“With Windows HPC Server 2008, a researcher whodoesn’t want to be an administrator doesn’t haveto be.”

Greg Keller, Technical Principal, R Systems

R Systems provides flexible high-performance computing (HPC) resources for academic researchers and commercial organizations. The company offers traditional Linux clusters as well as clusters that run on the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system. By making Windows HPC Server available, R Systems increases productivity for its customers by using the best operating system for their particular research applications.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published July 2009


Business Needs

High-performance computing (HPC) dramatically speeds up tests, simulations, and other such evaluations for researchers and others who do computation-intensive work. Yet only a small percentage of people in industrial and academic fields have access to HPC resources and the ability to take advantage of them.

In many academic institutions, time on HPC clusters is at a premium, which means that students and researchers have to endure a laborious process, sometimes involving time-consuming peer review, to gain access. In industrial and manufacturing companies, highly detailed simulations can reduce the need for costly physical prototypes, but mostcompanies require proof of a computing system’s value before agreeing to invest in one.

Researchers and industrial companies that lack in-house access to HPC clusters are also blocked by the high cost of acquiring and maintaining new HPC systems—a cost that goes beyond hardware and software to include electrical power, ongoing maintenance, administrative staff with highly specialized skills, and so on.

A cost-effective alternative is to outsource HPC services. This way, researchers or company management can provide the validation necessary to move forward with applying for a certain grant or implementing an inhouse HPC system. Some organizations continue using the outside computingservice as their permanent HPC resource.

R Systems is one such service provider. The Illinois-based company offers flexible computing services and the power of HPC at a fraction of the costs of other supercomputing resources.

Solution

In addition to traditional Linux-based HPC clusters, R Systems offers clusters that run on the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system. “We chose to be hardware- and software-agnostic because we want a complete set of options for our customers,” says Brian Kucic, Founding Principal for RSystems. “This way, we make sure that we’ve got the right platforms and configurations to suit each customer’s computing needs.”

R Systems has set up its two largest clusters in a dual-boot environment so that the company can rapidly switch back and forth between operating systems. One cluster includes 564 nodes of compute power, and another uses 288 nodes. R Systems also has several smaller clusters that run solely on Windows HPC Server 2008.

Sometimes customers come to R Systems with specific requests for a Windows HPC Server 2008 system. Other customers approach R Systems with specific problems that they want solved, and R Systems determines the best system for their use. “Customers may not ask for Windows HPC Server 2008, but when we hear what they’re trying to accomplish, we often find that we recommend it as the most effective choice,” says Greg Keller, Technical Principal for RSystems. “Any time companies or researchers are using software that runs natively in the Windows environment, they caneasily scale that software on Windows HPC Server 2008 with little or no development time or effort necessary.”

For example, a company that designs industrial pumps contacted R Systems because it wanted to speed up its design process. R Systems used an 8-node Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster to run thecompany’s model simulations, and achieved 100 times faster computing throughput than the company experienced with its workstations. “Our customer was thrilled that it could get more power from its Windows-based application,” says Kucic.

Benefits

R Systems supports institutions and businesses that are looking for more granular simulations and faster research. The company’s use of Windows HPC Server 2008 means that customers have greater flexibility in the applications that they can run, without having to engage in time-consuming development. “We look forward to offering even larger-scale Windows HPC Server 2008 clusters,”says Kucic. “The future looks bright.”

For R Systems and its customers, the advantages of Windows HPC Server 2008 include:

Easier administration. R Systems has found that the comprehensive software stack built into its Windows HPC Server 2008 clusters eases administration. “The Microsoft approach to HPC includes a well-featured scheduler, file system, security, and other components,” says Keller. “The Linux HPC systems tend to be stitched together with components from multiple sources, which makes deployment and administration more difficult. With Windows HPC Server 2008, a researcher who doesn’t want to be an administrator doesn’t have to be.”

Notable performance. R Systems reports that its Windows HPC Server 2008 clusters perform comparably with its Linux clusters. “We've done benchmarks with up to 256 cores that showed performance that meets, and in some cases exceeds, the Linux tests done on the same hardware,” says Keller.

Enhanced value. R Systems offers its customers the operating systems that best suit their needs, which increasingly includes Windows HPC Server 2008. “Not so long ago, nobody would have thought to use a large-scale Windows-based cluster,” says Keller. “Today, with Windows HPC Server 2008, plenty of enterprise companies make the most of these clusters. We’ve seen users and developers who never considered themselves likely HPC users scale quickly with the new tools. Institutions that have invested in code that’s written for Windows recognize that they can get more value out of those investments if they don’t have to rewrite their code to run on another operating system.”

Cost-effectiveness and superior support. RSystems appreciates both the favorable licensing designed specifically for service providers and the support that it gets from Microsoft. “The level of support from Microsoft has been outstanding,” says Kucic. “It’s more difficult to resolve issues with Linux because it involves dealing with five or six software stack components from disparate parties before even looking at the application layer.”

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published July 2009