Research Seminar - December 10, 1999

Abstract

The availability of high-speed contentionless networks and interconnects, and increasingly powerful commodity microprocessors are making the use of cluster computing an appealing vehicle for cost effective parallel computing. Clusters, built using commodity-of-the-shelf (COTS) hardware components as well as free, or commonly used, software, are playing a major role in redefining the concept of supercomputing.

In this informal seminar I will report on the recently held 1st IEEE International Workshop on Cluster Computing. I will also present a brief summary of Australian research in the area of cluster computing, highlighting the emphasis being placed on cluster computing by most Australian universities, and some important results and commercial products developed in Australia.

Open to all interested; to be followed by refreshments.

Chris McDonald completed his BSc in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at UWA in 1984 and immediately proceeded to postgraduate studies. His PhD, awarded in 1989, addressed the formal specification of command language interpreters, and in particular the application of functional programming techniques to command interpreter design and use. Chris was appointed as a Lecturer in 1988 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1994. Chris teaches in the areas of operating systems, computer networking and, distributed systems programming and, together with these areas, his research interests include the Linda parallel programming model, programming language implementation, the LINUX operating system, and golf.