Partner Solution Case Study
/ / Simulation Software on x64 Compute Clusters Boosts Performance, Reduces Costs
Overview
Country or Region:United States
Industry:Professional Services
Partner Profile
Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) is based in Livermore, California. Its main product is LS-DYNA®, a multi-physics simulation software used to model complex real-world problems.
Business Situation
LSTC wanted to increase the computing power available to its customers and to simplify both the installation and maintenance of compute clusters using LS-DYNA.
Solution
LSTC ported LS-DYNA to Microsoft® Windows® Compute Cluster Server 2003, a 64-bit, high-performance computing platform.
Benefits
Simpler setup and maintenance
Shorter times to solution
Reduced support costs, improved customer service
Faster, more capable visualization
Wider multiprocessing availability / “Running our software on Windows Compute Cluster Server makes multiprocessing available to a wider range of users.”
Wayne L. Mindle, Ph.D., Technical Sales, LSTC
Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) develops LS-DYNA® software, used to model the real-world behavior of physical objects and phenomena. LS-DYNA has been available for Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 (32-bit x86) in a version running on single system. However, some customers need to simulate larger problems. To meet this need, LSTC created a distributed memory version that runs on clusters of computers. The Distributed Memory (MPP) version of LS-DYNA scales to a large number of processors, especially as the size of the problem increases, and significantly reduces computation time. LSTC recently ported the MPP version of LS-DYNA to Microsoft Windows® Compute Cluster Server 2003. The company expects more customers to use the MPP Version of LS-DYNA now that it is available on the Windows platform.
Situation
Developed by Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC), LS-DYNA® is software that can simulate complex real-world situations. Engineers across the world use LS-DYNA to help make their products safer, less expensive, and more effective. For example, automobile manufacturers use LS-DYNA to analyze vehicle designs, modeling a car's behavior in a collision as well as the effect on occupant safety. LS-DYNA is also used by military contractors, aerospace industry customers, sheet metal manufacturers, and many others. LSTC customers run LS-DYNA on a range of operating systems and hardware, from workstations to supercomputers,
Physical simulation is one of the most demanding of all computing tasks. The data output from a single simulation can be very large, and processing the output can take as much as 24 hours of CPU time, depending on the number of processors used for the computation. In order to run their simulations in a manageable period of time, many LSTC customers run the Distributed Memory (MPP) version of LS-DYNA on a compute cluster. Dividing the simulation model between the compute nodes of the cluster solves the same problem in less computation time than it would take on a single processor.
Depending on the operating system involved, setting up a compute cluster can require extensive administrative knowledge. Many LSTC customers are large international corporations with extensive IT support staff, but many others are far smaller with fewer resources, and may not have the expertise needed.
Solution
LSTC ported the MPP version of LS-DYNA to Microsoft® Windows Server®2003 x64 Edition operating system, and Microsoft Windows® Compute Cluster 2003, a high performance computer platform. “We had beta versions of Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, so we were ready with an official release of our product when Microsoft officially released the 64-bit operating system,” says Wayne L. Mindle, Ph.D., Technical Sales, LSTC.
Message Passing Interface (MPI) software libraries enable LS-DYNA to run on a compute cluster. LSTC supports many versions of the MPI libraries for the different hardware configurations that are currently available. LSTC was able to take advantage of the MSMPI—an MPI stack provided by Microsoft and an integral part of Compute Cluster Server—to significantly reduce the total development cycle.
Benefits
By releasing LS-DYNA on Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003, LSTC has provided its customers with an even more powerful tool. Now, with a 64-bit architecture, LS-DYNA can quickly resolve the ever-more complicated physical simulations being built by LSTC customers. LSTC customers can more easily set up and maintain LS-DYNA compute clusters, improving productivity and reducing time spent on administration and technical support.
Simpler Setup and Maintenance
Porting LS-DYNA to Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 reduces the time and effort necessary to set up and maintain a multiserver installation. Because Compute Cluster Server works with the Active Directory® service, any Windows administrator with the proper permissions can set up a cluster as easily as adding any other network resource. The Compute Cluster Server Job Scheduler eliminates the need for a customer to either purchase and integrate a third-party scheduler or manually supervise compute task scheduling. "It's just point and click," says Mindle. "The fact that they can quickly set up a cluster and administer it themselves means that they’re saving time and money."
Shorter Times to Solution
LSTC customers running LS-DYNA in a Microsoft Server–based environment can now take advantage of multiple 64-bit processors working to solve simulations faster. They also benefit from the performance advantages of MSMPI, which uses Winsock Direct to achieve low system latency and high CPU efficiency. This is especially important for some smaller LSTC customers, who have previously used single-processor versions of LS-DYNA. "Now, you can take our code and run it on four workstations, whether they're in the same room or in four different offices," says Mindle.
Reduced Support Costs, Improved Customer Service
LSTC expects that LS-DYNA running on Windows Compute Cluster will reduce the amount of technical support needed by its customers. According to Mindle, customers running LS-DYNA on Windows will have an easier time configuring their servers, and will need less guidance from LSTC during the installation process. LSTC also expects running LS-DYNA on Windows will simplify troubleshooting. "When someone talks about their Windows system, we'll know exactly what they have installed on their system," says Mindle.
Faster, More Capable Visualization
Whether in a single-processor or a multiprocessor solution, the enhanced memory addressing provided by 64-bit Windows means that the complex calculations performed by LS-DYNA happen more quickly, and the software can be used to analyze much larger problems. LSTC customers can build larger, increasingly complex and realistic models that more closely approximate real-world conditions.
Wider Multiprocessing Availability
For LSTC, porting LS-DYNA to Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 reaffirms its commitment to the 64-bit Windows architecture. LSTC plans to move both its preprocessing and postprocessing applications to 64-bit Windows, and expects those products, along with LS-DYNA, to be well received by customers large and small. "Running our software on Windows Compute Cluster Server makes multiprocessing available to a wider range of users," says Mindle.
Microsoft Windows Server System
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