Using ClusterKnoppix

Introduction

So maybe none of those methods worked for you. Well, you'll be happy to know that you can get a cluster up and running within a few minutes using an incredible bootable Knoppix liveCD that is preconfigured for clustering. It's called ‘ClusterKnoppix' and a quick search on Google will reveal a number of sources from where you can download the ISO images.

The best thing about Cluster Knoppix, is that you can just boot a system with the CD and it will automatically add itself to the cluster. You don't even need to install the O/S to your hard disk. This makes it a very useful way to setup a cluster in a hurry using pre-existing systems.

Another really nice feature is that you don't need to burn 20 copies of the CD to make a 20 system cluster. Just boot one system with the CD, and then run the command

knoppix-terminalopenmosixserver

This will let you setup a clustering-enabled terminal-server. Now if you have any systems that can boot from their network card (PXE compliant booting), they will automatically download a kernel image and run Cluster Knoppix!

It's awesome to see this at work, especially since we were working with 2 systems that didn't have a CD-ROM drive or a hard-disk. They just became diskless clients and contributed their resources to the cause!

Next: Starting Up Your Cluster