Power Tools 1993 November - Disc 1/Power Tools Plus (Disc 1 of 2)(November 1993)(HP).iso/wkst/50917456/50917456.txt

Text File | 1993-06-28 | 20KB | 394 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