IBM set to test the fastest computer in the world

Roadrunner may be first to break petaflop barrier -- the 4-minute mile of supercomputing

Engineers and technicians at IBM are assembling the final pieces of what they hope will soon become the world's most powerful supercomputer -- one that is capable of running twice as fast as today's fastest machine. [Click on these links to learn more about the effort in a video and a photo gallery featuring the supercomputer and its developers at IBM's Poughkeepsie, N.Y., facility]
The latest version of IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer is a hybrid machine that its builders expect will bust through the lofty petaflop barrier when it's tested this month. The supercomputing world's equivalent of the four-minute mile, the petaflop barrier is a goal that many computer makers, including Cray Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Silicon Graphics Inc., are shooting for.
Don Grice, chief engineer on IBM's Roadrunner project, thinks it's a race that IBM will win.
"We will break the petascale barrier," he told Computerworld at IBM's Poughkeepsie, N.Y., facilities. "The only unknown for me will be what day it is. I don't think there's any technical reason we won't make it. The only hurdle left is persistence."
The new supercomputer will be used at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory to work on national security problems, run annual tests of various nuclear weapons systems and predict long-term climate changes, according to John Morrison, leader of the high-performance computing division at Los Alamos. He noted that the system will also be used to study the universe and human genes.
"It will enable us to tackle problems we couldn't tackle before," he said. "Essentially, we'll be able to run a different level of problems. We'll be able to do calculations that we wouldn't even consider before." Morrison noted that the lab's contract calls for the new Roadrunner to reach the petaflop performance level.
Grice said the new machine would need a single week to run a calculation that the fastest supercomputer 10 years ago would have needed 20 years to complete.
If Roadrunner does break the petaflop barrier this month, it will mark the first time that IBM's BlueGene system hasn't held the highest position in the Top500 supercomputer list since November of 2004, according to Jack Dongarra a co-creator of the Top 500 list.
A petaflop is 1,000 trillion floating point operations (or flops) per second. BlueGene runs at 478 teraflops, which is a trillion operations per second.
"It's exciting, because it most likely will be the first computer to break the petaflop barrier," said Dongarra. "It's the next golden ring of computing. It's the next big marker. Today, all of the top 500 supercomputers are at the teraflop rate."

TOp 500 SuPerComputeR SiTeS

TOP500 tracks Power consumption values of supercomputersSun, 2008-06-15 19:23
june2008 power
For the first time, the TOP500 list is also providing power consumption values for many of the computing systems and it will continue tracking them in consistent manner. As “name-plate” power ratings can be several times higher than actual consumed power levels, we decided not to report name-plate or peak-power ratings at all and to report measured values only.

31st TOP500 List of World’s Most Powerful Supercomputers Topped by World’s First Petaflop/s System 2008-06-14 00:03
june2008
MANNHEIM, Germany; BERKELEY, Calif. & KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—With the publication of the latest edition of the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers today (Wednesday, June 18), the global high performance computing community has officially entered a new realm—a supercomputer with a peak performance of more than 1 petaflop/s (one quadrillion floating point operations per second).
»
Read more


International Supercomputing Conference to Host First Panel Discussion on Breaking the Petaflop/s BarrierMon, 2008-06-09 15:26 isc petaflops roadrunner
With the June 9 announcement that “RoadRunner” is the first system to reach the 1 petaflop/s level, the HPC community is entering a realm of unprecedented computing power.


Will the first Petaflop/s system make it into the next TOP500?Wed, 2008-03-12 05:53
petaflop top500
The 31st list will be released during the Opening Session of the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC’08) in Dresden, Germany. We are curious to see whether the first Petaflop/s system will have made it into the next TOP500. One of the hot candidates certainly is Roadrunner at LANL in Los Alamos, USA.


