TY - GEN
T1 - Performance enhancement of SMP clusters with multiple network interfaces using virtualization
AU - Strazdins, Peter
AU - Alexander, Richard
AU - Barr, David
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Clusters of small-scale SMP/CMP nodes are becoming increasingly popular due to their cost-effectiveness. As these nodes are typically capable of supporting a number of network interfaces similar to the number of CPUs, the issue arises how to optimally configure the cluster for optimum communication performance. This paper evaluates a number of configurations on a 4-CPU Opteron cluster with multiple Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Techniques include channel bonding and using independent communication pathways. With the latter, the use of virtualization via the Xen Virtual Machine Monitor offers the best potential to parallelize all stages of message transmission, for the case when multiple CPUs on a node are communicating simultaneously. Network-level microbenchmarks indicate the best performance is achieved with a configuration where guest virtual machines running on each CPU communicate directly with a dedicated interface, bypassing the virtual machine monitor. Channel bonding also proved to be more effective over multiple communication streams than over single.
AB - Clusters of small-scale SMP/CMP nodes are becoming increasingly popular due to their cost-effectiveness. As these nodes are typically capable of supporting a number of network interfaces similar to the number of CPUs, the issue arises how to optimally configure the cluster for optimum communication performance. This paper evaluates a number of configurations on a 4-CPU Opteron cluster with multiple Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Techniques include channel bonding and using independent communication pathways. With the latter, the use of virtualization via the Xen Virtual Machine Monitor offers the best potential to parallelize all stages of message transmission, for the case when multiple CPUs on a node are communicating simultaneously. Network-level microbenchmarks indicate the best performance is achieved with a configuration where guest virtual machines running on each CPU communicate directly with a dedicated interface, bypassing the virtual machine monitor. Channel bonding also proved to be more effective over multiple communication streams than over single.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=41549158916&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/11942634_47
DO - 10.1007/11942634_47
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 3540498605
SN - 9783540498605
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 452
EP - 463
BT - Frontiers of High Performance Computing and Networking - ISPA 2006 International Workshops, FHPCN, XHPC, S-GRACE, GridGIS, HPC-GTP, PDCE, ParDMCom, WOMP, ISDF, and UPWN, Proceedings
T2 - Int. Workshops on FHPCN 2006, XHPC 2006, S-GRACE 2006, GridGIS 2006, HPC-GTP 2006, PDCE 2006, ParDMCom 2006, WOMP 2006, ISDF 2006, and UPWN 2006, Held in Conjunction with the 4th Int. Symp. on Parallel and Distributed Processing and Appl., SPA 2006
Y2 - 4 December 2006 through 7 December 2006
ER -