This paper will provide an overview of grid computing including its history, current development, terminology, and use. The scope of this project is geared towards the implementation of Apple’s Xgrid technology in a university environment, or in a home environment for power users such as architects. Later in this paper we will implement an Xgrid, and will demonstrate its cross platform abilities, while exploring its revolutionary take on grid computing. Benchmarks of this grid will be done using light ray tracing software called Pov-Ray in combination with Architectural CAD software called Sketchup, and will produce a series of complex graphical scenes. Each computer on the grid will be responsible for rendering at least one scene, and rendering times will be recorded.
While XGrid is nice, GridEngine runs on almost all platforms.
http://gridengine.sunsource.net
(The MacOSX port of GridEngine is also free and opensource)
Xgrid runs on almost all platforms, too: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xgridagent
With Gridengine, you can have the master machine on any platforms; but with XGrid, you need to run it on OSX 10.4 Tiger.
http://www.9grid.net/
🙂 Software fo real grid
Condor:”A single machine can join the Condor
grid only when it is idle, and will stop tasks once the user returns to the computer”,pretty efficient.
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/condor/
but with XGrid, you need to run it on OSX 10.4 Tiger.
According to the research paper:Xgrid requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later (including 10.3), with a minimum of 128MB of
RAM but 256 Mb is recommended. The package may be freely downloaded, and is easy
to install.
Wrong.
The offical version from Apple now requires Tiger 10.4 *Server*.
“Wrong.
The offical version from Apple now requires Tiger 10.4 *Server*. ”
As you say, “Wrong.”
on Tiger client version:
$ man xgridctl
————
….
….
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.xgridcontrollerd.plist
Launchd daemon control files
EXAMPLES
….
edit launchd configuration to launch controller on system startup
$ xgridctl controller on
….
————
So you seems to be able to launch a controller on tiger client, but you won’t have the front end of tiger server as usually …
I add that the file “com.apple.xgridcontrollerd.plist” is already present on the client version but disabled by default.
RTFM
Wrong is for “… Xgrid requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later”.
Yes, the XGrid controller runs on both 10.4 and 10.4 server, but the offical supported version runs on server.
Without the GUI, you may just run Gridengine instead.
XGrid runs on 10.3 also, Apple recently updated it. I don’t know if it still runs on 10.2.
The controller now requires Tiger however. So you could have a G5 Tiger Server and 50 Panther PowerBooks connected to it, as a grid.
Matt
Forgot to comment and post link to Xgrid Lite
http://edbaskerville.com/software/xgridlite/
It’s worth a read.
Matt
I love how people always try and make Apples accomplishments look second rate. Its a very intelligent way of turning consumer boxes on the same network into a small render farm with very, very little effort upon the part of the user. Its such a good idea that Adobe is now implementing the Xgrid concept into it’s product suit.
My question is is there any other Xgrid software that makes it possible to do all the things that Xgrid can do with the push of a button. I’m sure there are far more sophisticated feature rich systems out there. But can the average person use it from the time they open the box plug it in and hit the power button without configuration? No? OK then.
Oh and make sure it’s free and is as user friendly as Xgrid. Because when you buy Apple’s hardware you get all this great software free of charge! Does MS offer something even close to all the great product that Apple does?
Just because you’re not paying for it explicitly doesn’t mean you aren’t paying for it.
If you guys had bothered to read the report at all you would have seen he was working with the Xgrid preview release before Tiger came out with the 1.0 release of Xgrid. The preview release is no longer available but I do remember seeing that it did work with 10.2 I think the report is well written and really demonstrates well how Sketchup can be used with Pov-Ray and distributed between lots of computers for rendering. Very cool stuff.
does it work with 100mb ethernet or do you need gigabit?
“This article introduces the first working Xgrid agent for Linux and other Unix systems that can be integrated in any XGrid cluster (managed by OS X).”
http://unu.novajo.ca/simple/archives/000026.html
hylas