Roadrunner Takes the Gold in the Petaflop Race Tue, 2008-06-10 20:20 petaflops roadrunner
On June 10, IBM announced that LANL Roadrunner supercomputer reached a record-breaking one petaflop -- a quadrillion floating point operations per second -- using the standard Linpack benchmark. It is the first general-purpose computer to reach this milestone. The new performance record represents more than twice the computational power of the reigning TOP500 champ, Lawrence Livermore's Blue Gene/L supercomputer. » field_read_more[0]['url'] ?>">Read more

8th edition of the Top 50 list of the most powerful computers in Russia releasedWed, 2008-04-16 00:41 russia top50
The Research Computing Centre of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Joint Supercomputer Centre of the Russian academy of science announce the release of the 8th edition of the Top 50 list of the most powerful computers in Russia and CIS (former Soviet Union countries).
»
Read more

Submissions for next list now openWed, 2008-03-19 16:36 submissions
The submission for the next release of the TOP500 list is now open. The 31st list will be released during the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany during the opening session. Submission deadline for the 31st release of the TOP500 List is April 15th (23:59 PST). All system reported have to be installed by May 15th.


The TOP500 Project: Looking Back over 15 Years of Supercomputing Experience Sat, 2008-01-19 23:37 Meuer top500

Hans Meuer looks back over 15 years of supercomputing experience starting with the Mannheim supercomputing statistics in 1986 and then moving forward with the TOP500 project, launched in 1993. Twice a year, a list of the sites operating the world’s 500 most powerful computer systems is compiled and released. The best performance on the Linpack benchmark is used as the measurement for ranking the computer systems.

2007 China Top 100 List releasedTue, 2007-11-27 17:16 china top500

The annual Top 100 supercomputers list in china has been released by the Specialty Association of Mathematical & Scientific Software (SAMSS). The list reports on publicly announced computers on the PRC Mainland only.

Certificates for November 2007 are now availableTue, 2007-11-27 16:33
Certificates nov07 top500

TOP500 Certificates for entries that made it into the the last list which was released in Reno on November 12th are now available for download.

Microsoft CRAZY facts

Hi frnz
Its a million dollar truth that Microsoft is one of the top most companies in its sector. One also cannot deny the fact that there is a huge amount of flaws in its products.. here i give u some 3 crazy facts about Microsoft products that i read recently.... Just perform them & see whether they r true.. Have fun..


1.An Indian discovered that nobody can create a FOLDER anywhere on the computer which can be named as "CON". This is something pretty cool...and unbelievable...At Microsoft the whole Team, couldn't answer why this happened!TRY IT NOW, IT WILL NOT CREATE "CON "FOLDER


2. For those of you using Windows, do the following:
1.) Open an empty notepad file
2.) Type "Bush hid the facts" (without the quotes)
3.) Save it as whatever you want.
4.) Close it, and re-open it. is it just a really bug? :-??


3. This is something pretty coolTry it out...
Open Microsoft Word and type
=rand (200, 99)

and then press ENTER ..........................

Hope u guys found out whats happening... Who should we blame for this????"


Technology... is a queer thing.It brings you great gifts with one handand it stabs you in the back with the other."

Top technology news headlines

Top technology news headlines


Female bloggers' road to profit?
q&a On the road to BlogHer, conference co-founder Lisa Stone talks about women's power online, plus her company's partnership with iVillage. • Video: Women who blog band together


Just in
NPR looks to developers for help distributing shows
Versionista: Flip-flop tracker
Who knew? Yahoo finally grew a pair
Nokia racks up more handset sales
Using Twitter to build your brand: cool or creepy?
Google Docs gets a profusion of templates
Microsoft earnings: What to watch
» All News.com headlines



Fuel cell vehicles still in first gear
Study finds fuel cell vehicles will only make a big dent in oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions with years of work from government and industry. (Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

Microsoft earnings: What to watch
Company is unlikely to divulge much on plans to acquire Yahoo or AOL, but that won't keep folks from hanging on every word.(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

Obama's Web-video strategy revealed
The Democratic candidate for president sends nearly a half dozen people to shoot videos of him and get them up on YouTube fast. (Posted in Digital Media by Greg Sandoval)

Google Docs gets a profusion of templates
Nearly 300 prefab documents now are online for resumes, photo albums, expense reports, fantasy basketball success predictors, mileage calculators, and more. But where's the user-generated content?

