Service Nodes; Login Server Function; Figure 3-6 Example Rear View Of A 1U Service Node - Silicon Graphics ICE X User Manual

3: System Overview

Service Nodes

Login Server Function

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The functionality of the service "nodes" listed in this subsection are all services that can
technically be shared on a single hardware server unit. System scale, configuration and number of
users generally determines when you add more servers (nodes) and dedicate them to these service
functions. However, you can also have a smaller system where several of the services are
combined on just a single service node. Figure 3-6 shows an example rear view of a 1U service
node. Note that dedicated fabric management nodes are recommended on 8-rack or larger systems.
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Keyboard
Figure 3-6 Example Rear View of a 1U Service Node
The login server function within the ICE system can be functionally combined with the I/O
gateway server node function in some configurations. One or more per system are supported. Very
large systems with high levels of user logins may use multiple dedicated login server nodes. The
login node functionality is generally used to create and compile programs, and additional login
server nodes can be added as the total number of user logins increase. The login server is usually
the point of submittal for all message passing interface (MPI) applications run in the system. An
MPI job is started from the login node and the sub-processes are distributed to the ICE system's
compute nodes. Another operating factor for a login server is the file system structure. If the node
is NFS-mounting a network storage system outside the ICE system, input data and output results
will need to pass through for each job. Multiple login servers can distribute this load.
Figure 3-7 shows the front and rear connectors and interface slots on a 2U service node.
VGA Port
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