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Moldflow LunchtimeLuminaries
MPI Hardware
Recommendations
PRESENTED BY:Matt Jaworski
(Training Services Manager)
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Content Disclaimer
Note: The recommendations contained in
this presentation are to be used as a guide
and are based on knowledge gathered frominternal investigation. Moldflow Corporation
makes no guarantee or assurance of the
information contained herein. Furtherinformation and appropriate professional IT
advice should be sought. Decisions should
be made in accordance with normalbusiness evaluation methods.
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Agenda
Introduction
Recommendations for:
Front Side Bus
Memory
Processor
Hard Drive
Graphics
Support Platforms
Other Considerations
Summary
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Endless Choices?
Many options out in the market
Which one is best for us?
What does Moldflow recommend?
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Outline of Recommendations
Front Side Bus
RAM Size, Speed, Bandwidth
CPU
Cache Size
Clock Speed
Multi-core
Multi-processor
Benchmarks
Graphics
Hard Drive
Types
Access time
Capacity
Striping/RAID
Operating system 32 bit, 64 bit
Supported platforms
Workhorse or Workstation?
Balanced system
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Memory (RAM)
RAM is random access memory. Where
the operating system, application
programs and data in current use arestored.
Size 2 GB is recommended minimum.
Large models may require morememory. 4 GB or more may be needed
for large models. 64 bit OS will also be
needed. The more the memory, the more caching of disk
read/writes. Most beneficial for Cool and Warpanalysis time.
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Memory (RAM) contd
Memory speed- Look for the highest speedavailable for the motherboard (DDR2 800 MHz)
Memory bandwidth Available in Single, Dual orQuad Channel. Populate with same memory capacity DIMMS.
If buying Single Channel > Purchase 1 memory module
If buying Dual Channel > Purchase 2 memory modules,not 1
If buying Quad Channel > Purchase 4 memory modules,not less
The higher the memory bandwidth, the better the
performance however, Quad Channel is not necessarilythe quickest.
Single Channel Bandwidth ~ 2.5GB/s
Quad Channel Bandwidth ~ 4 x 1.5 GB/s
More Channels usually equate to less performance perchannel
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Memory (RAM) contd
Latency - RAM stores data in rows andcolumns. Column address strobe (CAS or CL)
latency is the number of clock cycles it takesbefore a column can be addressed on a RAM
chip. In most cases, a lower number indicates
better performance. ECC (Error Correction Code) Corrects errors
automatically
Decreases performance by small amount (2-3%) More expensive than non-ECC
Necessary when data integrity is important
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The processor interprets programinstructions and processes data.
Cache Size Smaller, faster memorywhich stores copies of data fromfrequently used RAM locations. The larger the cache the better the
performance.
CPU Clock Speed Cycles persecond (hertz) at which a computerperforms its most basic operations Generally, the higher the clock rate the
better the performance. The exception isnewer chip architecture.
EX. New 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo willoutperform older P4 Xeon 3.2 GHz.
REF: http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/12/20/the_mother_of_all_cpu_charts_part_1/
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Central Processing Unit (CPU) contd
Multi or dual-core processors combinetwo or more independent processors into
a single device allowing thread &workflow parallelism. Generally the more cores in the CPU, the
lower the clock speed.
Most Moldflow Applications are singlethreaded, using multicore processors mayresult in an increase in execution time.
However, a parallel solution method wasimplemented for MPI 6.1 3D Warp analysisand this will take advantage of multi-core ormulti-processor systems.
REF: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/pedge/topics/en/multi_core_main?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
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Central Processing Unit (CPU) contd
Multiple processors Two ormore single processors or
CPUs in a machine. Single processors currently have
the fastest clock speeds however
this does not necessarily meanthey are the fastest
If possible benchmark both
scenarios
Dual CPU
Dual Core CPU
VS.
REF: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/pedge/topics/en/multi_core_main?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
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Central Processing Unit (CPU) contd
Advantages of multiple core or multipleprocessors vs. single processor
Multi-core or processor machines are able to: Run multiple analyses (workflow parallelism) where single
processor would fight for resources
Launch one analysis and still be able to use machine for
other activities (assuming enough resources)
Benchmarks Visithttp://www.spec.org/benchmarks.html for CPU
benchmark data
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Hard Drive
The faster the transfer andaccess rate, the better theperformance. Cool, Warp solver most dependent
Small Computer System Interface(SCSI) and now Serial Attached
SCSI (SAS) provide the highesttransfer rates Bi-directional bus (SAS)
Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment (SATA) provides acost effective alternative to SCSIbut typically with slower speeds.