Offline access soon for Gmail, Google Calendar?
It's no surprise the company is working on it, but a Web 2.0 consultant who visited Google says offline access for Google Calendar and Gmail is due in six weeks. (Posted in Digital Media by Stephen Shankland)

Yang letter: Icahn only looking out for himself
In a letter to shareholders, Yahoo's CEO says Microsoft and Carl Icahn's latest plan "will destroy stockholder value at Yahoo." (Posted in Digital Media by Margaret Kane)

YouTube on TiVo: It's about time
Within a few weeks, owners of TiVo Series 3 and HD boxes will be able to download a software update that lets them access YouTube videos. (Posted in Digital Media by Caroline McCarthy)

Bob Barr: The privacy candidate for president
Former Republican congressman, now a Libertarian candidate for president, aims for the pro-privacy geek vote. He may not win the election, but he could disrupt it. (Posted in The Iconoclast by Declan McCullagh)

PolyFuel to demo methanol fuel cell laptop
Company converts a laptop to run with a direct methanol fuel cell, a technology that some consumer electronics makers are showing interest in.(Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

The wild green yonder
Airplane manufacturers are trying to bolster their green credentials by lauding initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of flying, as well as the cost. (From The New York Times)

Report: Lionsgate cranks open for YouTube
The film studio would be the first to sign an ad-sharing deal with the Google service, according to the Hollywood Reporter. How extensive it will be, however, isn't yet clear. (Posted in Digital Media by Caroline McCarthy)

It's official: Audiophiles are over CDs
Stereophile magazine poll finds more audiophiles listening via music servers than CD players.(Posted in The Audiophiliac by Steve Guttenberg)

Samsung, Sun create flash chip for server SSDs
New flash chip for server-grade solid-state drives offers higher endurance levels than current flash memory, companies say.(Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)









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Before You Buy Desktop Computer Systems

Looking to buy a new desktop personal computer system? This guide covers many of the basic items to examine when comparing desktop computer systems so that you can make an informed purchasing decision. Due to the changing nature of the PC Hardware industry, this guide will be periodically updated. Links are provided below each topic for a more detailed discussion on that subject.
Processors (CPUs)
Processor choices are a bit more difficult now then they were before. It is still really a choice between an AMD and an Intel processor. The difference really comes in how many cores there are in the processor and its relative speed. Each company now has a performance rating system that isn't really easy to compare. Due to the complexity, its best to refer to my links below for a more detailed explanation of CPUs for budget and uses.
Understanding Desktop CPUs
Best Desktop Processors



Memory (RAM)
Most desktop computers now use a type of memory called DDR2. Some high performance ones might use DDR3, but this is quite expensive. Avoid systems using the older DDR memory standard. In terms of amount, it is best to have at least 1GB of memory in the system and preferably 2GB. Memory speeds can impact performance as well. The faster the memory, the better the performance should be. When buying memory, try to buy as few DIMMs as possible to allow for future memory upgrades if needed.
Understanding Desktop Memory
Not All Memory Is Equal
Memory Upgrades


Hard Drives
Hard drives really boil down to size and speed. The larger the drive and the faster, the better the performance and capacity. In a desktop, it is best to have at least 250GB or more of storage space these days. In terms of speed, they are pretty much all running at 7200rpm now. A few high performance 10,000rpm drives are available. Most drives use the Serial ATA interface now for ease of installation. Performance wise, there is little difference still between Serial ATA and the older IDE standards.
Understanding Desktop Hard Drives
Serial ATA
What is RAID?


