Back by popular demand, the ARC at Georgetown University has for some strange reason decided to offer my Intermediate Beowulf Administration and Optimization course for a second time this March (18th-20th). The details and background are on the ARC HPC Training Page. Class size is limited, so if you have interest, sign up early. Course description is below. Excellent donuts.

Intermediate Beowulf Administration and Optimization

Overview:
Clusters are powerful computing devices. Often times, however, translating raw
 processor and network performance into real application performance is not a
simple "plug-and-play" proposition. Indeed, clusters have a certain level of 
latent performance that often goes unused. The goal of this course will be to
 provide system administrators and users with tools to ensure that their 
cluster(s) are running at their fullest potential. Emphasis will be placed on 
issues which can be be quickly and easily adjusted by the system administrator.

We will make a distinction between application optimization and system 
optimization. We will not cover application optimization (e.g. MPI coding) but 
rather focus on what administrators have under their direct control (i.e. the 
system).

Prerequisites:
Attendees should have a solid understanding and working knowledge of basic Linux
 cluster concepts including Linux networking, gcc and gfortran (g77), MPI, bash 
scripting,  Makefiles,  vi/emacs, using kernel modules, and basic system 
administration Other than bash scripting, C or Fortran  programming experience 
is not necessary, but helpful.

Day 1: Morning Section
Cluster Optimization: Finding more FLOPS
Why optimize or tune?
What we will tune (and what we will not)
Understanding the Art of Benchmarking
Benchmarking Tools and Applications
Understanding Terminology
Cluster Components and Typical Configurations

Day 1: Afternoon Section
Creating the Baseline (hands on benchmarking)
Single Node benchmarks
Network benchmarks
Application level benchmarks
Real Applications

Day 2: Morning
Beyond -03: Compilers, Cores, NFS, and 
Compiler Options
Libraries
Multi-core Optimization 
Operating System Parameters 
Understanding NFS and Clusters

Day 2: Afternoon
Improving the baseline (hands on benchmarking)
Compiler/Library Options
Multi-core Optimization 
Operating System Parameters 

Day 3: Morning
Interconnect Tuning and Optimization
Gigabit Ethernet
Infiniband (OFED)
Myrinet
MPI Options (OMPI, LAM, MPICH, MPICH2)

Day 3: Afternoon
Optimizing the Communication Stack
Using MPI Options (OMPI, LAM, MPICH, MPICH2)
Using Gigabit Ethernet Options
Using Infiniband (OFED)
Using Myrinet Options
Course Summary and Wrap-up