Tax return is in

Well late really, last two years after tax department started writing letters.

Serve them right as I got a quite hefty lump sum out of it.

So, after agonising over what to do about GPU based system, I decided I am only dabbling so I opted to simply get an ODROID-XU4 so that I can at least run OpenCL under Python.

Mind you, after toying with Chapel on my quad-core Odriod C1, I will be interested in the Octa-Core Xu4.  I did splurge and get an 32GB eMMC 5.0 with Linux.

I went this way as even now the Jetson TK1 is available (as its now obsolete) in Australia, I am rather more interested now in Chapel.   Not to mention that Chapel appears to be a better approach than Cuda.  That is the appeal, you can take your Chapel code and just change the underlying engine.

So, my cluster will be one ODROID-XU4 and four ODROID-C1.  So, 24 cores all up (not taking the general purpose GPU on the XU4 into account).

Oh, and the 18 cores the Parallella adds.  You do know there is an Erlang for the Parralella don’t you?

I am in parallel programming heaven.

The thing that makes it all possible is the 9 port POE switch and a gaggle of active POE splitters (48V down to 5V) – you don’t need n-power packs on your wall.

Don’t forget TTY+ (MPutty) or some other multiple session tool.

Built into the guts of an old game PC case my mate gave me, so the wife will never know.

If I need more grunt a NVDIA card maybe later, in an 8-core PC, maybe.

However, PhD submission draft this weekend so dabbling is all that I will have time for.