ROCKS vs OSCAR

ROCKS vs OSCAR

ROCKS and OSCAR are two most popular cluster installation tools, this weblog try to document the difference of the two tools.

ROCKS is an all inclusive linux HPC cluster tools that has the following features

• Simple installation: one use few CDs to install the ROCKS rolls and underline support OS's CD images
• it is based on the redhat kickstart and use xml file to descrip the configuration
• it stores the important information in mySQL database
• it use python as the main scripting tool
• it use Roll: rolls is rpms and xml files
• recommended rolls:area51 base ganglia hpc java kernel sge web-server os
• optional rolls: grid, IB,PBS, sce
• the latest relese 4.1 treat the underline CD as rolls
• it support redhat enterprise linux source based OS: centOS and RHEL4 and Sicentific Linux etc
• it include buildin tools: insert-ethers, cluster-forks,db report
• it include web based interface for mysql and ganglia
• it modifies the add_user so when one add user it will setup the SSH key such that one doesnot need to use passwd to execute commands

OSCAR is an source based tools that one need to configure and compile and install after the supported OS installations

• it support rhel3 and 4 x86 and x86_64, it support fc2, fc3, mandriva linux 10.0, 10.1 in x86 mode and CentOS, Scientific Linux
• it use Torque as default DRM but also include SGE recently
• it use systemImage to push the image to nodes use SISsuite and similar to Solaris Flash archive
• just like ROCK it use ganglia, support PVM and MPICP
• The main difference is Oscar is build on top an OS, e.g you instal OS first then OSCAR, in ROCKS you install ROCKS then OS
• Has GUI to install the Packages and select rpm for clinets
• include Cluster Command Control(C3)
• Include Switcher to support LAM/MPI
• can use HA-OSCAR to support HA frontend

Posted at 06:13PM Apr 15, 2006 by hstsao in ROCKS  |