1. An Introduction to Clusters

   1. Chapter 1 Cluster Architecture

      1. Modern Computing and the Role of Clusters
      2. Types of Clusters
      3. Distributed Computing and Clusters
      4. Limitations
      5. My Biases

   2. Chapter 2 Cluster Planning

      1. Design Steps
      2. Determining Your Cluster's Mission
      3. Architecture and Cluster Software
      4. Cluster Kits
      5. CD-ROM-Based Clusters
      6. Benchmarks

   3. Chapter 3 Cluster Hardware

      1. Design Decisions
      2. Environment

   4. Chapter 4 Linux for Clusters

      1. Installing Linux
      2. Configuring Services
      3. Cluster Security

2. Getting Started Quickly

   1. Chapter 5 openMosix

      1. What Is openMosix?
      2. How openMosix Works
      3. Selecting an Installation Approach
      4. Installing a Precompiled Kernel
      5. Using openMosix
      6. Recompiling the Kernel
      7. Is openMosix Right for You?

   2. Chapter 6 OSCAR

      1. Why OSCAR?
      2. What's in OSCAR
      3. Installing OSCAR
      4. Security and OSCAR
      5. Using switcher
      6. Using LAM/MPI with OSCAR

   3. Chapter 7 Rocks

      1. Installing Rocks
      2. Managing Rocks
      3. Using MPICH with Rocks

3. Building Custom Clusters

   1. Chapter 8 Cloning Systems

      1. Configuring Systems
      2. Automating Installations
      3. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

   2. Chapter 9 Programming Software

      1. Programming Languages
      2. Selecting a Library
      3. LAM/MPI
      4. MPICH
      5. Other Programming Software
      6. Notes for OSCAR Users
      7. Notes for Rocks Users

   3. Chapter 10 Management Software

      1. C3
      2. Ganglia
      3. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

   4. Chapter 11 Scheduling Software

      1. OpenPBS
      2. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

   5. Chapter 12 Parallel Filesystems

      1. PVFS
      2. Using PVFS
      3. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

4. Cluster Programming

   1. Chapter 13 Getting Started with MPI

      1. MPI
      2. A Simple Problem
      3. An MPI Solution
      4. I/O with MPI
      5. Broadcast Communications

   2. Chapter 14 Additional MPI Features

      1. More on Point-to-Point Communication
      2. More on Collective Communication
      3. Managing Communicators
      4. Packaging Data

   3. Chapter 15 Designing Parallel Programs

      1. Overview
      2. Problem Decomposition
      3. Mapping Tasks to Processors
      4. Other Considerations

   4. Chapter 16 Debugging Parallel Programs

      1. Debugging and Parallel Programs
      2. Avoiding Problems
      3. Programming Tools
      4. Rereading Code
      5. Tracing with printf
      6. Symbolic Debuggers
      7. Using gdb and ddd with MPI
      8. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

   5. Chapter 17 Profiling Parallel Programs

      1. Why Profile?
      2. Writing and Optimizing Code
      3. Timing Complete Programs
      4. Timing C Code Segments
      5. Profilers
      6. MPE
      7. Customized MPE Logging
      8. Notes for OSCAR and Rocks Users

5. Appendix

   1. Appendix A References

      1. Books
      2. URLs

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The cover image of cowboys herding cattle is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Using their horsemanship and lariat skills, cowboys in the American West managed herds of several thousand cattle. These abilities would become especially valuable after the Civil War, when an increased demand for beef in the northern and eastern parts of the countryleft Texas ranchers needing a way to transport their product. Cowboys would drive Texas Longhorn cattle over 1,000 miles north to railroad cow towns in Kansas and Nebraska. These grueling journeys would take several months to complete, with those in charge of the herd working, eating, and sleeping on the open plain. Adam Witwer was the production editor and copyeditor for High Performance Linux Clusters with OSCAR, Rocks, openMosix, and MPI. Leanne Soylemez was the proofreader. Claire Cloutier and Sanders Kleinfeld provided quality control. John Bickelhaupt wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Hanna Dyer and Edie Freedman. Clay Fernald produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. The chapter opening images are from Marvels of the New West: A Vivid Portrayal of the Stupendous Marvels in the Vast Wonderland West of the Missouri River, byWilliam Thayer (The HenryBill Publishing Co., 1888). This book was converted to FrameMaker 5.5.6 byJoe Wizda with a format conversion tool created byErik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand MX and Adobe Photoshop CS. The tip and warning icons were drawn byChristopher Bing. This colophon was written by Adam Witwer.