College of Information Technology, United Arab Emirates University
Sun Technologies Power one of the World's TOP500 HPC Grids and the Largest Super Grid in the Middle EastUAE University is the premier national university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was recently ranked the top research university in the Gulf by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). With nine world-class colleges ranging from Information Technology to Medicine, the university serves the UAE and the region with world-class research and academic programs. As a result, the university plays a significant role in leading cultural, social, and economic development in the country. For more information about the university, visit them online.
Business Issues
SolutionA super-grid computer built on Sun technologies provided up to 8.3 Teraflops of processing power, 800 GB of RAM, and real-time visualization. The fully integrated super-grid computer includes Intel Xeon processors to meet the demands of compute- and memory-intensive applications. The system also supports multiple operating systems.
Success at a GlanceTo meet its goal of becoming one of the global leaders in science and information technology, the College of Information Technology (CIT) at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) University needed its own grid computer. Only then would students and professors have the computing power required to visualize complex operations in real time and advance research in multiple disciplines including intelligent computing, nanotechnologies, bioinformatics, and geophysics. In August 2006, the CIT sought a solution that was highly scalable and available, and competitively priced. In addition, because researchers used numerous applications with different architectural requirements, the university also sought a flexible solution designed to support compute- and memory-intensive programs, and multiple operating systems. After evaluating its options, the CIT chose to build its grid on Sun technologies. Not only did Sun offer the best solution that could meet the college’s requirements, but also the institution liked that Sun uses open-platform technologies, and best practices and standards.
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Sun Microsystems’ leadership in grid/cloud computing together with its historically strong commitment to academe is a powerful combination that will bring lasting value to the College of IT. The grid computing laboratory will provide students, faculty and the community an exciting and dynamic environment to design and implement efficient solutions in service of society.
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— Dr. Rafic Makki, Dean, College of IT
To accelerate deployment, the CIT joined the Sun Customer Ready program, which offers factory integration, testing, and configuration of Sun and third-party hardware and software systems. The program would provide for a faster, lower-risk deployment of complete systems. In typical installations, Sun's factory integration can save days and sometimes weeks, in the assembly and set-up of high-performance computing clusters. The CIT’s solution is built on 10 Sun Blade 6000 Chassis, each with a mix of 10 Sun Blade X6220 and X6250 server modules. Collectively, the 100 server modules deliver 800 GB of RAM and can reach speeds up to 8.3 Teraflops. The server modules feature Intel Xeon processors — to support processor- and memory-intensive applications — and can run most operating systems including the Solaris 10 Operating System, UNIX, and Linux. The university can switch out server modules to meet changing requirements, and scale the compute density for less money than traditional servers. Users can log in to the environment from any of the 40 Sun Ray 270 virtual display clients that are connected to a Sun Fire X4600 server. The Sun Fire X4600 initiates communication with the grid by connecting to the login node, which is supported by two Sun Fire X4450 servers. Once login information is verified, user requests are sent to the batch nodes supported by the two Sun Fire X4150 servers that run Sun Grid Engine 6.1 software. The Sun Grid Engine manages requests, sending each one to the appropriate cluster resource. To help speed data transfers between the cluster's servers, all of the systems feature a non-blocking Qlogic InfiniBand switch and the Lustre file system. In addition, two Sun Fire X4150 servers and one Sun StorageTek 2530 array manage and store the grid's metadata. Project data is stored on one Sun StorageTek 6140 array. Also, to centrally allocate resources and control system access, system administrators rely on two dedicated, highly available Sun Fire X4150 servers that run Sun Java System Directory Server Enterprise Edition. The grid, that is scheduled to go into production in July of 2008, is going to be considered the largest of its kind in the region — and is ranked as one of the TOP500 super-grid computers in the world. With it, researchers have the raw power required to calculate and visualize complex problems. Built-in scalability and flexibility enable the university to extend the system to meet the projected level of growth over the next five years. “The UAE University is pleased to partner with Sun Microsystems to develop a unique grid computing laboratory in service of the university and the greater scientific community,” says Dr. Abdullah Al-Khanbashi, vice chancellor, UAE University. “The university is looking forward to working with Sun to develop new grid-enabled applications, from energy to medicine, and contribute in a meaningful way to the global grid development initiatives.” |
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