Kan Balam
Encyclopedia
Kan Balam is a computer cluster located in Mexico City
, on the main campus of the UNAM
. With a rated capacity of 7.1 teraflops, 3016 GB of RAM
and 160 TB of storage, it is the number one in Latin America
. It started working on January 16, 2007.
Among the objectives of this super computer is to allow Mexican researchers to work with highly modern infrastructure without the necessity of leaving the country, thus helping to stop the brain drain
that the country has had in the last years. The principal subjects aided by this computer are astrophysics
, particle physics
, quantum physics, geology
and is mainly devoted towards seismic engineering. It will also be used for weather measurements and it will be available for public and private companies.
2.6 GHz processors and 3016 GB RAM, distributed in 337 calculation nodes
, each with 8 GB RAM and two DUO
processors and in five specialized nodes
with 64 GB RAM each.
. It connects 576 ports with 2 switches infiniband, reaching a speed of the order of 10 Gbyte/s.
was already well aware of (it was inaugurated before its final installation was completed). Technically a whole 1/3 of the nodes were unable to run due to temperature issues in the work room (when running all nodes at 100% their capacity). In recent dates, the computer's performance has been stabilized (with the addition of two more cooling units) and is near optimal condition.
This prompted an alarmist reaction among the first users which provoked a local periodical to falsely publish and fabricate a supposed "meltdown" of the nodes in early June of 2007.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, on the main campus of the UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
. With a rated capacity of 7.1 teraflops, 3016 GB of RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and 160 TB of storage, it is the number one in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. It started working on January 16, 2007.
Among the objectives of this super computer is to allow Mexican researchers to work with highly modern infrastructure without the necessity of leaving the country, thus helping to stop the brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
that the country has had in the last years. The principal subjects aided by this computer are astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
, quantum physics, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and is mainly devoted towards seismic engineering. It will also be used for weather measurements and it will be available for public and private companies.
Processing
The computer has 1368 AMD OpteronOpteron
Opteron is AMD's x86 server and workstation processor line, and was the first processor which supported the AMD64 instruction set architecture . It was released on April 22, 2003 with the SledgeHammer core and was intended to compete in the server and workstation markets, particularly in the same...
2.6 GHz processors and 3016 GB RAM, distributed in 337 calculation nodes
Node (networking)
In communication networks, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or a communication endpoint . The definition of a node depends on the network and protocol layer referred to...
, each with 8 GB RAM and two DUO
Intel Core 2
Core 2 is a brand encompassing a range of Intel's consumer 64-bit x86-64 single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors based on the Core microarchitecture. The single- and dual-core models are single-die, whereas the quad-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a...
processors and in five specialized nodes
Node (networking)
In communication networks, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or a communication endpoint . The definition of a node depends on the network and protocol layer referred to...
with 64 GB RAM each.
Interconnection
The processing nodes communicate with the storage system in a high speed networkComputer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
. It connects 576 ports with 2 switches infiniband, reaching a speed of the order of 10 Gbyte/s.
Issues
At the very beginning the computer was unable to run at optimal speed or make use of the full power of the processors, a problem which DGSCADGSCA
DGSCA , a.k.a Computo Academico UNAM, previously known as PUC...
was already well aware of (it was inaugurated before its final installation was completed). Technically a whole 1/3 of the nodes were unable to run due to temperature issues in the work room (when running all nodes at 100% their capacity). In recent dates, the computer's performance has been stabilized (with the addition of two more cooling units) and is near optimal condition.
This prompted an alarmist reaction among the first users which provoked a local periodical to falsely publish and fabricate a supposed "meltdown" of the nodes in early June of 2007.