Power Tools 1993 November - Disc 2/Power Tools Plus (Disc 2 of 2)(November 1993)(HP).iso/hotlines/wsyhl/tskbrsg.txt

Text File | 1993-06-16 | 22KB | 785 lines

HP Task Broker Version 1.1 Sales Guide

For Internal Use Only



[Figure: cover, photo (screen shot)]



(Authorized for Channel Partners)



Table of Contents

 Introduction                           1

 Organization of this Guide             1

 Unit 1: One Minute Summary             1

 Unit 2: Features and Benefits          2

 Unit 3: New Features in Version 1.1    3

 Unit 4: Markets and Opportunities

 for Task Broker                        4

   - Computational Clusters

   - DCE Interoperability

 Unit 5: Ordering Information           6

 Unit 6: The Competition                6

 Unit 7: Future Directions              7

   - Service Broker

   - Internationalization

   -Additional Platform Support

 Appendix: How Task Broker Works        9



Introduction

The HP Task Broker Sales Guide is a self-paced learning tool that will

help you sell Task Broker to appropriate accounts.



Organization of this Guide

The HP Task Broker Sales Guide contains an introduction and seven

separate units:

   Unit 1: One Minute Summary - Describes Task Broker features and

benefits.

   Unit 2: New Features in Version 1.1 - Includes plans for the Domain

version and interoperability issues with the prior version.

   Unit 3: Markets and Opportunities for Task Broker - Discusses two

areas of opportunity for Task Broker: Computational Clusters and DCE

Interoperability.

   Unit 4: Ordering Information - Lists part numbers and option

information.

   Unit 5: The Competition - Describes Task Broker's competitive

environment and the relative advantages of the Task Broker concept.

   Unit 6: Future Directions - Describes future enhancements planned for

the product.

   Appendix: How Task Broker Works - Gives a quick overview of how Task

Broker locates servers and distributes jobs.



Unit 1: One Minute Summary

HP Task Broker is a tool for distributing computational tasks and

enables users to transparently distribute compute jobs to other machines

in the network.



[Figure: page 1, illustration (A job is distributed transparently across

 the network) Caption: Task Broker Computing]



With HP Task Broker, the user can:

o  Distribute computational tasks among heterogeneous UNIX-based

computer systems

o  Benefit from greatly improved productivity, access to more compute

power when needed, and reduced hardware costs

o  Perform computational distribution without any changes to the

application itself

o  "Load Balance" a group of computer systems by transparently finding

the most available server for a computational task

o  Transparently target specific servers most appropriate for a

specialized task

o  Form a "computational cluster," which can replace a far more

expensive mainframe or supercomputer, and provide increased

availability, scalability, and reduced costs

o  Create a "heterogeneous cluster," allowing networks of machines from

multiple vendors to interoperate in a completely transparent fashion

   HP Task Broker runs on HP 9000 Series 300, 400, 600, 700, 800

computers running the HP-UX operating system, and Apollo DN 2500, 3500,

4500, 5500, and DN10000 workstations running Domain/OS. In addition,

Scientific Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has ported Task

Broker to the Sun3, Sun4, and SPARCstation platforms.



Unit 2: Features and Benefits



Task Broker Features

Task Broker offers a number of features that provide more efficient

access to compute resources across a network:

o  Application code does not have to be recompiled to be run by Task

Broker.

o  Task Broker automatically sends results back to the submitting

machine. Mail messages can be sent to notify the user that the job is

complete.

o  Servers and clients are added to the network equipped with Task

Broker simply by hooking the machine to a LAN, updating the central Task

Broker configuration file to include the new client/server, and starting

the Task Broker daemon on the new machine.

o  Task Broker provides an accounting of services used on a given

server.

o  The number of applications running on a computer can be limited.

o  Users can control the use of their computer as a server. For example,

users can specify that their workstations be accessed only at night.



Task Broker Benefits

Task Broker has the following benefits:

o  More efficient access to compute resources (i.e., load balancing) --

Task Broker assigns jobs to the server node, whether a specialized

server platform or unused workstation - whichever is most appropriate at

the time. For example, a high-end compute server is obviously better for

solving compute-intensive simulations such as finite element analysis.

