Lalainya High Performance Cluster

Lalainya, part of the Linux Parallel Processing (LPP) development project of the Bluepoint Institute of Higher Technology Foundation, is an experimental parallel computer built from commodity off-the-shelf (COTS) components.

Specifically, Lalainya is a supercomputer composed of heterogeneous, relatively obsolete machines running on Buhawi Linux with the openMosix kernel extension for single-system image clustering and equipped with PVM and MPI message passing software. The machines are tied together by a full-duplex switched network using equipment donated by 3Com. It serves as the test bed for Bluepoint's cluster computing, parallel I/O and parallel-parallel supercomputing projects.

Lalainya will continue to grow as donations, especially hardware which many consider as obsolete, come in from different organizations and individuals.

This is also one example of a Beowulf cluster, which is a concept developed at NASA. The model includes not only off-the-shelf hardware but also the use of freely available operating systems such as Linux, message passing software such as PVM and MPI, and other Open Source software. More information on the Beowulf concept and links to other sites with these machines are available from the Beowulf Project page and the Beowulf mailing list FAQ.

The name Lalainya was derived from a mecha in Masami Kurumada's 16-volume manga B't X, the 25-episode anime of which was translated into Filipino by ABS-CBN. Lalainya (this might be a loose Filipino translation) is a "BT" or "Robotix," an ultimate machine that has surpassed the level of ordinary robots, made with a legendary "Spirit Beast" as a model, a hydra in this case. This mechanical hydra aptly symbolizes Bluepoint's high performance cluster - it has many heads and one body, similar to the Beowulf cluster which has many nodes acting as one supercomputer.

For additional information about Lalainya, e-mail Engels Antonio, cluster designer and LPP project PR droid. You can also visit the Bluepoint Institute of Higher Technology Foundation (BIHTF) site for updates about the organization.

Many thanks to Pio del Pilar Educational Institution, Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP), Wejeatech Corporation, and Saudi Investment Group and Marketing (SIGMA) for sending their retired hardware our way.