Updated: July 9, 2020 (July 19, 2004)
Analyst ReportWindows for High Performance Clusters on Tap
An edition of Windows Server 2003 specifically geared to high-performance computing (HPC) clustersgroups of identical, low-cost servers usually running the same applicationis planned for late 2005. Although its exact feature set is undecided, the first iteration of this HPC server edition will likely pare Windows to a core set of services; provide native support for the Message Passing Interface (MPI, a standard that specifies routines for passing messages among parallel applications); and offer cluster and resource management tools.
The release aims to meet a growing demand in Microsoft shops for a cost-effective, Windows-based solution for HPC clusters and will offer an alternative to Linux, whose strength in the clustered HPC market could threaten Microsofts server and database business in sectors such as finance and engineering.
HPC Moves Beyond Research
HPC systems aim to speed performance of compute-intensive applications by applying large numbers of processors working in parallel. HPC has its roots in the academic and research domains, such as physical sciences and engineering, where it has been used for applications such as weather simulation and collider physics data analysis.
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