Deploying InfiniBand Device Drivers with NetworkDirect Support in Windows HPC Server Step-by-Step Guide

Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008, Windows HPC Server 2008 R2

InfiniBand device drivers with NetworkDirect support can be deployed at the same time that you deploy the compute nodes in your Windows HPC Server cluster. This can be accomplished by deploying the compute nodes using a node template that has been specially configured for this purpose. This guide provides step-by-step procedures for deploying and configuring the head node in your cluster, creating the node template, deploying the compute nodes and the InfiniBand device drivers, and finally testing that your deployment has been successful.

Scenario overview

The process to deploy InfiniBand device drivers with NetworkDirect support is very similar to the general deployment process of an HPC cluster. Only a few extra steps are needed to install the device drivers on the head node, and to configure it to deploy the device drivers to the compute nodes. The following diagram explains the process.

Sections in this guide

This guide contains the following sections:

• Steps for Deploying InfiniBand Device Drivers with NetworkDirect Support in Windows HPC Server

  • Step 1: Prepare for Your Deployment

  • Step 2: Deploy and Configure the Head Node

  • Step 3: Create and Configure the Node Template

  • Step 4: Add the InfiniBand Device Drivers for the Operating System Images

  • Step 5: Add Compute Nodes to the Cluster

• Verification Steps: Test the Application Network

• Additional References