Scyld Computing Corporation is Filling the Need For a Standard and Supported High Performance Cluster Operating System.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2001

Scyld Announces the First Commercial Release of its Next Generation

Beowulf Cluster Operating System Called Scyld Beowulf

Scyld Computing Corporation today released the first commercial version of its Scyld Beowulf Next Generation Cluster Operating System software.

The first of quarterly planned releases, the Scyld Beowulf software provides simplified cluster integration and setup, easy administration, and seamless scalability.

Beowulf-style cluster systems are computers running open-source operating systems that are networked together to form a parallel processing supercomputer. The Scyld Beowulf distribution is the next generation Beowulf operating system. It includes an enhanced Linux kernel, libraries, and utilities specifically designed for clustering.

The Scyld Beowulf system provides a stable, standard, supported platform for the deployment of advanced clustering applications.

The Scyld Beowulf release and Scyld's formation is in response to a driving market need for a cluster operating system for high performance computing. The operating system is the next generation of Beowulf style computing originally architected by Donald Becker, Scyld's CTO, along with other Scyld developers who were also part of the original Beowulf project at NASA.

Patrick Webb, a Steering Committee Member of the Houston Technology Center and CEO of the venture capital firm Enfinit Global Partners stated, "With the Scyld Beowulf operating system as a standard, many industries will be able to write computational and data intensive applications that can be applied on commodity hardware around the world at significant price savings from traditional systems."

"Our mission at Scyld is to create software that will bring high-performance computing to the marketplace", said Becker. "This release significantly provides a strong, common, standard foundation upon which high performance parallel computing applications and systems will grow. The result will stimulate deployment of turn-key commercial applications".

Donald Becker and members of the original Beowulf team of developers have since augmented Scyld with five other top-level NASA software and systems engineers familiar with the discipline and rigor it takes to develop and deploy truly "mission critical" systems. "When you launch or re-enter a satellite, you only have one chance to get it right." states Tom Quinn, ex-NASA employee responsible for systems on over 4 satellites and the recent successful re-entry of NASA'a Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Now Director of Operations and Business Development at Scyld, Quinn states, "Our software engineering, development, quality control, test methodologies, and support at Scyld is nothing short of the processes we used at NASA to ensure a successful mission."

Scyld released its "Preview" edition of Scyld Beowulf software at the Atlanta Linux Showcase on October 11, 2000. Since the release, Scyld has received world-wide interest and positive feedback about the advanced technology and features of its product.

The preview release featured Scyld Beowulf's core technologies and features. Scyld Beowulf enhances the Linux kernel with features that allow users to start, observe, and control processes on cluster nodes from the cluster's front-end computer while supporting standard Linux interfaces and tools.

The result is that the cluster appears to be more like a single multiprocessor computer to a user or developer. This reduces the cost of cluster application development, testing, training, and administration. The system is also simple to install, update and scale based on Scyld's unique cluster installation and slave boot software.

Joe Barr of Linuxworld states, "The most amazing thing I saw on the exhibit room floor (of ALS) was probably the transformation of the email garden into a Beowulf cluster. Honest. And it only took about 10 or 15 minutes for Scyld Computing to convert the machines on the LAN into a supercomputer."

This latest release adds many new features over the preview including slave node power and state controls to ease administrative tasks, user and group permissions to allow cluster sharing and security, improved GUI and command line tools for setup and administration, improved diagnostics and run-time status reporting to help optimize cluster performance, broader hardware support with updated driver packages, and tools for easy hardware compatibility checks and demonstrations.

These improvements and many others show Scyld's commitment to providing the best operating system and tools for Beowulf clustering.

Scyld has formed, and is in the process of forming, partnerships and alliances with over two dozen corporations around the world including experienced traditional high performance computer providers and system integrators such as API, Compaq, Microway, Paralogic, Aspen Systems, Atipa, eLinux, Linux Networx, Myricom, PSSC Labs, VA Linux, and Cendio Systems amongst others.

The interest from traditional parallel application and tool providers has been great and is leading to partnerships and alliances with MPI-Softtech, Wolfram (Mathematica), Backbone Networks, NAMD, and Veridian. Scyld has a formal "Authorized Vendor" Program where it certifies, trains and teams with system vendors to provide off-the-shelf, fully integrated and supported turn-key cluster systems.

About Scyld Computing Corporation

Scyld Computing Corporation is the leading developer of second generation Beowulf cluster operating systems. Donald Becker, CTO, and Scyld developers are known in the Linux community for their extensive contributions to the Linux kernel. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, Scyld is a privately held company. Further information may be obtained at www.scyld.com.

Scyld Beowulf and Scyld Computing are registered trademarks of Scyld Computing Corporation.

About Beowulf

Beowulf, and Beowulf clustering are terms that describe a technique of connecting commodity computers together using a modified version of Linux, to create a High Performance Computer. Started in 1993, by Donald Becker and Thomas Sterling, early development was sponsored by NASA.

In 1997, Beowulf clusters broke the ten billion operations per second mark, and today can perform over 200 billion operations per second. Today, there are tens of thousands of Beowulf clusters installed in government, educational, and commercial facilities. Beowulf is a descriptive service mark held by Linux International.