back to article UCL preps clustered Dell supercomputer

UCL is to install a Dell supercomputer, called Legion, to boost the university's number crunching power to an expected peak performance of 42.9 TeraFlops (TF). As well as supplying the kit, Dell has signed off plans to collaborate with UCL on various research projects. When it comes to supercomputers, we know you like the …

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  1. Greg

    Extended warranty?

    Important questions need asking:

    Will they be buying the extended warranty?

    Will they pay the extra £20 to have Linux pre-installed, or will it run Vista Premium Ultimate Supercomputer Edition Pro X?

    When it dies in 6 months, will they have to pay the shipping costs to have it returned for a 2 week repair?

    When it comes back, will it have been reformatted with Vista, regardless of its previous configuration?

    Will it come back at all, or will Dell lose it somewhere along the line and have to supply a new one?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Power

    I hope they've factored in plenty of leccy for this project. Last I heard, their machine room kept going titsup for want of power...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    and the operating system?

    you've mentioned everything else

  4. SmokeyMcPotHead

    They just wanna...

    ...play Crysis on it...! They're trying to build the worlds most powerful gaming machine...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's the point?

    The'll stick Symantec A/V on it and it'll run slower than a 3 legged dog in a coma.

  6. Stan

    Heard that name before

    Robert Rankin used it in one of his books for a demonic infestation in the world wide web. Wonder if there is any connection... maybe it they where compaq servers...

  7. andy

    Capacitors

    Anyone want to bet on how long before the blow...

  8. Steve Hill

    Insanity

    One has to wonder if it will drive the users insane, and be the cause of a Biblical cliff jumping expedition?

  9. Jamtits

    idle time

    I'd like to see such a machine doing BOINC or folding@home.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Power

    UCL's machine room no longer goes tits up due to inadequate power. They have a new machine room that goes tits up due to inadequate cooling instead...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You need GAME ANDES REDSHIFT clearance for this machine.

    So "Legion signalled a more democratic age in supercomputing" should be "signalled a more demonic age"?

    Bob Howard, BOFH and ISO-9000 certified supernatural investigator will hopefully look into this.

  12. Nick

    But...

    ... will it play quake?

  13. Eric

    Psh

    Dell can't build a reliable PowerEdge (or even a reliable RAID controller for that matter). They have no business in the HPC sector. Legion must describe the number of support incidents this one system will cause.

  14. b shubin

    Unfortunate reference

    there was once a sunday toon on userfriendly.org, with the theme of mergers no one wants to happen, starring the Dell Dude (remember him? before he got busted with the jazz ciggies). the plot was a union between Dell Computer and the US Christian Evangelical Church, and the tag line was,

    DUDE, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL...

  15. ChrisB

    And...

    Will it randomly drop about half the disks in its array, and when they call Dell they'll be told it's a known issue with the firmware on that PERC controller?

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