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AMD EPYC Rome Processor: An Emerging Alternative for HPC

By marketing@site-a.com

The AMD second generation of EPYC processors, code-named “Rome” and based on the Zen 2 microarchitecture, are emerging as an alternative processor for high-performance computing (HPC) server applications.

The processor, which was released last August, features up to 64 cores per socket with 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 8-channel memory. AMD touts it as offering a very high performance per dollar in the marketplace. For organizations familiar with AMD desktop technology, EPYC Rome is to the server what AMD Ryzen 3000 was to the desktop. Namely, the second-generation AMD EPYC Rome processor offers significantly improved instructions per cycle over the first-generation processor, as well as more cores and better thermal efficiency. Additionally, the processor features a higher base frequency and a higher boost frequency than the previous AMD top-of-the-line processor.

Workloads That Will Benefit from AMD EPYC

When launched, AMD noted that Rome offers far more CPU threads per socket than Intel’s Xeon Scalable CPUs do. The processor also supports a higher DDR4 clockrate (up to 3200 MHz). Most important for demanding data center applications, the 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes each have twice the bandwidth of a PCIe 3.0 lane. Such performance is critical in HPC and large data center applications because data ingestion by CPUs is often a bottleneck. The higher performance capacity means workloads will not be degraded, and jobs will run faster. Most Host Bus Adapters may not be able to immediately take advantage of this larger pipe, but we don’t expect that to be the case for very long. Over time, more and more network adapters, controllers, etc. will be able to fully take advantage of PCI Express® 4.0.  That’s not to say that right now there are no benefits. In fact, the immediate impact is significantly more lanes for PCI devices, such as NVMe devices.  This will dramatically improve IO performance and increase the number of devices connected to the server. 

Another very basic advantage for HPC use cases is that since AMD EPYC processors have more cores than their comparable competitive processors, they deliver more computing power. Processors with more cores are ideal for advanced modeling and simulation algorithms, such as a finite element simulation. For these workloads, a job needs to use a very large number of cores at a given time. And the workloads often require large amounts of shared memory. This changes the game for HPC environments (ie. Design & Engineering, Weather Modeling, Life Science, and Artificial Intelligence), where total core count directly relates to program success. AMD® is realizing their investment in the 7 nm technology is finally paying off.

AMD EPYC processors deliver other benefits for HPC workloads and environments. By virtue of having more cores, the processors can run more virtual machines (VMs). As a result, a company gets more efficient compute resource use out of a single system.  This is ideal for virtual desktop environments (VDI) as well as converged / hyper-converged applications.

Selecting the Right Technology Platform

AMD use for HPC server workloads has had a mixed track record over the years. However, the introduction of AMD EPYC processors seems to have caught the attention of the marketplace.

Noting this interest in the user community, PSSC Labs is rolling out solutions based on the processor this year. PSSC Labs has a more than 30 years history of delivering systems that meet the most demanding workloads across industries, government, and academia.

Its offerings include the PowerServe Uniti Servers line that leverages the latest components from Intel® and Nvidia®. These servers are ideal for a wide range of applications, including AI and deep learning, as well as for computational and data analysis.

PSSC Labs also offers CloudOOP Big Data Servers that deliver the highest level of performance one would expect in an enterprise server combined with the cost-effectiveness of direct attach storage for Big Data applications. The servers deliver 200+ MB/sec sustained IO speeds per hard drive (which is 30%+ faster than other OEMs.)

Due to the increase in the number of PCI Express lanes, PSSC Labs is upgrading their CloudSeek Database Servers as well. The products we plan to bring to market in the near future will be built to support up to 36 x NVMe devices

PSSC Labs plans to have an AMD EPYC version of all its platforms for HPC and Big Data by the second half of the year. User interest is sparking this move. The company has not sold an AMD-based server in more than ten years. The impression PSSC gets from the end-user community and its own evaluation of the new processors is that AMD is a viable choice for the most demanding HPC workloads.

Supercomputing for Design & Engineering SMBs

By marketing@site-a.com

Supercomputing is most commonly thought of as a tool only for the largest government agencies, top commercial companies, and most prestigious universities — not your everyday small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The focus of supercomputing is typically on the largest systems, which scale well beyond many thousands of processor cores. Many SMBs believe supercomputing capabilities to be well beyond their reach, but nothing could be further form the truth. SMBs need a competitive advantage to obtain government and commercial contracts, and that advantage is a powerful, scalable, high performance supercomputing platform.

