OIL & GAS

Two 53-foot vans arrived at the NCAR Mesa Lab loading dock at 09:00 September 21 to deliver 14 new IBM cluster 1600 servers to NCAR. The vans were equipped with refrigeration units to protect the equipment from excessive heat during the trip from Poughkeepsie, New York. Aaron Andersen, Stan McLaughlin, and Gary New (SCD) supervised and helped unload, uncrate, and transport the servers from the loading dock to the computer room. These servers will enhance NCAR's Advanced Research Computing System (ARCS), expanding the IBM cluster 1600 system (bluesky) by 14 32-way p690 SMP servers. Each server is based on the POWER4 microprocessor and operates at a clock frequency of 1.3 GHz. Each server includes 64 GB of memory. The system expansion also includes 10.5 TB of formatted disk storage, which is to be added to the existing disk subsystem, thereby increasing bluesky's total disk capacity to 31 TB. Above: Following some encouragement to take a moment's rest, Aaron Andersen (left), Stan McLaughlin (center), and Gary New (right) are ready to help unload the second 53-foot van full of servers. Installation and testing will occur in SCD's machine room from October 11 - 19 (estimated). (Note: bluesky will be down during this installation and testing period.) Twelve of the 14 servers will be directed initially to the CCSM climate simulations being prepared for participation in the Fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report, which has an imposed deadline for completion of summer 2004. The NCAR Director will determine how the expanded computing capacity of bluesky will be used after the IPCC climate simulations are completed. Two of the new servers will be used over the next several months to allow NCAR/SCD to participate in a joint testing program with IBM. These servers will not be available for general computing until the test period is completed. To attach the new servers to the existing switch adapter hardware, bluesky will be reconfigured. In its new configuration, the expanded bluesky system will consist of 76 8-way batch LPARS (currently 92) and 25 32-way batch LPARS (currently 9). Peak FLOPS after the installation will jump to 8.7 TFLOPS for bluesky and, combined with blackforest, will represent a peak of 10.8 TFLOPS for NCAR's ARCS. Each server weighs 2,500 pounds without its front and rear panels. (Panels are shipped separately to avoid damage while they are being moved into place, and because they interfere with cable installation.) The bearing surface of each wheel is very small, so the load must be distributed over a larger area to protect the floors. Plexiglass was used over these floor tiles, but thick plywood will be needed to protect the computer room's raised floor. Unpacked by the moving company staff, the server shipping crates are ingenious. They are engineered for excellent protection during transit, the front panel opens easily and becomes a self-supporting ramp with a beveled apron, the front of the top flips up to allow the server to tilt down the ramp, and the crates are reusable for many shipments.