BoilerGrid
Condor is one of several distributed computing resources RCAC provides. Like other similar resources, Condor provides a framework for running programs on otherwise idle computers. While this has serious limitations for parallel jobs and codes with serious IO or memory requirements, Condor can provide a large quantity of cycles for researchers who need to run hundreds of smaller jobs. Carol X. Song, senior research scientist in the Rosen Center and principal investigator for TeraGrid at Purdue, says that more than 6,400 computers of all sizes—from desktop machines used by students to do homework and check e-mail, up to large, powerful research computers—are linked together using the open source application Condor.
Miron Livny, professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin, says that BoilerGrid is the largest Condor pool is the nation. “Other campuses should follow Purdue's leadership,” Livny says. “I believe this is the right way for us to move forward, get organized and get resources together, and then go out on the national level and share resources with other institutions.”