Over the past 12 months, interest and deployment of high performance computing clusters at SMBs performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA) and structural engineering work have trended significantly upward. Without HPC systems, the work these organizations are accomplishing would be nearly impossible. But with the right systems, it could be the lifeline to their organizational success. “Supercomputing is not just for the large and powerful organizations,” says Alex Lesser, Vice President of PSSC Labs. “Supercomputing is an accessible tool for everyone. Small and Medium Businesses need to leverage these tools to ensure their success, and it does not have to be costly or intimidating.”

PSSC Labs works closely with several trusted leaders in the design and engineering space. These organizations develop state-of-the-art physics-based models for test programs, modeling and simulation analysis solutions for highly dynamic events and reactivity of energetic materials, and much more. Many of our clients also design simulation software in multiple areas of physics, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD), aero and hydro acoustics, and more. The technology these best-of-breed design and engineering firms have developed are applicable to many areas of interests to scientists, engineers, technologists, and educators. We’re proud to support game-changing organizations with the necessary HPC hardware systems they need to build the best of the best, while giving them immediate, frontend access to a variety of CFD applications, including Ansys Fluent, Star CCM, CFD++, and OpenFOAM, as well as Finite Element Analysis (FAE) applications, like Abaqus FEA, COMSOL Multiphysics and SimScale.

POWERWULF ZXR1+ HPC CLUSTER

Starter configuration for under $100k

  • 200 Intel or AMD Processor Cores
  • 4 GB of Memory Per Processor Core
  • 100 Gbps High Speed Network
    (Intel Omnipath or Mellanox Infiniband)
  • 10 TB High Performance Flash Storage
  • 40 TB Long Term / Secondary Storage
  • CBeST Cluster Management Toolkit
    • Linux Cluster Operating System
    • Message Passing Libraries
    • Batch Scheduled
  • Complete 3 Year Service Level Agreement

engineering hpc cluster

While some SMBs might be hesitant to deploy an on-premise HPC platform due to the lack of an internal IT department or perceived level of complexity, these concerns are easily put to rest when partnering with the right partner. PSSC Labs’ goal is to deliver the most turn-key, highest performance, head-ache free HPC experience possible. Our PowerWulf ZXR1+ Clusters include all necessary hardware, software, and networking integrated by 20+ year HPC experts. “We are very proud of our 57 step testing and integration process, which is considered one of the industry’s most rigorous,” begins Larry Lesser, PSSC Labs Chief Technology Officer. “The results of this painstaking process are evident with a record of never delivering a DOA system and a consistently proven 99.99% system uptime.”  PSSC Labs stands firmly behind their product with a complete hardware and software service level agreement for up to five years. Because PSSC Labs is both the manufacturer of the hardware and developer of system software, SMBs have one phone number to call for immediate access to knowledgeable support.

Cloud providers and brokers will continue to try scaring SMBs into believing that they are incapable of supporting an on-premise HPC solution. They may argue the merits of using offerings from Amazon, Microsoft and Google will save companies significant cost, offer superior performance and greater scalability, but they’re wrong. SMBs in the Design & Engineering space are comprised of very intelligent and experienced engineers who can evaluate the numbers on their own and are not easily swayed. Companies who choose the cloud over on-premise models are accepting ever-expanding monthly bills, loss of control and governance, and lower security, while allowing their data to be completely at the mercy of a third party. With the threat of cyber attacks ever-looming, putting critical and confidential data on the cloud is possibly one of the most irresponsible things SMBs could do. A quick read of the “Cloud Hopper” investigation by the Wall Street Journal should serve as a stark warning.

More and more SMBs are deploying HPC systems than ever before. On-premise, high-performance supercomputers are well within the grasp of design & engineering organizations of all sizes. SMBs need to utilize these tools to develop new products, win more contracts and push their businesses forward.

PSSC Labs Integrates Latest Intel Xeon Scalable Processors in its HPC Solutions

By marketing@site-a.com

Custom, high performance PowerServe Servers and PowerWulf Clusters now with next gen processing power available

LAKE FOREST, Calif., August 07, 2017 /PRWEB/ — PSSC Labs, a developer of custom HPC and Big Data computing solutions, today announced it now offers integration of Intel’s new Xeon® Scalable Processors in its PowerServe line of HPC servers and PowerWulf line of HPC clusters. The integration provides PSSC Labs customers with breakthrough technology, offering performance capable of handling cutting edge computing tasks including real-time analytics, virtualized infrastructure and high-performance computing.

In addition to advanced architecture, the new processors feature a rich suite of platform innovations for enhanced application performance including Intel AVX-512, Intel Mesh Architecture, Intel QuickAssist, Intel Optane SSDs, and Intel Omni-Path Fabric.

PSSC Labs’ PowerServe and PowerWulf HPC solutions offer reliable, flexible, high performance computing solutions for a variety of applications across government, academic, and commercial environments including: Design & Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Science, Financial Services and Machine/Deep Learning.

