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This is the web page for the launch of the UltraSPARC T2 server on 16 October 2008. The server has been donated to the Department of Computer Science's Computer Systems Group.

Launch Program

In order to mark a new phase of teaching and research in multicore computing at the ANU, the Computer Systems Group of ANU and Sun Microsystems (Canberra) are hosting a launch of the ANU's T2 multicore computer. This state-of-the-art server will become an integral part of the teaching program in computer systems at the ANU.

• Seminar by Prof Cristina Cifuentes, 2:00 pm CSIT N101

  Cristina Cifuentes, Senior Staff Engineer of Sun Microsystems Laboratories and Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, will discuss Parfait: a layered program analysis framework for bug and security vulnerability checking of C Code.

  See the seminar announcement for further details.

• Introductory Multicore Programming Workshop, by Peter Strazdins, 3:00pm CSIT Lab N115 (level 1)

  This will provide an introduction to multicore programming on the UltraSPARC T2 using OpenMP and automatic parallelization techniques. Familiarity with the C programming language and the Unix environment is required. Note that places are limited and non-ANU registrations will have first preference.

  The workshop is a precursor to the new post-graduate course COMP8320 Multicore Computing to be offered in 2009.

• Reception, CSIT Staff Common Room (level 2)

  Representatives of Sun Microsystems and ANU and guests will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the impact of multicore and virtualisation technology on industry and education. Refreshments will be served.

Click here for the launch's flyer.

Further Information

• Enquiries: Peter Strazdins (not contactable 29/09 - 09/10) or Stephen Gream

• Directions to the CSIT Building (108): see the Campus map

• Public Parking: see the ANU Parking Map -- recommend pay&display near North Oval, or at south end of North Rd.

ANU T2 Configuration

Our UltraSPARC T2 (also known as the Niagara-2) is a T5120 model. The CPU is 1.4 GHz with 8 CPU cores, each with 8-way hardware threading, all within a power envelope of 100W.

The T2 runs the Solaris 10 operating system, with the Sun Studio 12 compilers and development tools. The T2's control domain, called mavericks, is hosted in the Computer System's group research subnet. Using the Logical Domains virtualization software, a guest domain, called wallaman, is exported to the CSIT student subnet.

Significance of Multicore Technology in the IT Industry

Multicore/multithreaded processors such as the T2 are designed to be able to process a large number of tasks concurrently (called throughput computing). They are ideally suited to applications such as database and web servers, where, in the case of the T2, up to 64 transactions could be processed simultaneously. To have such a capability in a single unit results not only in lower up-front costs, but in very considerable power savings. When used in conjuction with virtualization, a number of (virtual) servers can be hosted on a single physical machine, resulting in even greater savings. Such technologies form part of a suite for forming eco-responsible datacenters.