Commodity computing: Difference between revisions

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'''Commodity computing''' (also known as '''commodity cluster computing''') involves the use of large numbers of already-available computing components for [[parallel computing]], to get the greatest amount of useful computation at low cost.<ref>{{cite web

'''Commodity computing''' is quite simply, computing done on commodity computers as opposed to supermicrocomputers or boutique computers.

| accessdate = 2010-03-07

| author = John E. Dorband

| author2= Josephine Palencia Raytheon |author3= Udaya Ranawake

| publisher = Goddard Space Flight Center

| title = Commodity Computing Clusters at Goddard Space Flight Center

| url = http://spacejournal.ohio.edu/pdf/Dorband.pdf

| quote = The purpose of commodity cluster computing is to utilize large numbers of readily available computing components for parallel computing to obtaining the greatest amount of useful computations for the least cost. The issue of the cost of a computational resource is key to computational science and data processing at GSFC as it is at most other places, the difference being that the need at GSFC far exceeds any expectation of meeting that need.

}}</ref> This is a useful alternative to high-cost [[superminicomputer]]s or boutique computers. Commodity computers are [[computer system]]s - manufactured by multiple vendors - incorporating components based on [[open standard]]s.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

== Characteristics ==

In the begining, computers were large, expensive, complex and proprietary. The move towards commodity computing began when [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] introduced the [[PDP-8]] in 1965. This was a computer that was relatively small and inexpensive enough that a department could purchase one without convening a meeting of the board of directors. The entire [[minicomputer]] industry sprang up to supply the demand for 'small' computers like the PDP-8. Unfortunately, each of the many different brands of minicomputers had to stand on their own because there was no software and very little hardware compatibility between them.

Such systems are said to be based on standardized computer components, since the standardization process promotes lower costs and less differentiation among vendors' products. Standardization and decreased differentiation lower the switching or exit cost from any given vendor, increasing purchasers' leverage and preventing [[vendor lock-in|lock-in]].

When the first general purpose [[microprocessor]] was introduced in 1974 it immediately began chipping away at the low end of the computer market, replacing [[embedded systems|embedded minicomputers]] in many industrial devices.

A governing principle of commodity computing is that it is preferable to have more low-performance, low-cost hardware working in parallel (scalar computing) (e.g. [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]] x86 [[Complex instruction set computing|CISC]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9154518/IBM_HP_servers_won_t_stop_x86_onslaught_on_Unix|title = IBM, HP servers won't stop x86 onslaught on Unix|date = 9 February 2010}}</ref>) than to have fewer high-performance, high-cost hardware items<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://research.google.com/pubs/DistributedSystemsandParallelComputing.html|title=Publications – Google Research}}</ref> (e.g. IBM [[POWER7]] or [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]]-[[Oracle Corporation|Oracle's]] [[SPARC]]<ref>[ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/common/ssi/pm/rg/n/poo03017usen/POO03017USEN.PDF ftp.software.ibm.com]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> [[Reduced instruction set computing|RISC]]). At some point, the number of discrete systems in a cluster will be greater than the [[mean time between failures]] (MTBF) for any hardware platform{{Dubious |sentence on fault tolerance/mtbf doesn't make sense|reason=Units don't match for compared items: 1st one is without unit and for the second one unit is time|date=September 2017}}, no matter how reliable, so [[fault tolerance]] must be built into the controlling software.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.2200/S00193ED1V01Y200905CAC006|title = The Datacenter as a Computer: An Introduction to the Design of Warehouse-Scale Machines|year = 2009|last1 = Barroso|first1 = Luiz André|last2 = Hölzle|first2 = Urs|journal = Synthesis Lectures on Computer Architecture|volume = 4|pages = 1–108|doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://insidehpc.com/2008/06/02/google-fellow-sheds-some-light-on-infrastructure-robustness-in-face-of-failure |title=Google Fellow sheds some light on infrastructure, robustness in face of failure &#124; insideHPC.com |access-date=2010-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810085127/http://insidehpc.com/2008/06/02/google-fellow-sheds-some-light-on-infrastructure-robustness-in-face-of-failure/ |archive-date=2011-08-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

This process accelerated in 1977 with the introduction of the first commodity - like computer, the [[Apple II]]. With the development of the [[Visicalc]] application in 1979, microcomputers broke out of the factory and began entering office suites in large quantities, but still thru the back door.

Purchases should be optimized on cost-per-unit-of-performance, not just on absolute performance-per-CPU at any cost.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

== History ==

The [[IBM PC]] was introduced in 1981 and immediately began displacing Apple II’s in the corporate world, but commodity computing as we know it today truly began when [[Compaq]] developed the first true IBM PC compatible. More and more PC compatible microcomputers began coming into big companies thru the front door and commodity computing was well established.

=== The mid-1960s to early 1980s ===

During the 80’s microcomputers began displacing ‘real’ computers in a serious way. At first, price was the key justification but by the mid 80’s, semiconductor technology had evolved to the point where microprocessor performance began to eclipse the performance of discrete logic designs. These traditional designs were limited by speed-of-light delay issues inherent in any CPU larger than a single chip, and performance alone began driving the success of microprocessor-based systems.