However, if this server is overloaded and a workstation that could do an

adequate job is left idle, the overall productivity of the computer

environment suffers.

o  Improved productivity and products -- By allowing multiple compute

jobs to run in parallel or on faster systems, performance is

dramatically improved. Users may use the time saved to run more jobs in

a given time period to improve product design or shorten development

time.

o  Greater flexibility and ease of accessing multiple servers -- The

fact that all users get access to each other's idle cycles makes for a

winning proposition for the entire work group.

o  Access to heterogeneous computers -- You can build a cooperative

computing environment. For example, a task submitted from an HP 9000

Series 700 workstation may be serviced by a Series 300 or SUN4

workstation, or vice versa.



Unit 3: New Features in Version 1.1

Features

The new release of Task Broker is HP-UX only. It is an attempt to

significantly improve the product's ease of use, especially in the areas

of configuration, setup, and administration. Specifically, Task Broker

now has the following additional features:

o  A Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been added, greatly improving

the product's usability. The GUI provides a visual interface to most of

the Task Broker command set and configuration information. Task Broker

administration is greatly simplified. In addition, task status,

monitoring, and control information is provided for the end user.

o  Centralized configuration management has been added to the new

release. This feature allows the entire Task Broker installation to be

initialized using a single group configuration file, and to be

administered from any single machine site.

 An integrated forms-based configuration editor provides for easier and

more robust administration of Task Broker information. The configuration

syntax is simpler and checking is done during the editing session.

o  An online, context-sensitive help sub-system, utilizing HP's Cache

Creek product, contributes to Task Broker's overall ease-of-use by

providing usage information when it's needed.



HP-UX vs. Domain

HP Task Broker version 1.1 is an HP-UX only release. It is planned that

the product will ported to the Sun platform by SAIC. The intention is to

continue to enhance the HP-UX version and to discontinue further

enhancements to the Domain version of the product. There are several

factors motivating this decision:

o  Increased focus on HP-UX product. The preference is to focus our R&D

resources on continuing to enhance the HP-UX version. This will help to

increase the customer responsiveness of the Task Broker development

team.

o  Configuration limitations with Domain. This version of Task Broker

has several Motif-based ease-of-use enhancements. Although use of the

GUI is optional, Domain configurations of 32MB of memory would be

necessary to run the associated software. This would limit the number of

Domain machines able to make use of the new functionality.

o  Interoperability will continue. The Domain Task Broker client/servers

will continue to interoperate with the clients and servers of the new

release. Therefore, the Domain version can continue to assist in the

Domain to HP-UX migration task with no loss of functionality for the

typical Task Broker user on Domain.



Interoperability with Task Broker Version 1.02

The new Task Broker release is being designed to work in existing Task

Broker installations, thereby enhancing the functionality of those

installations. Therefore, the new version will interoperate with the

previous version of Task Broker, specifically Domain, HP-UX and Sun

(available from SAIC) version 1.02.



Interoperability in this context is defined as follows:

o  The new version of Task Broker will be able to use existing scripts,

such as configuration files and submit scripts, without modification

o  A Task Broker installation can have new and old daemons coexisting

and interoperating -- i.e., the new Task Broker daemons will be able to

communicate with existing daemons to perform server and client

functions, and vice versa

   Of course, existing scripts may need to be modified to take advantage

of the features of the new release, but changes are not required for the

new version to be used with today's functionality.

   For example, in a mixed Task Broker installation consisting of new

and old versions of Task Broker, the new HP-UX version of Task Broker

can be installed on the machines running HP-UX, any of which could then

be used as a Task Broker administration node. In this way, the new

administrative features can be taken advantage of with minimal effort

and without requiring the upgrade of all Task Broker nodes.



Unit 4: Markets and Opportunities for Task Broker

Computational Clusters

A market opportunity with great sales potential is that of Computational

Clusters. A Computational Cluster is a group of workstations networked

together and used as a virtual single computational resource. The

motivation behind this concept comes from customers who are downsizing

from a single compute server, such as a mainframe or supercomputer, or

customers who have compute-intensive tasks that can execute more

effectively on a cluster of workstations, because of the desire to

achieve parallelism or use a centralized server.

