Server is a special x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 that runs HPC applications on arrays of computers (called compute nodes) under the control of one or more management servers (the head nodes). The computers work in parallel to solve computer-intensive problems. A Windows HPC Server installation requires a Windows Server HPC Edition OS for each head node and an HPC Pack for each compute node. The HPC Pack contains additions (such as cluster job scheduling, management services, and data handling features) needed for a node to participate in an HPC installation. The HPC Pack is installed over a Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, or HPC edition of Windows Server.