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Customer Case Study - PLANCK
1. IBM Case Study
The Paris Astrophysics Institute
launches new satellite research with a
high-performance solution from IBM
Overview
■ Challenge
To fit faster, more advanced and
upgradeable computing and
storage equipment in a small
space in order to support new
satellite research
■ Solution
Implementing an IBM System x
iDataPlex server cluster to
deliver over 10 teraflops of
computing power, and an
IBM System Storage DCS9900
with IBM General Parallel File
System (GPFS) technology to
manage massive amounts
of data The Paris Astrophysics Institute (IAP) is “ The IBM iDataPlex
■ Benefits a laboratory of France’s National Center
Processes 500 billion pieces of
system has
for Scientific Research (CNRS), a sci-
raw data, provides over 128 TB ence and technology agency of the
outperformed what we
of data storage capacity in a French government. Operating at the were promised.”
small data center footprint, and intersection of two fields of research, — Phillippe Parnaudeau, Manager
consumes 40 percent less the institute brings together astrophysi- for Physical Infrastructure,
energy than traditional systems cists from the Universe Sciences and Paris Astrophysics Institute
Physical Sciences divisions of CNRS. It
has a staff of 160 scientists, engineers,
technicians, administrators and gradu-
ate students.
2. The institute recently set about choosing a high-performance server to handle the
formidable tasks of gathering, storing and analyzing 500 billion pieces of raw data
collected by Planck—a European Space Agency satellite launched in 2009 to
search for the origins of the universe—and Planck’s High Frequency Instrument
(HFI). The only problem was that there was no data center space available to
house the new equipment.
Deploying maximum computing power in a minimal amount of space
In order to accommodate the computing requirements of the Planck project, IAP
was tasked with finding a solution that would increase computing power while
decreasing the amount of space required to house it. “These technical constraints
were spelled out in the specifications,” remarks Phillippe Parnaudeau, Manager for
Physical Infrastructure at IAP. “Our computer room already contains other servers
and cannot be expanded.”
But size was just one part of the challenge. “We also wanted the new system to
have a thermal protective coating and use no more than 50 kW of power,” says
Parnaudeau. To address both space constraints and power concerns, the Institute
turned to IBM and IBM Business Partner Serviware, a major player in High
Performance Computing (HPC) cluster integration. IBM and Serviware came up
with a new, high-performance solution tailored to the computer engineers’ scientific
and physical needs.
Drawing on the strengths of IBM System x iDataPlex
The IBM System x® iDataPlex™ solution was an ideal choice for the Planck proj-
ect. The system takes up an area only 7.2 meters long and 1.2 meters wide, but
can process billions of pieces of raw data. The solution delivers high computation
performance and ease of management, while saving on space, energy consump-
tion, and cooling costs.
The IBM System Storage™ DCS9900 disk storage system is specifically designed
to address the dense storage needs of high-performance computing environments.
The combination of a System x iDataPlex cluster and System Storage DCS9900
disk storage system meets the Institute’s demanding performance criteria for pro-
cessing capability, volumetrics and input/output speed—while at the same time
accommodating the computer room’s space and energy consumption constraints.
Realizing the benefits of high processing power and storage capacity
The 140-node System x iDataPlex cluster runs the Linux® operating system and
boasts 3 GHz Intel® Xeon® quad core processors delivering over 10 teraflops of
power for 9 teraflops on demand. The DCS9900 disk storage server, which is
3. connected to 140 servers, has 160 disks, for a useful capacity of 128 TB—ideal for
Solution Components
heavy computation applications. A network file system (NFS) storage unit rounds
out the configuration by providing an additional 220 GB of disk capacity. ● IBM System x® iDataPlex™ cluster
IBM GPFS™ technology helps provide swift, reliable access to data. ● IBM System x3650
● IBM System x3850 M2
Three IBM System x3650 servers running Linux were deployed to administrate
● IBM System Storage™ DCS9900
the server nodes, while one IBM System x3850 M2 server is used as a large
memory server. The interconnection InfiniBand network delivers a bandwidth of
2.5 GB per second and latency below 4 microseconds.
The configuration combines high processing power with a reduced footprint and
electrical consumption 40 percent below that of traditional systems, or 50 kW max-
imum. Parnaudeau also appreciates how quiet the systems are, describing it as
“another plus that improves the working environment for the systems engineer.”
The solution enables two levels of storage hardware, providing a parallel architec-
ture system for a read-write throughput of 2 to 3 GB and another less rapid system
for storing intermediate results.
“The IBM iDataPlex system has outperformed what we were promised,” says
Parnaudeau. “IBM kept its word and Serviware met our expectations for service
quality.”
A seamless solution for processing and storing massive amounts of data
The IBM solution fits into a modest-sized area while still delivering very high pro-
cessing capabilities. Users and IT engineers worked closely together to set it up
and fine-tune it so that it would be up and running on the day Planck was put
into orbit.
Now, the Planck project’s chief scientists, Jean-Loup Puget, Jean-Michel Lamarre,
and Francois R. Bouchet, and their teams are using this ultra-high-performing solu-
tion to measure with unsurpassed accuracy the fossil radiation that bathes the uni-
verse. Aided by France’s HFI scientific instrument, which was developed by CNRS
and the French National Space Center (CNES) and was loaded onboard the satel-
lite, they will draw maps of the entire sky with 50 million pixels each. The maps will
provide long-awaited clues to the mysteries of the universe. Initial project data is
expected to be published in 2013.
