User`s guide

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1: SGI Altix XE Cluster Quick-reference
Cluster Configuration Overview
The following figures are intended to represent some of the general types of cluster configurations
used with SGI Altix XE cluster systems.
Note: These configuration drawings are for informational purposes only and are not meant to
represent any specific cluster system.
Figure 1-3 on page 7 diagrams a basic Gigabit Ethernet configuration using a single Ethernet
switch for node-to-node communication.
Figure 1-4 on page 8 shows an example cluster configuration with a single Gigabit Ethernet
switch supporting node-to-node communication between 2U (XE250/270) servers used as
compute nodes.
Figure 1-5 on page 9 illustrates a dual-switch cluster configuration with one switch handling MPI
traffic and the other used for basic cluster administration and communication.
Figure 1-6 on page 10 is an example configuration using one Ethernet switch for general
administration and one InfiniBand switch for MPI traffic.
Figure 1-7 on page 11 shows a configuration with one Ethernet switch used for administration,
one Ethernet switch for NAS, and an Infiniband switch used for handling MPI traffic.
Figure 1-8 on page 12 is an example configuration using a mix of 1U (XE320/340) compute nodes
and 2U (XE250/270) compute nodes. This configuration uses one Ethernet switch for general
administration and one InfiniBand switch for MPI traffic.