2.1 Node Hardware Overview

A cluster node is responsible for all activities and capabilities associated with executing an application program and supporting a sophisticated software environment. The process of application involves a large number of components. An application is actually executed on the main CPU. The CPU loads data from its cache and main memory into registers. All applications use peripherals, such as persistent storage or network transmission, for noncomputational tasks. All peripherals load data into or process data from main memory, where it can be accessed by the system CPU. Applications can be characterized in terms of these three basic operations:

Instruction execution: operating on data in registers, storing the results in term in registers. This operation is implemented entirely by the CPU.
Register loading: loading data from main memory or processor cache into processor registers to facilitate instruction execution. This operation involves the CPU, front-side bus, and system memory.
Peripheral usage: copying data across an I/O bus into or out of main memory to allow for a noncomputational task to occur. This operation involves the peripheral, the I/O bus, and the interface from the I/O bus into system memory, and system memory itself.

The system CPU is the main processor, on which most code is executed. A node may have more than one of these, operating in SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) mode. This processor will have some amount of cache. Cache is used for fast access to data in main memory. Cache is typically ten times faster than main memory, so it is advantageous to load data into cache before using it. Main memory is the location where running programs, including the operating system, store all data. It is not persistent; data that should survive beyond a reboot is copied to some persistent medium, such as a hard disk. An I/O bus connects main memory with all peripherals. The peripherals (disk controllers, network controllers, video cards, etc.) operate by manipulating data from main memory. For example, a disk write will occur by copying data across the I/O bus to the disk controller. The disk controller will then actually write the data to disk.

In detail, when an application is executed, it is loaded from disk or some other persistent storage into main memory. When execution actually begins, parts of the application are copied into processor cache. From here, the data is written into on-processor registers, where the processor can directly access it. When the processor is done with this data, it is copied back out to main memory. When the application is dependent on data from a peripheral (e.g., data read from hard disk, or data received on a network interface) loading data into registers becomes much more complex. For example, a kernel call will result in a disk controller's reading of data from hard disk into local storage on the controller. The controller will copy the data across the I/O bus to system main memory, from which it can be loaded into registers for the processor to operate on. Each of these steps is faster than the proceeding step; indeed, there are several orders of magnitude difference between the speeds of the first step and the last step. All applications can be characterized in terms of these basic three types of activities.