Asynchronous transfer mode and other network technologies for wide-area and high-performance cluster computing

We review fast networking technologies for both wide-area and high performance cluster computer systems. We describe our experiences in constructing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)-based local- and wide-area clusters and the tools and technologies this experience led us to develop. We discuss our experiences using Internet Protocol on such systems as well as native ATM protocols and the problems facing wide-area integration of cluster systems. We are presently constructing Beowulf-class computer clusters using a mix of Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet technology and we anticipate how such systems will integrate into a new local-area Gigabit Ethernet network and what technologies will be used for connecting shared HPC resources across wide-areas. High latencies on wide-area cluster systems led us to develop a metacomputing problem-solving environment known as distributed information systems control world (DISCWorld). We summarize our main developments in this project as well as the key features and research directions for software to exploit computational services running on fast networked cluster systems.