Cluster Configuration Guide

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  1. Cluster Configuration Guide: "Phoenix" - High-Density Compute Cluster

Introduction

This document details the "Phoenix" cluster configuration, a high-density compute cluster designed for demanding workloads such as machine learning, scientific simulation, and large-scale data analytics. The Phoenix cluster prioritizes compute density, network bandwidth, and storage I/O, offering a compelling solution for organizations requiring significant processing power within a limited footprint. This guide provides comprehensive technical specifications, performance characteristics, recommended use cases, comparative analysis, and essential maintenance considerations. Refer to Cluster Architecture Overview for broader context.

1. Hardware Specifications

The Phoenix cluster is built around a modular, scale-out architecture utilizing standardized components to simplify maintenance and enable rapid expansion. Each node is a 2U server, maximizing compute density within a standard rack.

1.1 Compute Nodes

Component Specification Details
CPU Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ 56 cores/112 threads per CPU, Base Frequency: 2.0 GHz, Max Turbo Frequency: 3.8 GHz, Total L3 Cache: 105MB per CPU. Supports AVX-512 instructions. See CPU Selection Criteria.
RAM 512 GB DDR5 ECC Registered 8 x 64GB DIMMs, 4800 MHz, 1:1 Interleave. Utilizes Memory Channel Optimization techniques for optimal bandwidth.
Motherboard Supermicro X13DEI-N6 Dual Socket LGA 4677, Supports PCIe 5.0, IPMI 2.0 compliant. See Motherboard Compatibility List.
Network Interface Card (NIC) Mellanox ConnectX7-QSFP400 400 Gbps Ethernet, RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCEv2) capable. Refer to Network Topology Design.
Storage (Local) 1.92TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD 2 x 960 GB Samsung PM1733, configured in RAID 1 for redundancy. Used for OS and temporary data. See Storage Tiering Strategy.
Power Supply 2 x 1600W 80+ Titanium Redundant power supplies for high availability. Complies with Power Redundancy Standards.
Chassis Supermicro 2U Server Chassis Optimized for airflow and component density.

1.2 Interconnect

  • **Network Fabric:** A non-blocking Infiniband network using Mellanox/NVIDIA Quantum-2 400Gbps switches. This provides low-latency, high-bandwidth communication between nodes. See Infiniband vs. Ethernet for a detailed comparison.
  • **Topology:** Fat-Tree topology for optimal performance and scalability.
  • **Bandwidth:** Each node has 400Gbps connectivity to the network fabric.
  • **Management Network:** Dedicated 10GbE network for out-of-band management via IPMI.

1.3 Storage Cluster

  • **Storage Type:** Distributed file system utilizing Ceph.
  • **OSDs:** 48 x 16TB SAS 7.2K RPM HDDs per cluster, providing approximately 768TB raw storage capacity. See Ceph Cluster Configuration.
  • **Metadata Servers:** 3 dedicated servers with NVMe SSDs for metadata storage.
  • **Total Usable Storage:** Approximately 500TB after RAID and Ceph overhead.
  • **Network:** 100GbE connection between compute nodes and Ceph cluster.



2. Performance Characteristics

The Phoenix cluster has undergone rigorous benchmarking to quantify its performance capabilities. All benchmarks were conducted in a controlled environment with consistent methodology.

2.1 Compute Performance

  • **Linpack:** Achieved a sustained performance of 1.8 PFLOPS on the High-Performance Linpack (HPL) benchmark. Detailed results are available in Linpack Benchmark Report.
  • **STREAM:** Memory bandwidth benchmark yielded a sustained throughput of 650 GB/s.
  • **SPEC CPU 2017:** Achieved a SPECrate2017_fp_base2 score of 350 and a SPECrate2017_int_base2 score of 280. See SPEC CPU Benchmarking Methodology.

2.2 Storage Performance

  • **IOPS (Ceph):** Sustained 250,000 IOPS with 4KB random read/write workload.
  • **Throughput (Ceph):** Achieved 20 GB/s aggregate throughput with large file transfers. See Ceph Performance Tuning.
  • **Latency (Ceph):** Average latency of 200 microseconds for small file access.

2.3 Network Performance

  • **RDMA Latency:** Measured average latency of 1.5 microseconds between nodes using RDMA.
  • **Bandwidth (RDMA):** Sustained bandwidth of 350 Gbps between nodes using RDMA.
  • **Ethernet Throughput:** Sustained 100Gbps throughput with standard TCP/IP protocols.



