Cluster, grid and cloud management software Platform Computing expands cloud computing capabilities

Platform Computing, the leader in cluster,
grid and cloud management software, is expanding cloud computing capabilities
for high performance computing (HPC) with two new offerings. The company today
announced the release of Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster, a product that
dynamically changes the operating systems and personalities of compute nodes
managed by Platform LSF and Platform Symphony.  It effectively increases
application capacity and resource utilization by consolidating heterogeneous
application clusters and allows organizations to build an internal cloud for
HPC.  Platform Computing also announced new cloud bursting capabilities that
will permit Platform HPC customers to seamlessly redirect peak workloads from
their internal HPC infrastructure to external cloud resources on a pay-per-use
basis in order to optimally meet service levels.  Together, these offerings
let HPC users take advantage of cloud computing by utilizing both internal
private resources and external public cloud offerings.

“Our 17 years in the HPC industry have proven to us that the demand for
compute resources will continue to grow exponentially, driving organizations
to seek ways to maximize their existing infrastructures to meet increasing
capacity needs,” said Peter Nichol, General Manager, HPC Business Unit,
Platform Computing. “It’s clear that the future of HPC lies in cloud
computing, which is why Platform is partnering with cloud leaders and
developing its solution set to allow organizations to take full advantage of
their existing infrastructure investments while capitalizing on the endless
capacity of the cloud.”

Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster

Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster is a new product offering in the Platform ISF
family that enables organizations to create an internal cloud for running HPC
applications and is integrated with Platform LSF and Platform Symphony.  The
product dynamically changes the operating system and associated application
stack on demand thereby maximizing resource usage and service levels based on
workload.  It does this by automatically provisioning Linux and Windows
operating systems from bare metal or initiating the right guest operating
system within a virtual machine container on the compute nodes upon
application demand.

To ensure application availability and guaranteed performance, many
enterprises employ multiple HPC clusters, each assigned to run a specific
application that requires either a Linux or Windows  environment.  Inevitably
this results in cluster silos and “cluster sprawls” with low utilization and
high management costs.  Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster consolidates the
previous application silos into an internal cloud environment that dynamically
provisions Linux and Windows operating systems based on application demand to
maximize resource usage and service levels.  Utilization rates of separate
server clusters typically ranging between 40 - 50 percent - can be increased
to 80 - 90 percent.

“While the 30 - 50 percent improvement in cluster utilization rates speaks for
itself, it’s the fact that we’re leveraging concepts from cloud computing and
applying them to HPC cluster silos for optimization, that really demonstrates
Platform’s commitment to driving the next wave of HPC management software,”
said Jingwen Wang, Vice President Products, Platform Computing.  “Our HPC
customers in industries such as research, oil and gas, industrial
manufacturing, and financial services will benefit dramatically from the
improved HPC infrastructure agility by saving on hardware and operational
costs, maximizing HPC resource utilization and improving their end-user
productivity.”

The Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster is available immediately and can be
purchased directly from Platform or its resellers. For additional information
please visit
http://www.platform.com/Products/platform-isf/platform-isf-adaptive-cluster.

Cloud Bursting Capability

Delivered as a solution in the Platform ISF family, the new cloud bursting
capability allows Platform HPC customers to access external cloud resources to
offload peak workloads from internal HPC infrastructure on a pay-per-use
basis. The new solution allows HPC users to use external resources while
operating in a managed, private cloud environment as required by enterprise
governance and compliance regulations. Platform is working with external cloud
service providers to publish a machine image of the Platform HPC management
software stack, which includes Platform LSF, Platform Symphony, Platform
Cluster Manager and the new Platform MPI, to ensure Platform customers have a
single, user-friendly interface to transparently leverage both their internal
enterprise infrastructure for HPC and the external cloud for overflow.

With economic pressure forcing existing infrastructure to handle workload
demands that often exceed capacity, many Platform customers are investigating
alternative infrastructure models, such as cloud, to more effectively
provision for peak workload spikes.

About Platform Computing

Platform Computing is the leader in cluster, grid and cloud management
software - serving more than 2,000 of the world’s most demanding
organizations. For 17 years, our workload and resource management solutions
have delivered IT responsiveness and lower costs for enterprise and HPC
applications. Platform has strategic relationships with Cray, Dell, HP, IBM,
Intel, Microsoft, Red Hat, and SAS. Visit www.platform.com.

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