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LANL SELECTS LINUX NETWORX FOR INFINIBAND CLUSTER

Linux Networx announced Los Alamos National Laboratory has selected Linux Networx to build a 256-node Evolocity cluster system, which will be the largest InfiniBand cluster announced to date. Named Orange by Los Alamos, the cluster will become part of the Laboratory's Institutional Computing project, which supports such computing-intensive research as the design of antibiotics and characterizing the variability of the HIV-1 virus.

"The Orange system will expand Los Alamos' exploration of issues surrounding 64-bit open source operating systems and commodity processors in both computer and computational science," said Andy White, who leads Los Alamos' Institutional Computing project. "The InfiniBand technology offers the hope of a high-bandwidth, low-latency, universal interconnect for high-end computing."

Computational science research projects currently supported by Los Alamos' Institutional Computing project include the design of antibiotics, characterizing the variability of the HIV-1 virus, simulations of wildfires and water resources, development of efficient algorithms for computational chemistry, improving the understanding of turbulent phenomena in radiation hydrodynamics and evaluating new designs for particle accelerators. "Linux Networx has proven to be a leader in new clustering technologies, and the 64- bit InfiniBand cluster for Los Alamos is another example of our expertise," said Steve Hill, Linux Networx President. "We have validated InfiniBand interconnect technology in the Linux Networx Solutions Center, and Los Alamos Orange will combine this new technology with AMD Opteron processors to create a landmark system."

Linux clustering is a method of linking multiple computers together to form a unified and more powerful system. The Linux Networx cluster system designed for Los Alamos will use 512 AMD Opteron processors, InfiniBand interconnect from Mellanox Technologies and the ICE Box cluster management tool from Linux Networx.

Because of the Los Alamos Science Appliance software environment, users of Orange can switch from 32- to 64-bit and from 64- to 32-bit mode in less than two minutes, allowing them to customize the operating system as needed for applications. For more information on the software environment visit http://public.lanl.gov/cluster/.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos develops and applies science and technology to ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent; reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction, proliferation and terrorism; and solve national problems in defense, energy, environment and infrastructure.

About Linux Networx

Linux Networx brings its powerful and easy-to- manage cluster technology to those demanding high performance computing and high availability systems. Linux Networx provides solutions for organizations involved in biotechnology research, oil and gas exploration, aeronautical and chemical modeling, graphics rendering and visual effects, and other technological research fields. Through its innovative Evolocity hardware, ICE cluster management tools and professional service and support, Linux Networx provides end-to-end clustering solutions. To date, the company has built some of the fastest cluster systems in the world, and boasts numerous Fortune 500 customers. In 2002, Linux Networx designed and delivered the world's fastest Linux supercomputer.

Web site: http://www.linuxnetworx.com/