Automated Installation of Linux High-Performance Computing Clusters

The process of acquiring and building the software necessary for a complete, fully-functional high-performance computing (HPC) cluster is complex and daunting, even for someone experienced in building non-HPC systems and applications. While many cluster installation utilities exist, most of them simply automate the process of installing software across a homogeneous collection of systems. These utilities still require the system administrator to perform significant amounts of application setup and configuration work before a fully-functional cluster is realized. The Boise State Automated Cluster Installer (BSACI) provides system administrators a tool which extends the automation process to include installation and configuration of user-space tools, job schedulers, parallel and cluster-specific development and runtime environments, and monitoring. BSACI will deliver a fully-functional Linux-based Beowulf HPC cluster, with minimal knowledge and intervention required from the system administrator. No longer is the system administrator expected to digest tomes of documentation regarding various cluster-specific software, just to get a basic working configuration. Someone with basic knowledge of network configuration and disk layout will be able to install a cluster in literally a matter of minutes. BSACI provides a robust tool which is usable by students, instructors, and re- searchers to build a fully-functional Linux-based HPC cluster