License

p4sock.o: this module implements the kernel based ParaStation5 communication protocol.

e1000_glue.o, bcm5700_glue.o: these modules enable even more efficient communication to the network drivers coming with ParaStation5 (see below).

p4tcp.o: this module provides a feature called "TCP bypass". Thus, applications using standard TCP communication channels on top of Ethernet are able to use the optimized ParaStation5 protocol and therefore achieve improved performance.

No modifications of the application, even no relinking is necessary to use this feature. To gain best performance, relinking with the MPI library provided by ParaStation is recommended.

To enable the maximum performance on Gigabit Ethernet, ParaStation5 comes with its own set of network drivers. These drivers are based on standard device drivers for the corresponding NICs and especially tuned for best performance within a cluster environment. They will also support all standard communication and protocols. To enable best performance within an Ethernet-based cluster, these drivers should replace their counterparts currently configured within the kernel.

ParaStation currently comes with drivers for Intel (e1000) and Broadcom (bcm5700) network interface controllers. Dedicated helper modules (glue modules) for these drivers decrease the latency even more.

ParaStation is also able to use all standard Ethernet network drivers configured into the Linux kernel. However, to get the best performance, the use of the provided drivers is recommended, if applicable.

2.4. License

This version of ParaStation does not require a dedicated license key to run. But usage of the software implies the acceptance of the license!

For licensing details, refer to Appendix B, ParaStation license.

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ParaStation5 Administrator's Guide

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PAR Technologies V5 manual License