Optical Drives (CD/DVD)
Most systems sold now feature DVD burners, even the budget systems. It is best to make sure that you get a multiformat DVD burner that can support both the +R/RW and -R/RW formats. Speeds should be 16x for the recordable speed. Dual or Double Layer media support is also a common feature although less likely to be used due to media cost. If you don't need a DVD burner, try to at least get a CD-RW/DVD combo drive of 24x recording speed to allow for CD media storage and DVD playback. Options also include LightScribe or Labelflash support for burning labels directly to compatible media.
Understanding CD/DVD Drives
Best IDE DVD Burners
Best SATA DVD Burners


Video Cards
Video card technology seems to change every three to six months. If you aren't really doing any 3D graphics at all, then integrated graphics may be just fine. Beyond this, there are a wide selection of cards. Things to consider include performance, the amount of memory on the card, output connectors and the version of Direct X supported. Those looking to do any gaming should really consider a Direct X 10 card with at least 256MB of memory onboard. Pretty much all new systems will use the PCI-Express graphics standard.
Understanding Desktop Video
Best Budget Video Cards
Best Performance 3D Video Cards


Extrenal Connectors
Many upgrades and peripherals to computers now connect through external interfaces instead of internal cards. Check to see how many and what type of external ports are available on the computer for use with future peripherals. Look for systems that have both USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 or FireWire ports. It should have at least six USB 2.0 connectors and one FireWire ports. Many times media card readers that support various different flash memory cards for peripherals are also inlcluded.

Monitors
What good is a desktop PC unless it also has a monitor? Previously users would need to choose between a CRT or LCD monitor, but LCDs are pretty much the standard now because of their reduced size and power consumption. The real issue is more about size and cost of the LCDs. The price difference between 17 and 19-inch models make 19-inch the best overall value although 20 to 22-inch models are quickly dropping in price. Wider display screens are also becoming much more common than the tradition 4:3 aspect ratio.
Understanding LCD Monitors
CRT vs. LCD Monitors
Understanding CRT Monitors

NEWS & MEDIA

Courtesy....www.news.cnet.com

Top technology news headlines

When your business meets Google's cloud
Cloud computing may be the in thing, but this week's Google Apps outage shows it's not perfect. Still, online apps and services are growing up.

iPhone glitches dampen launch magic
Widespread server problems create headaches around the world for customers seeking Apple's new iPhone 3G.

Ex Hewlett-Packard VP pleads guilty to IBM theft
Atul Malhotra pleads guilty to one count of theft of trade secrets and faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Antitrust hearing to draw top tech legal eagles
Legal counsel for Yahoo, Google, Microsoft will testify at Congressional hearing next week, as lawmakers consider potential effects of a Yahoo-Google search ad deal.

Microsoft bests Apple, Ubuntu on OS updates
During the second quarter of 2008, Windows Update was always available, Apple's was not far behind, and Canonical's Ubuntu lagged by comparison, test shows.

Malware targets 'Simpsons' fans on AIM
Dormant Simpsons-related AIM buddy promises Web-exclusive episode of the show but instead infects the machine with software that turns it into a botnet zombie.

IBM to prime pump for smart-grid start-ups
The world needs better ways to plug newfangled tech into the venerable power grid, says Big Blue's clean-tech venture capital expert.

My night as an iPhone fanboy
The iPhone 3G launch is marked by delays and frustration, but spending the night with the Apple faithful was fun. Next time, we won't jinx ourselves by joking with any priests.

MIT spinoff dyes glass to make solar 'windows'
Covalent Solar will commercialize a technique that concentrates light by redirecting it to get a tenfold boost in solar cell output, lowering panel costs.

Vista Compatibility Center up and running
A beta version of the site, which lets people check whether their hardware and software is Vista ready, is now up.

Week in review: Microsoft seconds Icahn bid
Steve Ballmer and Carl Icahn get on the same page about ousting Yahoo's board, while the release of the new iPhone draws crowds worldwide. Also: A major flaw in Internet gears.

The Bay Area's iPhone 3G launch
The upgraded gadget and cultural icon finally reaches consumers' hands. See how things unfolded at Apple and AT&T stores in and around San Francisco.

