FREMONT, Calif. —(BUSINESS WIRE) —May 18, 2004 — Attendees at the recent 2004 ClusterWorld Conference and Expo indicated a widespread and rapidly growing interest in the deployment of Linux clusters and revealed critical issues vendors must address in a survey conducted at the show. The survey was conducted by Panasas, Inc., the leader in object-based storage for scalable Linux clusters and Rackable Systems, a leading manufacturer of rack-mount servers for large-scale data center deployments.

Cluster Adoption Growing and Linux Preferred OS

According to the survey, 69 percent of respondents are currently running a compute cluster, with 66 percent of those respondents running their clusters on Linux. Of those who are currently running a Linux cluster, 63 percent reported that they are achieving better performance from the cluster than the previous system. Of the respondents currently not running a compute cluster, 65 percent have plans to deploy a cluster in the next six months, with 79 percent citing Linux as their number one OS choice. The majority of respondents cited achieving "best price-to-performance" as the main reason for deploying compute clusters in the near future.

Storage, Servers and Networking Key to Optimizing Clusters

The survey also reveals a critical need for supporting and enabling technologies to help organizations achieve optimal cluster performance. Of the respondents not planning to deploy a cluster in the near future, 67 percent cited the lack of supporting technologies, as the primary reason.

Respondents ranked scalable back-end storage and networking options as the primary barriers for achieving an optimal cluster-computing environment. The respondents deploying or planning to deploy clusters ranked performance as the most important criterion in selecting their storage technology; open, component-based architecture as the most important criterion in selecting their server technology; and support for high bandwidth and price per port as the most important criteria in selecting their network technology.

"These findings reinforce what we hear customers state every day. Linux clusters are delivering order of magnitude benefits to customers looking for exceptional price performance," said Garth Gibson, co-founder and CTO of Panasas. "The results also show the need to continue to educate the market on technologies from companies like Panasas and Rackable Systems, who provide solutions necessary for successful Linux cluster deployments."

The results of this survey will run in the June 2004 issue of ClusterWorld Magazine.

About Panasas

Formed in 2000, Panasas, Inc. (www.panasas.com) is the pioneering leader in object-based storage clustering for scalable Linux clusters. Panasas offers a networked storage solution that eliminates the inherent scalability bottlenecks in capacity and performance experienced by traditional networked storage systems. The system, based on industry standards, is designed to easily and cost-effectively integrate into existing IT environments. The company's headquarters are in Fremont, CA with development facilities in Pittsburgh, PA and Houston, TX.

About Rackable Systems

Rackable Systems, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of rack-mount servers for large-scale data center deployments. The company's patented server designs feature key competitive advantages in the areas of density, thermal efficiency, serviceability, power distribution and remote management. Driven by a fierce commitment to superior innovation and customer service, Rackable Systems is one of North America's top server vendors. Founded in 1999 and based in San Jose, California, Rackable Systems customers include Deutsche Bank, Electronic Arts, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, nVidia, Tellme Networks, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Webex and Yahoo!

About ClusterWorld Magazine

ClusterWorld is the long awaited community voice of the HPC cluster market. Published by QuarterPower Media, ClusterWorld is a monthly print magazine that addresses the growing HPC cluster market and community. Readers enjoy world-class content designed to address a vast array of cluster issues. Articles and columns address various topics from beginner to expert. More information can be found at http://www.clusterworld.com.