Cloud Computing and Me

This past week I did something which I have never done before: I helped to set up a cluster to be used for cloud computing. The cluster is not yet fully armed and operational, but it’s getting there. I met up with my friend Mike one afternoon shortly after he and another of our classmates had finished putting a server rack together. We then loaded eight Dell GX270′s onto the rack and started the long and arduous process of cable management and wiring the machines together. The wiring itself went fast, but we spend about an hour and a half just working on the cable management to ensure that everything looked nice and we had easy access to everything we needed.

Once we finished with the wiring it was time to begin the OS installs. For this cluster we chose to use CentOS 6.1 since that’s what the folks over at Eucalyptus suggested we use. Sadly we were only able to get the OS up and running on two of the machines before we both had to leave to attend to other obligations.

I am very much looking forward to learning more about cloud computing. Before last Wednesday I had never set up a cluster and now I know how to use a KVM and all the other various gadgets and tech goodies that go along with setting up a cluster/server. Now I get to look forward to learning how to turn eight individual machines into a cluster, followed by learning how to use that cluster for cloud storage and processing. We aren’t even halfway through the semester and I’ve already learned a lot so I cannot wait to see what the following weeks have in store.