AMD to take $948 million second-quarter charge
Charges stem largely from chipmaker's former ATI handheld and DTV units. Company's stock falls as much as 7 percent in morning trading.

How is a network organized?

Regardless of the type of network, computers must be managed. To facilitate management, computers in a network are organized into groups. With Windows NT, peer-to-peer networks are organized into workgroups. A server-based network is organized as a domain.

Workgroup
A workgroup is a logical collection of computers identified by a unique name. Members of the workgroup can see and access resources shared by other computers within the group. Each computer in the workgroup manages its own security.

Domain
A domain is a unique characteristic of a Windows NT server-based network. Like a workgroup, a domain provides a means of organizing computers and resources. Unlike a workgroup, a central server called a ‘Primary Domain Controller’ or PDC that maintains a single user accounts database manages a domain. That database can be shared with other servers called ‘Backup Domain Controllers’ (BDCs). The domain controllers provide logon validation to ensure that domain user · accounts and security policies are enforced within the domain. Permissions and rights within the domain are typically assigned to groups and then users are assigned to the groups. Thus, a user’s ability to access resources on the network depends primarily on his or her group memberships. There can be more than one domain on a network. Users from one domain can access the resources of another domain if the appropriate trust relationships have been established.

A ball inside the mouse touches the desktop and rolls when the mouse moves

Two rollers inside the mouse touch the ball. One of the rollers is oriented so that it detects motion in the X direction, and the other is oriented 90 degrees to the first roller so it detects motion in the Y direction. When the ball rotates, one or both of these rollers rotate as well.

The following image shows the two white rollers on this mouse:

The rollers each connect to a shaft, and the shaft spins a disk with holes in it. When a roller rolls, its shaft and disk spin.

On either side of the disk there is an infrared LED and an infrared sensor. The holes in the disk break the beam of light coming from the LED so that the infrared sensor sees pulses of light. The rate of the pulsing is directly related to the speed of the mouse and the distance it travels.

An on-board processor chip reads the pulses from the infrared sensors and turns them into binary data that the computer can understand. The chip sends the binary data to the computer through the mouse's cord.

The logic section of a mouse is dominated by an encoder chip, a small processor that reads the pulses coming from the infrared sensors and turns them into bytes sent to the computer. You can also see the two buttons that detect clicks (on either side of the wire connector).

A close-up of one of the optical encoders that track mouse motion: Note the piece of plastic between the infrared sensor (red) and the encoding disk.

Any Question?????

Networking Essentials Core Topics

1. Basic Network Concepts
2. Topologies
3. Basic Cabling
4. Basic Hardware
5. Media Access Methods
6. LAN Architectures
7. OSI Model
8. Advanced Hardware (WAN Connectivity Devices)
9. Network Driver Standards
10. Protocols
11. TCP/IP
12. Data Transmission
13. File and Print Sharing Services
14. Heterogeneous Environment
15. Client/Server Architecture
16. IPC Mechanisms
17. Modems, Serial Protocols, & RAS
18. WAN Transmission Technologies
19. Administration
20. Security.

