Publication: Network Performance in High Performance Linux Clusters

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Title	Network Performance in High Performance Linux Clusters
Authors/Editors*	Ben Huang, Michael Bauer, Michael Katchabaw
Where published*	The 19th Annual Symposium on High Performance Computing Systems and Applications (HPCS 2005)
How published*	Proceedings
Year*	2005
Volume	-1
Number	-1
Pages
Publisher	IEEE
Keywords	Network performance analysis, benchmarking tools, UDP, TCP, MPI, Linux, Cluster, Gigabit Ethernet, Myrinet, Quadrics
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Abstract	Linux-based clusters have become more prevalent as a foundation for High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. In these cluster environments, optimal network performance does not necessarily come naturally, and this performance can have considerable impact on the overall operation of the cluster and the applications making use of it. Consequently, network performance analyses are vital to understanding clusters; with a better understanding, we can optimize configurations and develop better management and administration policies to improve operations. To assist in this process, we developed a network measurement tool to measure UDP, TCP and MPI communications over high performance networks, such as Gigabit Ethernet and Myrinet. In this paper, we report on the use of this tool to evaluate the network performance of three high performance interconnects in HPC clusters: Gigabit Ethernet, Myrinet, and Quadricsâ QsNet and discuss the implications of those results for configurations in HPC Linux clusters.