   Task Broker enables the cluster to act as a virtual mainframe, rather

than as a group of discrete machines. Task Broker allows the cluster to

be viewed by its users as a single resource, and can significantly

increase the performance of the cluster by locating the most appropriate

compute resource within the cluster.

   The advantages of the computational cluster over the resource that it

is intended to replace are several:

o  The cluster can be considerably less expensive than a mainframe

o  The cluster is modular and, therefore, more easily upgradable

o  The cluster can consist of workstations that may already exist in the

workgroup

   HP has a partnership agreement with Convex to jointly market

Computational Cluster hardware and software. Although NQS+ has been

ported to run on HP Series 700 workstations, this product is only

available through Convex. Task Broker has not yet been ported to run on

Convex hardware. A recommendation of NQS+ versus Task Broker should be

based on customer preference after clearly describing the advantages of

each.

   For more information on Computational Clusters, contact Diana

Headrick at telnet 436-5212, or refer to the Computational Clusters

Sales Guide part number 5091-7428E.



DCE Interoperability

The Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) provides a common framework

for distributed application development and execution in a network of

heterogeneous computer systems. Today's Task Broker already benefits

from, and can make use of, many DCE services. Since DCE was designed to

provide benefits without necessarily requiring changes to existing

applications, Task Broker may invoke applications that explicitly use

DCE services without modification. Specifically:

o  Remote Procedure Call -- An application written using RPC can be

distributed to a workgroup by Task Broker without modification to either

the application or to Task Broker.

o  Time Service -- The host machines in a compute group can use DTS to

keep their clocks synchronized. This can greatly simplify the management

of the Task Broker installation since, for example, its daemon log files

will have their time stamps synchronized.

o  Directory Services -- Applications that make use of CDS and GDS can

be managed by Task Broker without restriction.

o  Threads -- As with RPC, a multithreaded application can be

distributed by Task Broker without modification.

o  Distributed File System -- This feature is not only compatible with

Task Broker, but will greatly simplify distributed access in the Task

Broker workgroup.

o  Diskless Support -- Task Broker will operate on diskless machines

without modification.

   For Task Broker to take further advantage of DCE services, such as by

use of the security service, it must become fully integrated with DCE.

This will require internal changes to Task Broker, which are planned for

the future.

   As is clear from the above, Task Broker and DCE are complementary and

have the potential of enhancing each other's services in their current

form. For more information on this subject, contact Laura Boivin at

telnet 436-4484 and request a copy of "Task Broker and DCE

Interoperability."



Unit 5: Ordering Information

HP-UX Product Information (New Release)

B1740L      Task Broker License to use up to 10 computers

B1741L      Task Broker License to use up to 50 computers

B1742L      Task Broker Site License

B1732B      Media and Documentation for Task Broker HP-UX Software.

Requires prior or concurrent purchase of B1740/1/2L. Must specify media

option.

#AAH  Software on 4mm DDS DAT tape

#AAU  Software on CD-ROM



Domain Product Information (Unchanged)

B1740L      Task Broker License to use up to 10 computers

B1741L      Task Broker License to use up to 50 computers

B1742L      Task Broker Site License

B1743A      Media and Documentation for Task Broker Domain Software.

Requires prior or concurrent purchase of B1740/1/2L. Must order Opt. AAQ

#AAQ  Software on 1/4-inch cartridge tape



Unit 6: The Competition

Task Broker is a software tool that provides the user with the ability

to distribute "compute jobs." The assumption is that in most cases the

user is interested in:

o  a tool that will require no changes to the application to perform its

function.

o  having the job executed as efficiently as possible, and is not

interested in controlling the placement of jobs.

o  distributing tasks at the application level, for example, rather than

at the procedure level.



This puts Task Broker in the class of software tools that assist in

"batch processing," with the following competition:

NQS and NQS/Exec from Sterling Software

NQS+ from Convex Computer Corporation *

Load Balancer from Freedman Sharp and Associates Inc.

