---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Third Party Product/Service Announcements SunFLASH Vol 29 #09 May 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As usual, inclusion of an article here does not imply an endorsement by Sun Microsystems. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condor - Run UNIX jobs on idle workstations Networking Solution - Macintosh Connectivity PIXAR's RenderMan on Sun Strand88 on networks of suns Wavefront's Advanced Visualizer on Sun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [os-research] Condor - Run UNIX jobs on idle workstations (available via ftp/uucp) From: mike@cs.wisc.edu (Mike Litzkow) Newsgroups: comp.archives Sender: emv@msen.com (Edward Vielmetti, MSEN) Archive-name: unix/batch/condor/1991-05-17 Archive-directory: shorty.cs.wisc.edu:/condor/ [128.105.2.8] Original-posting-by: mike@cs.wisc.edu (Mike Litzkow) Original-subject: Condor - Run UNIX jobs on idle workstations (available via ftp/uucp) In his article titled "CMU's Condor process-migration system" Pat Wilson writes: > I'm looking for references to CMU's "Condor" process-migration system. > We're running a bunch of UNIX workstations all on AFS, and I'd like > to do _something_ with all those idle cycles... First, to set the record straight, Condor has been under development at the University of Wisconsin for several years, (not CMU). Second, to bring things up to date, we are working on a new distribution which will be available sometime this summer. New features will include support for direct use of NFS, support for some new platforms including R6000, increased support for use with FORTRAN programs, and many other enhancements. At this time we would like to invite all Condor users to please send us comments about your present use of Condor and what you would like to see in the upcoming release. We are especially interested in the size of your condor pool, what kinds of machines you are running on, what kinds of applications you are using Condor for, and any anecdotal stories about particularly interesting applications. Also we would like to know what new features would be most useful in the future, e.g. port to a new platform, support for parallel applications, etc. Finally, for those who are unfamiliar with Condor, (and to answer Pat's original question), a repeat of an earlier announcement: Subject: Condor - Run UNIX jobs on idle workstations (available via ftp/uucp) Brief Description: Condor is a facility for executing UNIX jobs on a pool of cooperating workstations. Jobs are queued and executed remotely on workstations at times when those workstations would otherwise be idle. A transparent checkpointing mechanism is provided, and jobs migrate from workstation to workstation without user intervention. When the jobs complete, users are notified by mail. No source code changes are required for use of Condor, but executables must be specially linked. Condor is especially suited for execution of long running, compute bound jobs. Limitations: There are several restrictions on the type of program which can be executed by the condor facility. Only single process jobs are supported, and signals and IPC calls are not implemented. Copyright: Condor is copyrighted, but available without any charge or license agreement. The copyright is not very restrictive, but requires reproduction of the copyright, and disclaims the University of Wisconsin from any responsibility for problems connected with condor. Currently supported architectures and UNIX variants: VAX BSD 4.3 VAX Ultrix 3.0 and above SPARC SunOS4.0 and above I386 Dynix MC68020 SunOS3.2 (and probably 4.0 and above) DECstation 3100 Ultrix 3.0 and above How to get it: Ftp to "shorty.cs.wisc.edu", (128.105.2.8), and login as "ftp". Give anything except the null string as a password. Fetch the "README" file. Switch your ftp user program to "binary" mode. Fetch "Condor_4.0.0.tar.Z". The README file tells what do to from there. The software is also available via anonymous ftp from uunet.uu.net in "/networking", and via anonymous uucp from osu-cis in directory "/pub". Documentation: Source for all the documentation is included in the distribution. The README file explains how to extract just the source, which you should do first, so you can plan where to extract everything else. Some of the documents contain "gremlin" pictures, but the ditroff ready versions are also included for those who don't have gremlin. If you can't print the docs, send me your address, and I'll mail you a set. Write or call if you have any questions or problems. email: mike@cs.wisc.edu or ucbvax!uwvax!mike phone: (608) 262-6122 Mike Litzkow -- comp.archives file verification shorty.cs.wisc.edu total 1813 -rw-r--r-- 1 1377 971314 May 16 09:52 tmp.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 1377 43580 Jun 11 1990 install.PS -rw-rw-r-- 1 1377 1931 Jun 11 1990 README -rw-rw-r-- 1 1377 124336 Jun 11 1990 tech.PS -rw-rw-r-- 1 1377 673145 Oct 18 1989 Condor_4.0.0.tar.Z found condor ok shorty.cs.wisc.edu:/condor/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Networking Solution - Macintosh Connectivity New, improved version of uShare from IPT IPT (Information Presentation Technologies) is now shipping their latest and more powerful version of uShare, version 2.05. uShare is an AppleShare server software product that runs on SPARCstations. uShare provides the Macintosh users transparency access to the resources on Sun servers. Macintosh users access the SPARCstation as if accessing an AppleShare server. Macintosh and SPARCstation share a common processing, file storage, and networking environment. uShare simultaneously supports multiple servers and volumes and PostScript-compatible devices. It also supports NeWSPrint so both the Macintosh and SPARCstation can print to the same PostScript or non-PostScript printers. Installation and administration have been simplied with the new release of uShare. Installation is a two-step procedure: 1) copy the media onto the SPARCstation and 2) execute the program. The entire process takes less than ten minutes and requires no knowledge of UNIX. All administrative functions are performed using easy, pull-down menus. For more information on the product please contact Olivia Favela, uShare product manager, IPT, 5000 N. Parkway Caslabsas, Calabasas, CA 91302, (818) 347-7791, (818) 992-5580 FAX. