Supercomputer

A Supercomputer is fast, really fast, in fact the fastest computer around. Supercomputers are used for research, like for finding cures for cancer. Supercomputers are built, meaning that you can’t just go out and buy one in a local retail store. They can be built from many computers and you need at least 16 of them to have it be considered a “Supercomputer”. Supercomputers are employed for a specific application that requires a lot of mathematical calculations. The difference between a regular computer and a supercomputer is that a supercomputer channels all of its power into performing a single task as fast as possible where as a regular computer uses all of its power to perform many programs at the same time.

Xgrid

Xgrid is a proprietary software program and distributed computing protocol. It provides network administrators a method of creating a computing cluster, which allows them to exploit previously unused computational power for calculations that can be divided easily into smaller operations. When the control computer sends the complete instructions, or job, for processing to the controller, the controller splits the task up into these small instruction packets, known as tasks. The design of the Xgrid system consists of these small packets being transferred to all the Xgrid-enabled computers on the network. These computers, or nodes, execute the instructions provided by the controller and then return the results. The controller assembles the individual task results into the whole job results and returns them to the initiating computer.

Distributed Computing

Distributed computing is a type of computing in which different components and objects containing an application that can be located on different computers are connected to a network.

Wiki

A wiki is a collection of Web Pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language. "Wiki" can be expanded as "What I Know is…”

Network Switch

A Network Switch is a small hardware device that joins multiple computers together within one local area network (LAN).

Processor

A processor is a system which processes data which has been captured and encoded in a format recognizable by the data processing system or has been created and stored by another unit of an information processing system.

Node

A Node is any device connected to a computer network. Nodes can be computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or various other network appliances. On an IP network, a node is any device with an IP address.

Server

A server is a computer that has been set aside to run a specific server application.

FLOPS

The speed of a supercomputer is most commonly measured in terms of Floating Point Operations per Second, or FLOPS. FLOPS are just one measure of computer performance, but it is an especially relevant measure in the supercomputing world, as most supercomputers must perform advanced scientific calculations involving floating-point arithmetic. A modern personal computer, by contrast, is capable of 1,000,000,000 FLOPS or more.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

The TCP/IP Suite defines a set of rules to enable computers to communicate over a network. TCP/IP provides end-to-end connectivity specifying how data should be formatted, addressed, shipped, routed and delivered to the right destination. The specification defines protocols for different types of communication between computers and provides a framework for more detailed standards.

Router

A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly to LAN’s, WAN’s or a LAN or its ISP’s network. Routers are located at Gateways, the place where two or more networks connect.

Hard Drive

A Hard Drive is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces.

Hub

A hub is a small rectangular box, often made of plastic, which receives its power from an ordinary wall outlet. A hub joins multiple computers (or other network devices) together to form a single network segment. A hub includes a series of ports that each accepts a network cable. We are using a 6 port; Passive hubs do not amplify the electrical signal of incoming packets before broadcasting them out to the network.

Ethernet

A standard Ethernet cable can transmit up to 10 Mbps, fast Ethernet can transmit up to 100 Mbps, and Gigabit Ethernet can transmit up to 1000 Mbps. The maximum length of a network cable is 328 Ft.

RAM (Random access memory)

RAM is a form of memory. RAM allows stored data be accessed at any time. The higher amount of RAM you have in your computer the faster it will perform.

Fire Wire

The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer, frequently used by personal computers, as well as in digital audio, digital video, automotive, and aeronautics applications. The interface is also known by the brand names of FireWire.

Hot Swapping

A term that is used to separately describe the functions of replacing system components without shutting down the system. Hot swapping describes changing components without significant interruption to the system, while hot plugging describes changing or adding components which interact with the operating system.

Blog

A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Throughput

In communication networks, such as Ethernet or packet radio, throughput is the average rate of successful message delivery over a communication channel. This data may be delivered over a physical or logical link, over a wireless channel, or that is passing through a certain network node, such as data passed between two specific computers, The throughput is usually measured in bits per seconds, and sometimes in data packets per second or data packets per time slot.

Front side bus (FSB)

FSB is an electrical pathway on a computer’s motherboard, which connects the various hardware components to the main microprocessor, or central processing unit (CPU).  The FSB is bi-directional, meaning data can flow both ways, allowing components to send and receive data from the CPU.

Terragen

A freeware scenery generator program for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh developed and published by Planetside Software. It can be used to create renderings and animations of landscapes.

Hz

Or Hertz is a measure of frequency per unit of time, or the number of cycles per second.

KHz

Or Kilohertz is a unit of alternating current or electromagnetic wave frequency equal to one thousand hertz. The unit is also used in measurements or statements of signal bandwidth.

MHz

Or Mega Hertz is commonly used to describe the measurement of speed for a CPU or central processing unit in a computer. MHz can also be used to measure the clock speed or number of cycles per second for other components such as video cards.

GHz

Or Giga Hertz is equal to 1,000 Megahertz or 1,000,000,000 Hertz. GHz is used to measure computer processing speed. GHz also measures the speed of other parts like RAM and cache. The speed impacts the computer’s overall performance.

THz

THz or Terahertz is a unit of electromagnetic wave frequency equal to one trillion hertz. The terahertz is also used as an indicator of the frequency of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation.

b

B or Bytes is a basic unit of measurement of information storage in computer science. There is no standard but a byte most often consists of eight bits.

Kb

Or Kilobyte is a unit of digital information storage equal to either 1,024 bytes or 1,000 bytes, depending on context.

Mb

Mb or Megabyte is a measure of computer processor storage equaling 1,048,576 bytes.

GB

Or Gigabyte is equal to 100 Million bytes. Bytes are used to measure digital information storage.

Tb

Tb or Terabyte is a unit for digital information storage and is equal to 1000 Gigabytes.