InThe the begining,first computers were large, expensive, complex and proprietary. The move towards commodity computing began when [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] introduced the [[PDP-8]] in 1965. This was a computer that was relatively small and inexpensive enough that a department could purchase one without convening a meeting of the board of directors. The entire [[minicomputer]] industry sprang up to supply the demand for 'small' computers like the PDP-8. Unfortunately, each of the many different brands of minicomputers had to stand on theirits own because there was no software and very little hardware compatibility between themthe brands.

When the first general purpose [[microprocessor]] was introduced in 19741971 ([[Intel 4004]]) it immediately began chipping away at the low end of the computer market, replacing [[embedded systemssystem|embedded minicomputers]] in many industrial devices.

The old systems began to fall, first minis, then [[supermini|superminis]], and finally [[mainframe|mainframes]]. By the mid 90’s, every computer made was a microcomputer, and most microcomputers were IBM PC compatibles. Although there was a time when every traditional computer manufacturer had its own proprietary micro-based designs there are only a few manufacturers of non-commodity computer systems today, but super microcomputers (like those of the IBM p, i, and z series) still own the high end of the market.

This process accelerated in 1977 with the introduction of the first commodity - like computer[[microcomputer]], the [[Apple II]]. With the development of the [[VisicalcVisiCalc]] application in 1979, microcomputers broke out of the factory and began entering office suites in large quantities, but still thruthrough the back door.

As the power of microprocessors continues to increase, there are fewer and fewer business computing needs that cannot be met with off-the shelf commodity computers. It is likely that the low end of the supermicrocomputer genre will continue to be pushed upward by increasingly powerful commodity microcomputers. There will be fewer non-commodity systems sold each year, resulting in fewer and fewer dollars available for non-commodity R&D, resulting in a continually narrowing performance gap between commodity microcomputers and proprietary supermicros.

=== The 1980s to mid-1990s ===

As the speed of [[Ethernet]] increases to 10 gigabits, the differences between [[multiprocessing|multiprocessor]] systems based on loosely coupled commodity microcomputers and those based on tightly coupled proprietary supermicro designs (like the IBM p-series) will continue to narrow and will eventually disappear.

The [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] was introduced in 1981 and immediately began displacing [[Apple II’sII]] systems in the corporate world, but commodity computing as we know it today truly began when [[Compaq]] developed the first true [[IBM PC compatible]]. More and more PC -compatible microcomputers began coming into big companies thruthrough the front door and commodity computing was well established.

During the 80’s1980s, microcomputers began displacing ‘real’larger computers in a serious way. At first, price was the key justification but by the midlate 80’s1980s and early 1990s, [[Very-large-scale integration|VLSI]] [[semiconductor]] technology had evolved to the point where microprocessor performance began to eclipse the performance of [[discrete logic]] designs. These traditional designs were limited by [[speed-of-light]] delay issues inherent in any CPU larger than a single chip, and performance alone began driving the success of microprocessor-based systems.

When 10 gigabit Ethernet becomes standard equipment in commodity microcomputer servers, multi-processor [[cluster]] or [[grid]] systems based on off-the-shelf commodity microcomputers and Ethernet switches will take over more and more computing tasks that can currently be performed only by high end models of proprietary supermicros like the IBM p-series, further eroding the viability of the supermicro industry.

By the mid-1990s, nearly all computers made were based on microprocessors, and the majority of general purpose microprocessors were implementations of the [[x86]] [[instruction set architecture]]. Although there was a time when every traditional computer manufacturer had its own proprietary micro-based designs, there are only a few manufacturers of non-commodity computer systems today.

See also [[commodity computer]]

=== Today ===

As the power of microprocessors continues to increaseToday, there are fewer and fewer general business computing needsrequirements that cannot be met with off-the -shelf commodity computers. It is likely that the low -end of the supermicrocomputer genre will continue to be pushed upward by increasingly powerful commodity microcomputers. There will be fewer non-commodity systems sold each year, resulting in fewer and fewer dollars available for non-commodity R&D, resulting in a continually narrowing performance gap between commodity microcomputers and proprietary supermicros.

== Deployment ==

* [[Amazon EC2]]

* [[Baidu]]

* [[Facebook]]

* [[Google Compute Engine]]

* [[ImageShack]]

* [[LinkedIn]]

* ''[[The New York Times]]''

* [[Twitter]]

* [[Yahoo!]]

== See also ==

* [[Commercial off-the-shelf]] (COTS)

* [[PlayStation 3 cluster]]

* [[Beowulf cluster]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110810085127/http://insidehpc.com/2008/06/02/google-fellow-sheds-some-light-on-infrastructure-robustness-in-face-of-failure/ Inside HPC]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100209210545/http://labs.google.com/papers/mapreduce-osdi04-slides/index-auto-0021.html Fault tolerance Handled via re-execution]

*[http://hadoop.apache.org/ HADOOP]

*[https://google-services.blogspot.com/2006/07/google-machine.html Google Commodity computing models]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160327235023/http://enterprisesystemsmedia.com/article/big-lie-revealed-commodity-servers-not-cheaper-than-mainframe The Big Lie Revealed]

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