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Hard Drive contd
Striping/Raid 0 will increase
performance
Use 2 or 3 equivalent disks and make1 logical disk.
15K RPM drives offer better
performance (faster access times) Storage capacity is important so
make sure you have enough.
At least 73 GB (200 GB+recommended depending on modelsize, analysis solver and mesh type).
REF:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/services/computing/storage/system/glossary/raid/raid0/
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Graphics
Purchase cards specifically
designed for OpenGL
Look for Workstation cards ratherthan those designed for gaming
The higher the memory the
better (128 MB Minimum, 256MB+ recommended).
PCI Express is recommended as
opposed to AGP or PCI. Onboard graphics not
recommended
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Graphics contd
Look for dual monitor support on cards
Increases work performance
Pre & Post-processing Able to display two applications on separate
screens simultaneously or one across both
REF: www.digitaltigers.com/dualmonitors.shtml
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Graphics contd
DVI (Digital Video Interface)
Consider Dual-Link DVI-I to get
most out of digital signal Capable of twice bandwidth of
single link DVI
Need both card and monitorssupport
Higher screen resolutions
Up to 2560 x 1600 (at 60 Hz) -9.9 Gbps
Also supports analog signaling
REF: http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html
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Graphics contd
Install the cards latest drivers from
manufacturers website.
Best to install the certified applicationdriver (WHQL) rather than beta
(stability reasons)
NVIDIA(http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html )
ATI (http://www.ati.com/ )
Intel(http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df-external/Support_Intel.aspx# )
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Graphics contd
Consider Microsoft VistaCompatible Cards for upgrade
purposes. Moldflow Technical Support
maintains a Graphics Card Listcontaining information on a subsetof cards. Great resource to see if there are any
reported issues with a particular card.
Visit the MPI MCC Graphics Forum oremail [email protected] andrequest a copy of the latest graphiccard list.
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32 vs 64 bit OS
32-bit Operating Systems (OS), such asWindows XP Professional, have a 2 GB
memory limitation for Moldflow applications(theoretically 232 or 4 GB).
64-bit OS does not have this 2 GB memorylimitation (now 264 or 17,179,869,184 GB).
A supported 64-bit OS, such as Windows XPProfessional x64 Edition, is recommended,especially for large 3D models due to the large
memory requirements. 64-bit OS compatibility issues (drivers,
applications, peripherals)
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Name Brand vs. White Box
Best to purchase a name brand workstation
or laptop
Tested for compatibility, performance, support
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Balanced system
Purchase a balanced system
Dont skimp on a few crucial components
Example, 4 high-end components & 1 low-end mayintroduce a performance bottleneck
Many manufacturers offer balanced Classsystems such as Business, Desktop and
Workstation. In general, the Workstation classwill offer the best balance for MPI performance.
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MPI 6.1 Supported Platforms
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MPI 6.1 Supported Platforms
MPI 6.1 is the last MPI release that will support any UNIX OS platform (32 or 64 bit)
LINUX however will still be supported going forward.
Released on Friday, February 16, 2007 with MPI 6.1 Rev 1 release.
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Workhorse vs. Workstation Machine
Workhorse machine
Separate machine that users submit analyses to
via Job Manager (floating license/task) Need for best CPU, RAM, Hard drive
GUI/Graphics not necessarily needed
Client machine considerations (RAM, Graphics) Workstation machine (or laptop)
Machine analyst uses for daily work tasks and
submits jobs locally (node locked or floatinglicense/task)
Need for multiple processors or cores
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Job Manager
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Other Considerations
When running a large analysis such as cool it isimportant to not run other applications
Decrease in RAM may cause RAM buffer to decrease,significantly increasing analysis time
Use of swap or virtual will slow down analyses byorders of magnitude.
Mesh size needs to be optimized as it directly dictateshardware performance.
No need to overly refine mesh
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Other Considerations
MPI 6.1 does not support Microsoft
Vista but future MPI versions will, so
be sure to purchase a Vistacompatible system for upgrade
purposes.
Obviously if all the guidelines in thisdocument are followed, the computer
purchased will be very expensive. Use
this presentation to guide yourdecision making process based the
best price versus performance ratio.
Example pricing
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Summary (in order of importance)
FSB - Higher Speed is better
Memory Speed - Faster is better
CPU Cache - Larger is better CPU Clock Speed - Higher is better
CPU number of Cores or multiple processors?
More Cores is generally better but not at expense of ClockSpeed
More Cores may increase overall execution time, but will allowmore analyses to be run simultaneously
Disk Speed - SCSI/SAS is better Graphics More memory is better, Commercial OpenGL
cards give better performance, install latest drivers
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Questions?
Thank you for your time!
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