Anticipated Questions

Is this an effort to standardize cluster computing ?
No, The Agenda is not designed to set standards. It is designed to find common ground between best practices and challenges that face the community. The agenda will be a road map to help new and existing users navigate all that is available to the cluster community.

There seems to be many of these types of cluster projects/meetings/conferences why is this different?
The large number of cluster efforts/projects/products/meetings/conferences is the very reason for this initiative. Think of the Cluster Agenda as a umbrella that covers everything "cluster" going on in the world today. It is intended to the first document consulted when someone is looking for cluster information.

Who is behind this effort?
The genesis of the idea came from the discussions within the community. Specifically, Tom Sterling, Jeff Layton, Glen Otero, Dan Stanzione, and Douglas Eadline began talking about these issues in various groups and various times at SC2004. A commitment of time and resources has been made by ClusterMonkey.net.

How will this help cluster users ?
As a community we have come a long way. We believe that taking stock of where we are and where we need to go will be invaluable to everyone involved. Although multiple competing efforts help create a robust environment for users, working together and identifying common elements and goals is essential to continued growth. In the past the Beowulf/Cluster community has been a model for this type of development. In recent years, the growth of cluster computing has outstripped the ability of community members to "get handle on" the successes and challenges within the community. A community road map will serve everyone.

How will this help cluster vendors ?
Let's be honest. As vendor you want to sell more products to the HPC cluster market. By helping to grow the market, your potential to sell more products increases. By supporting the Agenda, you have the opportunity to help the community mature and grow. For new comers the Cluster Agenda will help demonstrate a maturing market ready for the next stage of growth. This growth is expected to include new applications from independent software vendors and new market commercial market segments.

How will this help introduce people to cluster computing ?
Those who are interested in cluster computing will be able to see the large amount of progress and maturity in the market. They will have information that guides them through the many choice points available to cluster users. In addition, the Agenda will identify challenge areas where work is continuing. It is easier to enter an unknown area with road map.

Will the document be freely available ?
Yes. It is a document generated by the community for the community. We plan on the first Agenda to be released in Q1 of 2006.

Why not just make this part of Wikipedia ?
The Wikipedia project is quite impressive and a valuable resource. The Cluster Agenda has a different goal and thus is not the same as the Wikipedia. For instance, in order to edit/add to The Cluster Agenda, you must be registered with a valid email address. This requirement ensures that the Agenda will not be edited anonymously as is done with the Wikipedia. In addition, we plan on publishing Agenda "snap shots" to create reference points in the Agenda process.

Why must I register to add content ?
While the anonymous wiki is a great concept, it does rely on the fact the a large amount of people will be viewing and correcting errors. With a smaller population, such as the cluster community, we do not have the luxury of such a large audience. Indeed, a totally open wiki would be an invitation for spam pages and blatant advertisements that would require time to clean up and correct. If you have any concerns about registering, please consult our Privacy Policy. And remember, you don't need to be registered to view The Cluster Agenda.