Funding The Cluster Documentation Project

Background

The Cluster Documentation Project (CDP) seeks funding to create an open community documentation resource that focuses on High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters. The content areas will cover a wide range of both hardware and software issues and is planned to include basic HPC fundamentals, parallel programming, HPC Cloud, GPU computing, software tools and applications, system design and procurement, and more. The project is expected to have a high impact on both users and vendors.

What You Get And What We Need

The project will focus on "how to" information and essential background information. The resource will be created on-line as a wiki similar to Wikipedia and will be open and shareable. It will also be possible to create books directly from the wiki content. The entire wiki and any derived books will be available under a Creative Commons license. That is, readers are free to re-use, improve, republish the information provided they keep the original author(s) attribution and do not charge for the content.

Community members can contribute content the CDP. The project is seeking to raise $20,000 to support a design/managing editor, copy editors, writers, and graphic artists so the content can be produced and presented in a professional fashion. The more we funds we raise the bigger and better the result! Total funds are expected to be used in the following proportions:

• Design/managing editor: 25%
• Copy editor: 20%
• Writers: 45%
• Graphics artists: 7%
• Web site 3%

The project will also create books directly from the wiki using the WikiBooks module. At a minimum one new book will be professional produced each year. Books will be freely available in Open Document Format (ODF - OpenOffice format), PDF, and as paper books using print on demand. The inaugural book will be entitled Essential HPC: Practical high performance concepts, techniques, and procedures and serve as an introduction to HPC.

The Impact

An open reservoir of documentation will help grow the community and market. HPC users and vendors are free to use any CDP content for their own projects and products as long as the license terms are maintained. A professional up-to-date documentation resource will bring HPC to new users and markets.

Experience

The principal Editor of the CDP expected to be Douglas Eadline, a practitioner and a chronicler of the Linux Cluster HPC revolution. He has worked with HPC systems since 1988 and is a co-author of the original Beowulf How To document. Prior to starting and editing the popular " Cluster Monkey web site in 2005, he served as Editor-in-chief for ClusterWorld Magazine. He has written numerous articles that have appeared in both print and web based publications and was selected by AMD to write the short, but popular, book High Performance Computing for Dummies.

Reward Levels

	Supporter Contribution: $25. Name placed in donors page in Wiki. Can use "Supporter" Badge on website. Platinum Supporter Contribution: $95. Same as above and name placed on donor page in inaugural book and exclusive limited print edition of inaugural book.
	Silver Corporate Sponsor Contribution: $500. Six month banner advertisement on Wiki. Company/Organization name listed on Silver Corporate Sponsor Page. Can display Silver Sponsor Badge for 6 months on company website and collateral material. Single copy of limited print edition of inaugural book.
	Gold Corporate Sponsor Contribution: $1000 Twelve month banner advertisement on Wiki. Company/Organization name listed on Wiki Gold Corporate Sponsor Page with link. Name listed in Gold Corporate Sponsor Page of any book produced during 12 month term. Can display Gold Sponsor Badge for twelve months on company website and collateral material. Ten copies of limited print edition of inaugural book.
	Platinum Founding Corporate Sponsor Contribution: $5000 Five year banner advertisement on Wiki. Company name and logo listed on Wiki in Platinum Founding Corporate Sponsor Page with link (does not expire). Name listed in Founding Corporate Sponsor Page of any book produced within five years. Can display Platinum Founding Sponsor Badge on company website or collateral material for five years. Twenty five copies of limited print edition of inaugural book.