Load Leveler from IBM

DQS from Florida State University

NetMake from Aggregate Computing Inc.

   The primary difference between Task Broker and the other products is

that Task Broker is designed to operate in a truly distributed

environment. The competition is based on the concept of a centralized

compute server, such as a supercomputer, being accessed by multiple

users.

   The compute server in the NQS model either queues and executes the

job locally, or dispatches the job to another server. The central

dispatching machine determines server availability through the use of a

locally resident data base file that tracks such parameters as CPU and

memory utilization of the server machines. This architecture has the

disadvantage of having the network information reside on a single

server, which makes the entire system dependent on the availability of

that machine.

   Task Broker's advantage is that it is not dependent on any single

machine for the successful operation of the compute group. Any single

machine failure results in the failing machine being automatically

avoided by Task Broker's bidding mechanism (for an explanation of how

Task Broker works, see the Appendix).

   For a more complete discussion and technical comparison of Task

Broker to other competitive offerings, contact Laura Boivin at telnet

436-4484 and request a copy of "Task Broker Competitive Information."



Unit 7: Future Directions

Service Broker

Task Broker's ability to transparently distribute jobs to optimum server

locations would make a useful addition to many third-party applications.

Bundling Task Broker into their application would allow software vendors

interested in distributing computational tasks from within their

application to do so by using Task Broker's services directly.

   The framework for this interface is in place in Version 1.1, and is

intended for completion in the next release. This product will be called

"Service Broker."

   This will represent a new market for Task Broker, and will fill a

pressing need for many application developers: direct access to the

compute resources of the network. An application can use the Service

Broker Application Programming Interface (API) to convert from a

"standalone" to a "client-server" compute model without having to build

the underlying infrastructure. This would result in greatly reduced

development costs for the third-party application developer, and a more

competitive product.

   Ideal customers for this product are those whose applications involve

compute-intensive operations, and who would like to distribute those

operations into a computer workgroup transparently.



Internationalized Versions

Version 1.1 has the framework for a future internationalized version of

Task Broker. Using this framework, the next release of Task Broker

should be localizable, i.e., GUI input and output text could be

translated into the local language, including the online documentation.



Additional Platform Support

Task Broker is currently ported to HP-UX, Domain and Sun. (The Sun port

of Task Broker is available through SAIC.) Additional platforms are

planned and will include the IBM RS6000 and SGI.



Appendix: How Task Broker Works

A machine running Task Broker can act as a client, a server, or both. A

Task Broker client is a submitter of jobs into the compute group; a Task

Broker server is a machine that provides services for clients. A single

instance of Task Broker, called the Task Broker "daemon," resides on

each client and server.



[Figure: page 8, illustration (A job request goes out across the newtork

 and is executed by the most suitable available system.)

 Captions: Service Request, The Winning Bid]



Each server provides one or more "services" for the workgroup, each of

which represents a specific compute job. Servers can provide any number

of services, and services can be provided by one or more servers (which

would be necessary to load balance a compute group).



The Task Broker clients and servers interact to distribute and execute

jobs in the following manner:

o  A user submits a request for a service to the local daemon (client)

o  The daemon sends a message to the group of servers, requesting bids

to service the submitted job

o  The servers compute their bid, or "affinity value," for the requested

service, based on their availability to accept the job

o  The client waits a preset amount of time for the servers to return

their bids, and selects the server with the highest bid

o  The server executes the job according to the instructions in the

local execution script

o  At job completion, the server returns the output files to the client

which are then placed in the users working directory.

A few important points to remember from the above description are:

o  Since the bids are computed dynamically for each job request, the

jobs are automatically serviced by the most appropriate machine

o  A failing machine will automatically be avoided by this bidding

mechanism

o  Since the same machine can act as both a client and a server, the

local daemon can service requests if it is the most appropriate machine

   For more detailed information on the inner workings of Task Broker,

refer to the product manuals.

UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories in the U.S.

and other countries.

The information contained in this document is subject to change without

notice.



Copyright (copyright symbol) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1993

Printed in U.S.A. 4/93

5091-7456E