文章基本信息

标题：SGI Scores Hit at LinuxWorld With Altix
期刊名称：Enterprise Networks and Servers
出版年度：2004
卷号：Feb 2004
出版社：Publications & Communications, Inc.

SGI Scores Hit at LinuxWorld With Altix

A year after SGI introduced its Altix family of servers at the 2003 Linux World Conference & Expo - where it was named Best of Show - the SGl Altix family returned to Linux World in New York City in January with new midrange models, a host of 64-bit applications, and boasting record achievements in scalability and performance.

SGI also debuted the new SGI Altix 350 server. SGI Altix 350 is the only midrange system purpose-built specifically for scientists, design engineers, researchers and other technical computing users.

Since its launch a year ago, SGI Altix has become the first Linux system to commercially scale to 128 Intel Itanium 2 processors in a single system image - and thousands more via clustering - using the SGI NUMAflex global shared-memory architecture.

The Altix architecture handles large data sets, giving software developers an opportunity to provide 64-bit Linux applications to customers in manufacturing, oil and gas exploration, homeland security, earth and environmental sciences research, and life sciences.

"Only a year ago, the common wisdom held that Linux couldn't scale past eight processors," said Dave Parry, senior vice president and general manager, Server and Platform Group, SGI.

"Working closely with the Linux community, we have spent the past 12 months repeatedly shattering that misconception with the Altix family. Without doubt, Linux no longer is relegated to desktop systems or edge servers. Today it's a robust and field-proven 64-bit environment capable of tackling the world's toughest computing challenges."

At Linux World 2004, SGI and its partners spotlighted Linux as a production-quality platform for high-performance and technical computing and database applications. A 64-processor SGI Altix 3000 system demonstrated computational fluid dynamics, computer-aided engineering, data mining applications, and database software from Sybase and Objectivity. Several Altix 350 servers also were displayed, running leading bioinformatics and chemistry applications, in addition to a rapid installation demonstration of MySQL database software.

An eight-processor SGI Altix 350 system featured Oracle Database 1Og running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.

"Oracle is pleased with SGI's delivery of industry-standard, Linux OS-based systems that give customers the scalability they need for mission-critical applications," said Dave Dargo, vice president of the Linux Program Office, Oracle Corp. "This, combined with Oracle's leading technology and support for the Linux operating system, offers a compelling solution for enterprise customers. Oracle customers running on Altix with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can benefit from Oracle's OS-level, Unbreakable Linux support, the industry's most comprehensive technical support offering."

The new mid-range SGl Altix 350 can scale to hundreds of nodes over standard gigabit Ethernet. In addition, via a new agreement, SGI and Voltaire intend to interconnect Altix 350 systems with InfiniBand, and to enable easy interoperability with previously installed 32-bit clusters.

Scalable SGI Altix 3000 systems are available now in server configurations of 4 to 64 processors, and supercluster configurations of 4 to 512 processors.

For customers demanding even larger Altix configurations, SGI plans to support single Altix nodes of 128 processors and superclusters of 1,024 processors in May 2004 and larger over time.