Beowulf Book
December 11, 2012. The Beowulf book, now obsolete, was never as useful as it could have been. John Salmon, who among the authors in 1998 had the most experience writing parallel programs to solve scientific problems, wrote the most useful chapters that resisted obsolescence over time. Having been instrumental in the writing of the original series of Beowulf research papers, I was brought in at the last minute to write parts of the book. Unfortunately, I never really got a chance to revise my first draft material into more substantive matter. In the end, the book was a rushed job and suffered as a result. Some people found it useful, but I fear it disappointed most. Today, it is long out-of-date and more current references should be sought by aspiring cluster builders and users.
I'm a coauthor of How to
Build a Beowulf: A Guide to the Implementation and Application of
PC Clusters, published by MIT Press. The first
printing was published in May 1999, sold out in July, and a second
printing hit the stores in late August.
A Japanese translation of the first edition has also been
released.
Thomas has finished a second book with an ensemble of collaborators. The new book comes in a Linux flavor and a Windows flavor and contains more comprehensive and advanced material than the first book.