Marist College Beefs Up HPC with IBM z114 Hybrid Mainframe

Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY is expanding its high-performance computing capabilities with a new hybrid computing system from IBM for AIX and Linux applications.

The latest computer installation comes courtesy of a $680,000 grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation Program to Marist's School of Computer Science and Mathematics. Marist College, which has 5,350 students, has been doing high-performance computing work with IBM since 1988, when the two organizations set up a joint study arrangement. Under the partnership, the school's community works with IBM research and development staff on emerging technology initiatives. That includes IBM involvement in the Marist College Institute for Data Center Professionals, which delivers training on enterprise computing.

The school purchased a mid-sized IBM z114 mainframe with a zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX). zBX houses IBM Power7 blades and System x blades for deploying AIX and Linux applications and optimizers for specific types of workloads.

According to the college, the z114 provides a hybrid computing architecture to more efficiently support workloads that span virtual operating system platforms. For example, if a project requires a statistics library running on AIX and Cognos on Linux on System z, those two virtual machines could be defined as a single workload.

The system resides in the college's Enterprise Computing Research (ECR) Lab. The school will use the mainframe for research and staff training. The new computing resources will also be made available to members of the Enterprise Computing Community, an organization consisting of eight academic and nine corporate members and focused on improving undergraduate education in large systems.

In 2010 IBM had opened a new manufacturing facility in Poughkeepsie at an existing site to produce System z mainframes and other hardware.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • cybersecurity analyst in a modern operations center monitors multiple digital screens showing padlock icons, graphs, and a global map with security markers

    Louisiana State University Doubles Down on Larger Student-Run SOC

    In an effort to provide students with increased access to real-world cybersecurity experience, Louisiana State University has expanded its relationship with cybersecurity solutions provider TekStream to launch TigerSOC, a new student-run security operations center.

  • flowing lines and geometric shapes representing data flow and analysis

    Complete College America Launches Center to Boost Data-Driven Student Success Strategies

    National nonprofit Complete College America (CCA) recently launched the Center for Leadership, Institutional Metrics, and Best Practices (CLIMB), with the goal of helping higher education institutions use data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes.

  • geometric pattern features abstract icons of a dollar sign, graduation cap, and document

    Maricopa Community Colleges Adopts Platform to Combat Student Application Fraud

    In an effort to secure its admissions and financial processes, Maricopa Community Colleges has partnered with A.M. Simpkins and Associates (AMSA) to implement the company's S.A.F.E (Student Application Fraudulent Examination) across the district's 10 institutions.