CONTACT: Ken Orgill, Assoc. Provost, Information Technology (304) 293-2550
West Virginia University installs IBM "Deep Blue" supercomputer
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. --West Virginia University has installed an IBM RS/6000 Supercomputer to run its new data center.
The new supercomputer is based on the same technology as the one made famous during the "Deep Blue" chess match. However it will be twice as fast as the Deep Blue supercomputer, and it will be one of the largest computers in West Virginia.
The computer, which will be in operation next spring after a trial period, is a key part of the University's "Integration 2000" plan, designed to enhance the institution's information technology efficiency and ensure that all of its technology is Year 2000 compliant.
With the IBM RS/6000 SP Supercomputer, the University will be able to integrate its five campuses' data processing centers into one and improve the delivery of information services to its students, faculty and staff, said WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.
"We're looking to technology to help in our efforts to be more efficient and better serve our students and the state," he said. "We want this institution to be firmly planted in the center of technological advances--both in terms of the education we offer our students and the ways we integrate our offices and information systems."
WVU has regional campuses in Keyser, Parkersburg, Charleston and Montgomery, in addition to its Morgantown main campus.
The computer will perform a variety of processing functions for the University, including all its Oracle-based applications. WVU formed a partnership with Oracle, the nation's largest supplier of information management software, early this year to provide the school's financial and human resources management datatabase system. These systems will allow WVU to become a demonstration site for the latest information management advances.
"This is a hardware platform that will take us into the millennium; that can be scaled to meet future needs when our requirements increase for Oracle or the proposed library system," said Ken Orgill, the University's chief information technology officer. "I'm very excited about the advances in technology that have enabled us to purchase this kind of computer, with 10 times more power than we could have bought three years ago for the same price."
The computer is powerful and easy to manage, said David Swartz, WVU's director of Systems and Network Services.
"The beauty of this machine lies in the fact that it has 40 Central Processing Units (CPUs) that can be partitioned and applied to concurrent processing projects--yet it can all be maintained and managed as one machine," he said. "By using this machine we can consolidate dozens of existing servers, which will significantly reduce the cost of systems management. We look forward to redirecting some of these computing resources toward services for faculty and students."
Referring to the May 1997 chess match in which the IBM "Deep Blue" Supercomputer won against Garry Kasparov, William Rodrigues, general manager - North America, for IBM's Global Education group, said the computer is good at more than just chess. "While the IBM RS/6000 SP made its initial claim to fame during the Deep Blue chess match, the technology behind it is also playing a leading role in delivering solutions for some of the most complex, large administrative and research problems faced by universities today," he said. "Designed for performance and scalability, the IBM SP system is ideal for WVU since it can easily process a variety of computationally intense, large-scale data applications required by the University."
In addition to the Oracle-based applications, WVU is also planning to move its extensive online library system to this new computer, and since the IBM SP's configuration allows for easy upgrades, it will also enable WVU to scale its system to support additional state colleges as needed. The University's selection of the IBM AIX operating system will also facilitate integration of this new system into WVU's intranet strategy as well.
Also, the University recently joined Internet2, the next-generation Internet, which is designed specifically for leading research institutions. For more information: www.hied.ibm.com/news/bulletin/westvirginia.html
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