Using a Cluster

I'm going to be setting up a Linux/OpenMosix cluster in the next couple of months, partly for rendering 3D stuff in Blender.

My question is this: Are there any security projects which could benefit from at least occasional access to a cluster? I don't want to expose my cluster to the internet, so they'll be on a physically segregated network from my home's LAN. That being said, I can certainly transfer files to it manually, so I'd be happy to consider contributing some CPU cycles to a good cause.

In addition, would anyone be interested in a tutorial on OpenMosix? I just had the idea that I could post one after I'm finished getting my own cluster up & running.

Sure the tuturial would be great as far some use of your security project is concerned, it
would be really helpful in some not so good causes like cracking passwords.

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Originally posted here by warl0ck7
Sure the tuturial would be great as far some use of your security project is concerned, it
would be really helpful in some not so good causes like cracking passwords.

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like a data processing or not?

cracking passwords is a obfuscated task only for expertise coders, also data storage is a better idea for make and implemment a cluster scheme or not?


saludos

Um, I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but I'll try to respond as best I can.

In a general sense, yes this cluster is going to be used for data processing. Specifically, I'll be allowing a friend of mine who likes to play around with a Open Source 3D app called Blender to use my cluster to render his work, leaving his regular PC free for other tasks.

I'm not qute sure what you mean by "data storage is a better idea for make and implemment a cluster scheme or not", but if you mean a Storage Area Network (SAN) instead of a data processing cluster, then the answer is no I won't be using this for storage.

Oh, and just so people who might be interested know, the machines on my cluster will be rather old clunker servers, salvaged from a company I know that was going to toss them in a dumpster (I have an inside source who let me know BEFORE they actually ended up there).

EDIT: I almost forgot, I don't actually HAVE a security project to use on my cluster. I'm LOOKING for one - I'd like to try and contribute what I can back to the security community at large.

i for one would really like to get a look at that tut...as long as its easier to read than the questions you just tried to answer.

Generating rainbow tables? brute forcing DES or maybe RSA (weak key)? finding collisions in MD5, SHA1...

theres loads of things, i was going to set up a cluster for part of my dissertation work but never got around to it, however i read loads into openmosix - check out www.zorg.org, he has something about making a cluster

look forwards to readding it, perhaps geeky but can we have some pictures to?

cheers

i2c

Pk, yes, the idea is processing data, like a image render, database request processing or reconstruct data in a corrupt DB file.

Cracking passwords is a better idea but what is the best implementation?, i think for security "echelon" or magnamment users process....


Beowolf is a cluster distribution, configuration for linuz for example, server and clients scheme. Neuronal task is almost better idea...cluster cluster, yea is very difficult construct one by an alone investigator.

I implement a beowolf schemme for two years and the cost of time on my process ( cryptography) has very low. And i gain more efficient distribution for info and process.

What happened? i develop myself another schemme for clustering based on protocol transaction level like a messages idea for windows.


Thanks and see later.

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look forwards to readding it, perhaps geeky but can we have some pictures to?

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Hell yeah, I'll be sure to take pics as I go.

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Beowolf is a cluster distribution, configuration for linuz for example, server and clients scheme. Neuronal task is almost better idea...cluster cluster, yea is very difficult construct one by an alone investigator.

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I'd love to set up a Beowulf cluster, but I just don't have the hardware for it. The reasons I chose OpenMosix are as follows:

1) Used it in a class, so I know the basics of how to install/configure it
2) OpenMosix will run on a cluster made up of different pieces of hardware
3) It seems like a good place to start

As for the difficulty level, I can't say for sure but I suspect it won't be THAT hard, only because OpenMosix can be configured to do most of the work for you ;)

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Cracking passwords is a better idea but what is the best implementation?, i think for security "echelon" or magnamment users process....

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Generating rainbow tables? brute forcing DES or maybe RSA (weak key)? finding collisions in MD5, SHA1...

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Hmm, many interesting ideas. However, I want to emphasize that whatever I work on will be strictly legit stuff - I plan to use my cluster for good instead of evil :karate:

Where does he say he's writing a tutorial? Maybe people are just reading between the lines.

I'd love to know what speed HW you're using and how many to compare benchmarks of clustered old systems to the speed of a state of the art machine.

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Where does he say he's writing a tutorial? Maybe people are just reading between the lines.

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Well, as a matter of fact...

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In addition, would anyone be interested in a tutorial on OpenMosix? I just had the idea that I could post one after I'm finished getting my own cluster up & running.

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Its all good though, it was a small post ;)

Anyway, I'll be happy to post just about any info that people are interested in. I had intended to post the specs of the machines once I've determined which ones ACTUALLY work *LOL* As for benchmarks, let me know what sorts of tests you'd like to run as a comparison. Maybe some big chunk of math to run on my cluster, then on a newer machine. Mind you, the intent is not for this cluster to necessarily beat a newer machine, but to show that older machines, when properly wired up, can still be usefull (and can free up a "newer" machine for other tasks)

Hah, don't double post and make us slow folks put two and two together. :)

Let us know when you get it working. I'd love to see what kind of performance you get out of it.

Hey WolfRune,
I would love to see another tut on this site about OpenMosix. If it helps, here is a link to a brief tut that i wrote about a year ago. Hopefully, you can get more in depth and technical than i did. God speed.
-NeuTron

Interesting post NeuTron, that should be very helpful. Thanks! :)

Ok, so from the feedback I've got so far, this is what I'm thinking:

1st Post: Documentation & Pictures of cluster being assembled (physical stuff)
2nd Post: Documentation on how to install & set up a cluster (I'm going to go with a full-install rather than a bootable CD, more for curiosity than anything else)
All posts afterward: Various projects and their results

So, what do people think of this. Good...bad...ugly & monstrous? *LOL*