THE FILMMAKER’S TOOLKIT

WHAT YOU WANT
WHERE YOU WANT

THE FILMMAKER’S TOOLKIT
BACKPACK
The Lowepro Orion Trekker II ($61; www.lowepro .com) has a padded compartment for your camcorder and room for other stuff in the top.
LENS FILTERS
A UV filter protects your lens and improves contrast. Keep it on your camcorder at all times, and throw away the lens cap. Opteka makes a three-fi lter kit for $25 (www .opteka.com).
LENS CLEANING CLOTH
Dust is your enemy. The $5 Dust-Off Screen Shammy is your friend.
MICROPHONE BOOM
A boom will help get your microphone closer to the sound. Either tape your mic to a section of PVC pipe, or buy this $55 collapsibleGitzo boom on Amazon.com.
EXTERNAL MICROPHONE
Camcorders often spoil their audio tracks with excessive motor noise. The easy cure? An external microphone.
The Audio-Technica ATR-55 Shotgun Microphone
($56from Amazon.com) is cheap, effective, and can pick up conversations from a hundred feet away.
CAMCORDER
Don’t forget to include its charger, an AV cable, and a FireWire cable.
8.5-INCH CLAMPLAMP WITH FULL-SPECTRUM COMPACTFLUORESCENT BULB
For cheap lighting, buy “natural sunlight” fl uorescent bulbs ($6 apiece) that have a color temperature rating of 5500K, which is close to that of sunlight, and screw theminto clamp-on refl ector lamps ($10 each). Buy several, as they’re not terribly bright, and setyour camcorder’s white balance accordingly.
INDEX CARD STORYBOARDS
3 x 5-inch index cards have almost the same shape as a 16:9 videoscreen. That makes them perfect for pocket storyboarding.A box of 500 costs only $3!
TRIPOD OR MONOPOD
A cheap, lightweight tripod is plenty for a 2-pound camcorder. If a tripod is too bulky, get this onelegged Vanguard monopod ($19 from Amazon.com)
WIDE-ANGLE LENS
Many camcorders’ wide-angle settings are still too narrow. An adapter is a must for wideinterior shots. This lens is included with the Canon Elura 90.
HOMEMADE STEADY-CAM
A homemade steady-cam looks rough, but it costs just $14 andwill give you moving shots that are smooth as silk. See Steadycam.org for construction details.
BLANK MEDIA
Always carry a few spareMiniDV tapes or DVDs.

Technology

IBM aims to cool chips with water

A network of tiny pipes of water could be used to cool next-generation PC chips,IBM
researchers say.


Voluntary code for internet speed

The way broadband speeds are advertised is to be regulated under a voluntary code published by Ofcom.
It wants companies to publish accurate estimates of the maximum connection speeds people can expect before they buy broadband packages.
Some 32 internet providers, covering more than 90% of UK broadband customers, have agreed to the code.
The media regulator also says customer internet satisfaction has fallen in the past year.
Ofcom is also undertaking what it says is the UK's "most authoritative and comprehensive broadband speed survey" to identify broadband performance across the country and its relationship to advertised speeds.


Web users 'fear media intrusion'


Almost 80% of social networking site users would be more careful about the details they put online if they knew the media might use them, a poll says.
The Press Complaints Commission said 89% of the 1,000 people polled wanted guidelines on what the media could use.
And 42% of 16 to 24-year-old who used such websites said they knew someone who had been embarrassed by material which was posted without consent.
The PCC is opening talks on how it should respond to the issue.
'Unprecedented'
The chairman of the PCC, the publishing industry's self-regulating watchdog, Sir Christopher Meyer, said personal information was being put into the public domain on an unprecedented scale and that this had serious ramifications for the regulation of media outlets.
"This clearly has implications for the PCC, which has always had the task of deciding where to draw the boundaries between what newspapers and magazines may legitimately publish and what can rightly be considered private," he said.
"The challenge remains the same for online editorial content, including material taken from social networking sites.
There are wider cultural and other issues going beyond the PCC
Sir Christopher Meyer, PCC
"In the digital age, self-regulation, with its sound principles and speed of operation, has never been more relevant."
The poll, which was conducted for the PCC by Ipsos-Mori, also found that 89% of internet users polled said there should be clear guidelines about what types of information could be used by the media.
They said that this would allow people to complain if the information published about them was wrong or intrusive.
Consent
The poll also found 49% of respondents said it was wrong for the media to use information they had posted on line without asking the consent of the person concerned.
And 58% were fairly or very concerned about the lack of control about how they were depicted on websites.
And of social networking site members, 55% considered whether personal details such as photos might be used by someone else without their consent, before posting them online.
Sir Christopher said the PCC's current code of practice would be able to handle complaints about media outlets using material skimmed from networking sites.
But he added: "There are wider cultural and other issues going beyond the PCC to be debated, which is why we have taken the initiative of conducting the survey."