“PSSC Labs endeavors to offer our customers the latest and best hardware options in our line of custom turn-key HPC servers and clusters,” said Alex Lesser, Executive Vice President of PSSC Labs. “The new Intel® Xeon® processors are a major advancement for enhanced performance on resource hungry computing tasks and we are happy to make this technology available to our customers.”

Every PowerWulf Server and PowerServe Cluster come with a three-year unlimited phone / email support package (additional year support available) with all support provided by a US-based team of experienced engineers. Configurations start at $2,495.

Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processor Features:

Advanced Architecture: new core microarchitecture, new on-die interconnects and memory controllers means optimized performance, reliability, security and manageability. The processor also offers better efficiency and lower energy costs as well as space efficiency.

Performance: The Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors deliver an overall performance increase up to 1.65x versus the previous generation, and up to 5x OLTP warehouse workloads versus the current install base.

Scalability: Up to 28 cores and up to 6 terabytes of system memory, and can scale to support 2-socket – 8-socket systems.

Agility: Optimized computing, network, and storage performance on premise, through a network, or in the cloud. Optional network integration with Intel OmniPath Architecture.

Security: 3.1x performance improvement in cryptography performance compared to the previous generation. Application can now run with less than 1% overhead with data-at-rest encryption turned on. Intel Key Protection Technology delivers enhanced protection to security key attacks.

About PSSC Labs 
For technology powered visionaries with a passion for challenging the status quo, PSSC Labs is the answer for hand-crafted HPC and Big Data computing solutions that deliver relentless performance with the absolute lowest total cost of ownership. All products are designed and built at the company’s headquarters in Lake Forest, California. For more information, 949-380-7288, https://www.site-a.com, sales@site-a.com.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/08/prweb14575716.htm

PSSC Labs Featured in Forbes: The Cloud Vs. In-House Infrastructure: Deciding Which Is Best For Your Organization

By marketing@site-a.com

Fueled by mounting storage requirements, ease of use, automatic software updates and users’ thirst for limitless access and maximum flexibility, cloud computing has grown exponentially over the past several years. In fact, since 2009, spending on cloud computing has been growing at a rate that is 4.5 times faster than the rate of IT spending, and it’s expected to exceed six times the rate from 2015 to 2020. This is certainly because there are many situations in which utilizing the cloud makes sense.

The most obvious would be in a small startup operating on a lean budget where cash flow is tight. This is because cloud computing allows access to resources without large capital expenditures. The cloud can also be an option for enterprises of all sizes as it relates to disaster recovery. And the cloud excels at providing options for immediate capacity whereby companies can have separate instances for moderate burst capacity.

However, the cloud is not always superior to building in-house IT infrastructure. Cloud providers’ slick marketing materials gloss over the technology’s numerous drawbacks, such as skyrocketing fees, poor performance and cybersecurity issues. The decision between using a public cloud and building your own IT infrastructure is not so different than deciding between renting a workspace for your business or buying your own building; both decisions boil down to having total control (and responsibility) over your own environment versus depending on a landlord to provide an adequate workspace and fix problems quickly and adequately.

Beyond The Hype: Not All Clouds Have A Silver Lining

Some enterprises choose cloud services for their scalability; the typical pricing model for cloud computing is “pay for what you use,” with organizations having the option to buy more (or less) computing power as their needs change. This may not be as cost-effective as it sounds. Cloud computing can easily result in unexpected costs, especially when dealing with performance and security setbacks. Trading algorithm developer Deep Value found using Amazon’s EC2 service to be 380% more expensive than running its own internal cluster, noting that “For one-off peaks, EC2 makes sense, but given the ongoing nature of our simulated analysis, moving to our own data center is a very clear winner.”

Cloud security is another serious issue, especially because it is up to the enterprise — not the cloud provider — to properly configure certain cybersecurity settings. Improperly configured cloud security settings were at fault for the recent massive breach of voter data mined by a data analytics company that had been hired by the Republican National Committee.

Additionally, enterprises that use a public or shared cloud can experience a cyberattack or performance issue through no fault of their own. This past February, AWS customers experienced a widespread outage because AWS misconfigured something. For these reasons, enterprises running mission-critical applications with high-availability needs and compliance or regulatory requirements may want to think twice about using a public or shared cloud.

Public and shared clouds are also plagued by performance and reliability problems. Using a public cloud means potentially sharing a network with so-called “noisy neighbors” or users who hog resources. Further, since cloud service providers have servers in several dispersed locations, users may experience latency issues and are often forced to pay exorbitant fees to avoid them. In contrast with bare-metal hardware users, public cloud customers have limitations on resource availability and may struggle with application performance and data transfer rates.

