| Re: Mac Clusters & IDL [message #54184 is a reply to message #54037] |
Wed, 23 May 2007 15:05  |
Trae
Messages: 23
Registered: May 2007
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Junior Member |
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Yes, I know. This isn't the first time you have given my this advice.
BUT IT TAKES SO LONG!!!
We've gotten a new 2X 3.0 GHz Quad core machine that I can use for my
nefarious purposes. We also got hte nice big Mac screen with it.
But my boss is wanting to do more and more simulation type work, with
more and more complexity. Sooner or later, I'm going to need the
cluster.
However, it should be after I'm Dr. Winter. <Mutter, mumble, gripe>
On May 23, 2:57 pm, Brian Larsen <balar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Trae,
>
> as another former grad student I would recommend more long walks
> (preferably with your wife) while you let the code run on a single
> machine. Any setup you do on computers is a huge one time investment
> with little payoff for you unless you are planing on sticking around
> MSU for long enough to make up for the investment. I think the
> formula is pretty simple
>
> [(decrease in run time) * (number of times you run it)] /
> [(time required to setup and maintain the system) + (time spent
> recoding)]
>
> The number on the bottom is large and according to Murphy always comes
> when you have posters and talks due so if the numerator isn't
> sufficiently big to make this ratio like 4 I wouldn't bother. Any
> guess at actual numbers is a guess as I have done lots of linux but
> very little mac, but you are easily looking at a meltdown once a month
> that sucks up one whole day, and setup and testing will take the
> better part of week. So over the course of 6 months this is easily 88
> hours (40 + 6*8). So the savings in run time had better be 352 hours
> or more.
>
> Well enough ranting, papers don't write themselves, spacecraft don't
> build themselves, and certainly paperwork doesn't move from one side
> of my desk to the other by itself.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Brian
>
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------
> Brian A Larsen
> RBSP-ECT Instrument Suite Scientist
>
> Boston University
> Center for Space Physics
> 725 Commonwealth Ave, Rm 506
> Boston, MA 02215-1401
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