How MeluXina’s Network Powers High-Performance Computing Excellence

Introduction

In today’s hyper-connected world, network access has become a “vital” service for users. Internet connectivity must work as soon as one connects to the network socket, much like water flows when a tap is opened, or electricity is present in a power outlet. The complexity of what happens behind the scenes doesn’t matter. Even the smallest outage can quickly become disastrous. This truth is even more pronounced in the world of HPC (High-Performance Computing): to perform complex calculations or tasks, nodes need to constantly exchange data at very high speeds, with minimal latency. A single transmission error can crash a job or alter a result.

To minimize these errors, MeluXina’s network has been designed with a focus on the following 5 key areas: Performance, Reliability, Efficiency, Scalability, and Connectivity

Table of Contents

• Performance: The Engine of Breakthroughs
• Reliability: Building a Network You Can Trust
• Efficiency: Doing More with Less
• Scalability: Designing Networks to Scale
• Connectivity: Be accessible everywhere, anytime
• Conclusion

December 17, 2024.

1. Performance: The Engine of Breakthroughs

For HPC systems, performance is the most critical aspect. Within the network, data must transit and be processed as quickly as possible, even at massive scales. Latency must be as low as possible, and packet loss nonexistent. In addition, bandwidth optimization mechanisms are implemented to perform load balancing based on link usage, avoiding bottlenecks.

To maximize performance, MeluXina employs a hybrid environment. Infiniband is used between compute nodes and storage to optimize speed and avoid packet loss. Ethernet is used to reach support services and Internet if needed. A highspeed interconnect is used as a link between the two worlds.

2. Reliability: Building a Network You Can Trust

Network failures or instability can lead to data loss, extended computation times, or even system-wide crashes, jeopardizing critical applications like weather forecasting or biomedical simulations. Reliable networks ensure fault tolerance and error recovery, maintaining seamless communication even under heavy workloads or hardware issues.

MeluXina’s network has been designed with multiple alternative communication routes to ensure data flow continuity in case of failures or disruptions in the primary path. These backup paths are essential for maintaining high availability and fault tolerance in our environment, where consistent connectivity is non-negotiable.

3. Efficiency: Doing More with Less

In HPC workloads, where massive datasets are transferred and processed in parallel, inefficiencies can lead to delays and underutilized resources, significantly reducing performance. An efficient network optimizes resource allocation and ensures smooth coordination among nodes, enabling faster task completion.

But efficiency isn’t just about performance—it’s also about sustainability. HPC systems should consume no more than is necessary. For this reason, MeluXina’s infrastructure incorporates low-power switches and hardware accelerators to minimize energy consumption. The switches within compute racks are water-cooled to reduce heat production, further optimizing energy use in an environmentally friendly manner.

4. Scalability: Designing Networks to Scale

The choice of network topology in an InfiniBand network for AI and HPC workloads is critical for achieving optimal performance and scalability. A scalable network ensures efficient communication between nodes, minimizing latency and maintaining high throughput as the system grows.

For its InfiniBand network, MeluXina uses a Dragonfly topology, consisting of a hierarchy of switch groups. Within each group, every switch is connected to every other switch. As more Dragonfly layers are added, groups of switches are interconnected in an all-to-all fashion, ensuring the network can scale seamlessly with system expansion.

5. Connectivity: Be accessible everywhere, anytime

Connectivity is a cornerstone of our HPC environment. As we are part of EuroHPC initiative, any user or researcher in Europe should be able to reach us and use the power of MeluXina.

LuxProvide, acting as its own Internet Service Provider, is connected via high-speed redundant links to the Internet and the Geant Research Network. For sensitive data, passing through a public network may not be ideal. This is why physical connections to MeluXina are also available within our data center.

Conclusion

Network infrastructure is more than just a support system in supercomputing; it is the backbone enabling performance and collaboration on a global scale. By prioritizing scalability, reliability, performance, efficiency, and connectivity, LuxProvide ensures that MeluXina remains competitive at the forefront of high-performance computing. As HPC continues to evolve, so too will the networks powering it, enabling even greater achievements in science, technology, and industry.