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: PIXAR's RenderMan on Sun PIXAR is shipping Developer`s RenderMan on SPARCstations Developer's RenderMan is a powerful toolkit containing award-winning PhotoRealistic RenderMan: revolutionary software for practical, affordable photorealistic rendering. It is the perfect complement to your geometry; essential for CAD/CAM, animation, visualization, product design, architecture, and presentations. Developer's RenderMan is available today from PIXAR for your SPARCstations. RenderMan users benefit from data compatibility with other applications and other platforms. Images designed on Mac, PCs, or other UNIX platforms can be edited or rendered on SPARCstations. Developer's RenderMan provides a comprehensive rendering solution that complements your gendifines realistic visual attributes of surfaces interacting with various light sources. It includes a robust shading language for creating procedural textures and effects. Developer's RenderMan fully supports the industry standard RenderMan Interface Specification. Developer's RenderMan is priced at $2500 US and Canada. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Lola Gill, PIXAR at 415-215-3480 or fax 415-236-0388 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Strand88 on networks of suns From: david@sstl.UU.NET (David Catton) Newsgroups: comp.newprod Organization: Strand Software Technologies Limited Strand Software Technologies Ltd. announce a version of the parallel programming language STRAND88 running on a network of SUN workstations- this treats the network as a single parallel machine and liberates significant computing resources to users who might have been unaware of the potential of the many workstations in their environment. The networked version of STRAND88 enables users in the banking, defense and financial marketplace to write the new programs employing paradigms of data-fusion, stochastic systems and genetic algorithms which underpin these markets' interests in distributed systems. Scientific users who have long made extensive use of STRAND88 's features in harnessing will find benefit in the new possibility for developing/running applications on local networks of workstations before committing to lengthy execution times on a supercomputer resource. The educational market has realised the many benefits of teaching computer science courses with "hands-on" experience of SUN equipment. The networked SUN version of STRAND88 now allows the provision of realistic courses in distributed computation, parallelism and concurrency, time-warp simulation and ecological computer systems STRAND88 offers a wide range of paradigms for these problem areas. In particular the object-oriented semantics enable peer-to-peer and cooperative/competitive models of distributed problem solving in addition to the client-server models that are currently available. Users of STRAND88 reap the established benefits of the first language designed for machine independent and scalable programming on multiprocessors and multicomputers. The benefit of machine independence is that code can be developed on one machine and executed on any other machine type without modification or recompilation. The property of scalability means that programs fit onto available hardware again without modification and adapt to the economics of the user's resources. STRAND88 also brings the benefits of code reuse by its ease of construction of "harnesses" which allow deployment of established (sequential) C and Fortran codes over a multiprocessor. Such harnesses are again machine independent and scalable. Under the control of the networked STRAND88 system copies of the Strand system are loaded onto the individual workstations which can then be treated as nodes of a multicomputer. Work is distributed between the nodes by the execution of Strand code. The networked version of STRAND88 permits the user to configure more than one node of the multicomputer onto his host machine. This allows for finer control of load-balancing and a more social use of a shared resource. "This release of the networked version of STRAND88 is a step towards our goal of the Distributed Programming Resource in the workplace," says Dr. Martin Gittins, Technical Director. "In such a workplace, where large multiprocessing machinery; number crunching equipment e.g. CRAY and networks of workstations, can all be made accessible by STRAND88, programmers achieve the most timely and economical use of the available compute resource". The STRAND88 system is under continuous development and the second commercial release of STRAND88, "Buckingham" is now being distributed. STRAND88 is currently available on : SUN workstations all commercially significant transputer platforms Sequent (balance,symmetry) Encore Multimax, Cogent XTM Intel iPSC/2 , iPSC/860, BBN Butterfly Macintosh II workstations from NeXT, MIPS, Atari for more details, prices, availability email strand@sstl.uucp in western US call (503) 642 0151 in eastern US call (703) 683 7010 in rest of world call UK +44 582 84 24 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Wavefront's Advanced Visualizer on Sun Wavefront is shipping Advanced Visualizer on SPARCstations Wavefront Technologies began shipping its Advanced Visualizer and Visualizer Server software on SPARCstations as of April 30, 1991. This first release of Advanced Visualizer is shipping on SPARCstation 2 GX and the port to GS and GT boards is underway. The Advanced Visualizer is one of the most powerful visualization packages available. With it, users can create realistic objects, add motion and lighting effects, and create lifelike imagery for use in film, video, and print. All file formats used by the Advanced Visualizer are documented, thus extending the flexibility of the software. Because the Advanced Visualizer supports an open architecture strategy, shape data from most standard CAD packages can be easily imported and used, as can real-life motion data from simulation systems. Wavefront offers translators for the following types of CAD data: IGES, SDRC's I-DEAS Finite Element Modeling and I-DEAS Solid and Assembly Modeling, PDA-Patran, Parametric Technology's Pro/ENGINEER, and AutoCAD DXF. The Visualizer Server can be used in conjunction with the Advanced Visualizer to maximize its performance. The server software allows compute-intensive rendering processes to be off-loaded to other systems. Wavefornt's Advanced Visualizer and Visualizer Server software are available now. The Advanced Visualizer is shipping at the special introductory price of $19,500 until end of June 1991. The Visualizer Server is currently available at $10,000. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Terry Whalen, Wavefront Technologies at 805-962-8117 or 800-545-wave ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.