Acquisition of a Cluster Computer for Geodynamics Research

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

0317638 King This grant provides support for the acquisition of a PC cluster for geodynamical research at Purdue University. The generic design of the cluster will be based on the following minimum requirements : 64 single Pentium IV CPU nodes operating at 2 GHz clock speeds; 2 Gb of RAM per node; 10 Gb of disk storage per node; 100 Mbit or Gigabit Ethernet connections between nodes, and; a 200 Gb RAID disk backup system. Final cluster design will be based on technological and market conditions nearer the time of purchase. The cluster will complement an existing 24 node cluster of 450 Mhz PCs that remains in constant use by PI Scott King and his graduate students for high resolution finite element and spectral element 2-D and 3-D mantle dynamical models that incorporate boundary conditions for lithospheric plate-mantle interactions. The existing cluster will now dedicated to student use at Purdue while King will take advantage of the new cluster for tackling dynamical problems at every higher resolutions and with more realistic boundary conditions to more closely approximate real-Earth and planetary interior conditions. ***