CPU scavenging
CPU-scanvenging or cycle-scavenging systems use machines purchased for other purposes to run batch jobs at night, weekends, and other idle times.
Cycle-scavenging systems typically gain and lose machines at unpredictable times as interactive users start or stop using their machines, new machines are purchased, machines are removed from the network, or break down. Cycle-scavengers move jobs from machine to machine as necessary to allow the smooth running of the job and the network being scavenged.
The best-known cycle scavenging computation is seti@home, currently the largest computation on the planet. Seti@home was using more than 3 million computers to achieve 23.37 sustained teraflops/sec (979 lifetime teraflops) as of September 2001 [1].
The NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division (NAS) has run genetic algorithms using the Condor cycle scavenger running on about 350 Sun and SGI workstations. In addition, NASA intends to use United Devices to run genetic algorithms and other codes on the United Devices MetaProcessor, which cycle scavenges on volunteer PCs connected to the Internet. As of September 2001, the MetaProcessor ran on about 900,000 machines [2].
Entropia and Parabon provide services similar to United Devices.
Cycle-scavenging systems are also referred to as computational grids.
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External links
Referenced By
Computational grid | Data grid | Grid computing
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