Parallel jobs or single-processor jobs?

• If you are going to run mostly highly parallel applications with demands for low latency between your compute nodes, you may want to invest in a fast network solution like SCI Network, Myrinet or InfiniBand. (40% of the hardware cost of a Monolith compute node was the SCI Network!)

• If you run mostly one-processor jobs with low communication demands, you can run slower networks, like Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet.

• You might even be able to run your jobs without a Beowulf cluster, by using underutilized personal computers in your organization!