3. Recommended Use Cases

The Phoenix cluster is ideally suited for the following applications:

  • **Machine Learning & Deep Learning:** The high core count and large memory capacity are well-suited for training complex models. Utilizes GPU Acceleration Strategies when combined with appropriate GPU add-in cards.
  • **Scientific Simulation:** Applications such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), molecular dynamics, and climate modeling benefit from the cluster's raw processing power. See Scientific Computing Workflows.
  • **High-Resolution Rendering:** Rendering farms for animation, visual effects, and architectural visualization.
  • **Large-Scale Data Analytics:** Processing and analyzing massive datasets using frameworks like Spark and Hadoop. Requires integration with Data Analytics Platform.
  • **Financial Modeling:** Complex financial simulations and risk analysis.
  • **Genomics Research:** Analyzing and processing genomic data.



4. Comparison with Similar Configurations

The Phoenix cluster configuration represents a balance between performance, cost, and density. Here’s a comparison with other common cluster configurations:

Configuration CPU RAM Network Storage Cost (Approximate per Node) Ideal Use Case
**Phoenix (This Configuration)** Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ 512 GB DDR5 400Gbps Infiniband 1.92TB NVMe + Ceph (500TB) $15,000 General-Purpose HPC, ML, Data Analytics
**Entry-Level HPC Cluster** Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 256 GB DDR4 100Gbps Ethernet 960GB NVMe + Local HDD $8,000 Small-Scale Simulations, Development
**GPU-Accelerated Cluster** Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 256 GB DDR4 100Gbps Ethernet 1.92TB NVMe + Ceph (500TB) $20,000+ (depending on GPU count) Deep Learning, GPU-Intensive Workloads
**High-Memory Cluster** Dual AMD EPYC 7763 1TB DDR4 100Gbps Ethernet 960GB NVMe + Ceph (500TB) $12,000 In-Memory Databases, Large-Scale Simulations
    • Key Considerations:**
  • **Infiniband vs. Ethernet:** The Phoenix cluster's Infiniband interconnect provides significantly lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to Ethernet, crucial for communication-intensive workloads. See Network Selection Considerations.
  • **CPU Choice:** The Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ offers superior core count and performance compared to the Gold series.
  • **Storage:** The combination of local NVMe SSDs and a Ceph cluster provides a good balance between speed and capacity. See Data Management Strategies.



5. Maintenance Considerations

Maintaining the Phoenix cluster requires careful planning and adherence to best practices.

5.1 Cooling

  • **Cooling System:** The data center must have a robust cooling system capable of dissipating the heat generated by the high-density servers. Recommended temperature: 20-24°C (68-75°F). See Data Center Cooling Best Practices.
  • **Airflow Management:** Proper airflow management is crucial. Cold aisles and hot aisles should be implemented to maximize cooling efficiency.
  • **Monitoring:** Temperature sensors should be installed throughout the cluster to monitor heat levels and identify potential hotspots.

5.2 Power Requirements

  • **Power Density:** Each 2U node requires approximately 1200W at peak load.
  • **Power Distribution Units (PDUs):** High-capacity PDUs with redundant power feeds are essential.
  • **UPS:** An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is recommended to protect against power outages. See Power Management and UPS Integration.

5.3 Software Maintenance

  • **Operating System:** CentOS Stream 9 or Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS are recommended operating systems.
  • **Cluster Management Software:** Slurm workload manager is recommended for job scheduling and resource management. See Slurm Configuration Guide.
  • **Monitoring Tools:** Prometheus and Grafana are recommended for system monitoring and alerting.
  • **Security:** Regular security audits and patching are crucial to protect the cluster from vulnerabilities. See Cluster Security Hardening.

5.4 Hardware Maintenance

  • **Preventative Maintenance:** Regular cleaning and inspection of components are essential.
  • **Component Replacement:** Establish a spare parts inventory for critical components such as power supplies, NICs, and SSDs.
  • **Remote Management:** Utilize IPMI for remote monitoring and management of the servers.

Cluster Hardware Overview Network Configuration Details Storage System Administration Job Scheduling and Workload Management Monitoring and Alerting Systems Security Best Practices for HPC Clusters Power and Cooling Infrastructure Troubleshooting Common Issues Ceph Cluster Management Slurm Advanced Configuration Infiniband Troubleshooting GPU Cluster Configuration Data Backup and Recovery Performance Optimization Techniques Data Center Design Considerations


Intel-Based Server Configurations

Configuration Specifications Benchmark
Core i7-6700K/7700 Server 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB CPU Benchmark: 8046
Core i7-8700 Server 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB CPU Benchmark: 13124
Core i9-9900K Server 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB CPU Benchmark: 49969
Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Workstation 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000

AMD-Based Server Configurations

Configuration Specifications Benchmark
Ryzen 5 3600 Server 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 17849
Ryzen 7 7700 Server 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 35224
Ryzen 9 5950X Server 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 46045
Ryzen 9 7950X Server 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 63561
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 9454P Server 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe

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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

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