14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is offering a variety of resources focused on its Windows OS for supercomputers centralized in an online destination aimed at developers and IT professionals. The Windows HPC Server 2008 Resource Kit provides a consistent volume of content, from videos to webcasts, to whitepapers and to additional documentation, all offered for free by the software giant. The website hosting the Windows HPC Server 2008 Resource Kit offers a general perspective over the latest version of Windows for supercomputers, but also content tailored specifically to developers and IT professionals.
“The HPC kit is a great collection of technical documents, presentations and training for developer and IT Professionals. Everything you need to get started and beyond in one convenient place,” revealed Will Volker, a Microsoft evangelist. “You may have received the previous version on a memory stick at an event like SC08 or TechEd or PDC. Just click on the “Online resource kit” link on the first page and you have access to the updated content. Both, offline content and content on the website have been updated and we will be handing out new memory sticks starting at TechEd.”
Windows HPC Server 2008 is essentially the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008 adapted to HPC architectures. But what is important to emphasize is that the Resource Kit does not deal exclusively with Windows HPC Server 2008. In this regard, Microsoft has made sure to also deliver content on additional technologies aimed for the High Performance Computing market. Developer tools for parallel computing scenarios are just such an example.
“Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive parallel programming environment for Windows HPC Server 2008. In addition to supporting OpenMP, MPI, and WCF Web Services, Windows HPC Server 2008 also supports third-party numerical library providers, performance optimizers, compilers, and a native parallel debugger for developing and troubleshooting parallel programs,” Microsoft explained.