When Is In-House Infrastructure A Better Option?

Several factors determine when it is better to deploy in-house infrastructure than to use the cloud. At the top of this list is the monthly cost. For some companies, the $30,000 monthly AWS bill exceeds the cost of an in-house solution. For other companies, the decision is tied to performance, reliability and security issues. Organizations that own their infrastructure have total control over their computing environments; if something goes wrong, or if an organization wants to implement new features, it can just call on its own staff to make the fixes or changes instead of having to depend on their cloud provider to do it. An in-house IT infrastructure is probably best for high-scale IT environments that process large amounts of data, especially if that data is constantly growing, and for companies that want maximum flexibility to make changes.

There are also competitive issues to consider. Giving a potential competitor insight into your business model, applications and customer base is a very risky endeavor. A recent Wired article outlined Dropbox’s “exodus” from Amazon. While cost was one of the reasons Dropbox cited for building its own infrastructure, so were concerns over Amazon’s foray into file-sharing services — Dropbox’s domain. Enterprises would do well to be cautious about the prospect of Amazon, which already competes in numerous industries, eventually offering services that will compete against those of its own cloud storage customers.

It Doesn’t Have To Be All Or Nothing

The decision of where to store data and run applications doesn’t have to be a strict matter of cloud vs. in-house. In some cases, the best solution is a combination of both (hybrid). For some enterprises with limited budgets, a public cloud is the most realistic choice. Other organizations may want to implement in-house servers to handle standard traffic and turn to the cloud for additional capacity.

However, organizations need to seriously consider their individual data needs beyond the “cloud first” hype. This includes prioritizing requirements for processing, performance, storage, security, data transfers and, of course, determining how much they are willing and able to spend. There is inherent value in building and owning in-house infrastructure instead of being at the mercy of a virtual landlord. Enterprises must shift their mindsets and view their IT departments as assets and business drivers rather than cost centers. An investment in appropriate IT infrastructure ultimately drives long-term profits that will support the growth of not only the IT department, but also the larger business of which it is a part.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/07/25/the-cloud-vs-in-house-infrastructure-deciding-which-is-best-for-your-organization/#1251e6b420f6

PSSC Labs Announces Integration of Intel Omni-Path into HPC Solutions

By marketing@site-a.com

New fabric provides higher performance, lower cost and better support for current and future processors

LAKE FOREST, CALIFORNIA (PRWEB) MAY 30, 2017

PSSC Labs, a developer of custom HPC and Big Data computing solutions, today announced it has certified the Intel Omni-Path High Performance Fabric on its PowerWulf HPC solutions. Omni-Path is already a proven solution deployed and deployed in several high-performance computing instillations that are ranked in the Top 500 List. This additional option will continue to expand PSSC Lab’s wide array of high value, high performance HPC solutions.

For years, the Mellanox Infiniband has dominated high performance fabric in the parallel computing space. Intel’s Omni-Path architecture is a game changing technology that increases speed and performance, at a cost lower than the Mellanox counterpart. By integrating Intel Omni-Path Fabric into its PowerWulf solutions, PSSC Labs continues its mission of providing cutting edge solutions that push the boundaries of price and performance, while maintaining the absolute highest level of application support and system reliability.

“PSSC Labs is proud to offer our solutions with the latest Intel technology, providing our customers with the highest level of performance and stability,” said Alex Lesser, Vice President of PSSC Labs. “PSSC Labs is an Intel HPC Data Center Specialist and has been a Platinum Provider with Intel since 2009, and our knowledge and experience is what allows us to incorporate the best in Intel Technology with our leading turn-key, custom HPC solutions.”

Benefits of the Omnipath Processor compared to Mellanox Infiniband include: 

  • Omni-Path clusters have up to 9% higher application performance than Infiniband
  • Omni-Path is up to 33% less expensive than Infiniband
  • Omni-Path is compatible with applications currently supported by Infiniband
  • Direct connection to the CPU in Future generations of Intel Xeon and Phi processors, thereby eliminating the cost and latency of a host bus adapter.
  • Higher bandwidth support with up to 100 Gbps

PSSC Lab’s PowerWulf HPC solutions offer a reliable, flexible, high performance computing platform for a variety of applications in the following verticals: Design & Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Science, Financial Services and Machine/Deep Learning.

Every PowerWulf HPC Cluster with Intel Omni-Path includes a three year unlimited phone / email support package (additional year support available) with all support provided by our US based team of experienced engineers. Prices for a custom built PowerWulf solution start at $20,000. For more information see https://www.site-a.com/solutions/hpc-cluster/.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/05/prweb14375915.htm