Big Blue Supports Microsoft HPC Too!

By Doug Barney

IBM (White Plains, NY) doesn’t suffer from computer or software religion. Where Microsoft (Redmond, WA) only pushes two main operating systems – Windows on the desktop and Windows on the server – IBM is happy to sell its own operating systems that run on mainframes, minicomputers, and workstations, as well pitching Linux to run on any box that moves (the only OS Big Blue doesn’t seem to pitch these days is OS/2.).

So even though IBM and Microsoft had a nasty and public divorce in 1990, IBM still sells various flavors of Windows, including Microsoft’s HPC tool Windows Computer Cluster Server 2003, which runs on IBM’s System Cluster 1350 – a line aimed at least in part at the CAE market.

IBM recently expanded this cluster line with more server, networking, and storage configurations. Customers can opt for System x or BladeCenter servers using Intel Quad-Core processors. Those that don’t want to run Windows can use SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from new Microsoft partner Novell.

Microsoft itself is using IBM clusters to simulate HIV mutations. Microsoft Research does an array this type of research. I actually did a couple of eye-opening stories on Microsoft and the world of science that can be found here and here.

Would you like see Microsoft become a bit more OS accepting like IBM? Answers welcome at [email protected].

Here’s more detail on IBM’s Cluster line.