ReFRESCO-Operation: - Unlimited number of annual licences


- Licence not limited to a number of cores - Support by highly trained professionals - Access to MARIN computer facilities


For more information on ReFRESCO, please visit www.refresco.org. Details about the ReFRESCO-Operation initiative can be found at www.marin.nl.


New computer cluster Marclus4 In early 2014, MARIN decided to invest in a new computer cluster, replacing the existing 1600-core cluster Marclus3. As a first step, the performance of Marclus3, in combination with ReFRESCO, was analysed. With the help of VORtech, a Delft-based numerical modelling and IT company, bottlenecks in the ReFRESCO code and the Marclus3 hard- ware were identified. With this information, specifications were set up for the new cluster


Marclus4, and well-known solution providers were contacted. After a selection process, including site visits to existing clusters, MARIN decided to purchase the cluster from BULL. Although all solution providers can deliver hardware at a competitive price, BULL proved to have the most knowledge on high-performance computing and CFD.


Acceptance tests Before MARIN accepted the new cluster, a thorough acceptance test procedure was executed. A series of tests was already carried out in the factory in France to establish the actual performance of the cluster, the robustness of the system, and to test redundancy and failover of criti- cal components. After successful completion of the factory tests, the equipment was shipped to MARIN’s headquarters in Wageningen. In just a few days, the new cluster was built up in the new server room and started up. Again, thorough tests were performed to measure the performance of the cluster over several days. All tests were successfully completed before the end of 2014.


Running at full speed The new Marclus4 has been in full operation since January, with all users now using the computer cluster, and many jobs that were too big for the old cluster are now running at full speed. Already in the second month of its operation, the cluster was almost full, and computations had to wait for execution. And with the growth of computational studies for our customers, the next exten- sion of MARIN’s computer power is already appearing on the horizon.


Marclus4 highlights: - 206 compute nodes with 4120 cores


- 500 Tb of storage - 15Tb of total RAM - High-speed InfiniBand connectivity - Delivered by BULL


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