Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 14:53:07 +0200
From: Ziga Bobnar 
Organization: Active Tools Inc.
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject: release of new software - Clustor 2.0

-----Press release---------

Active Tools unveils new version of Clustor 2.0 with a greatly expanded
set of API Commands for Software Developers.
 
Active Tools announces the release of Clustor 2.0 now with a complete
set of application programming interface (API) commands for Software
Developers. It includes exciting new features that further simplify
implementation of high performance distributed applications.  With 
Clustor existing applications can be rapidly adapted for execution 
using the idle processor capacity of your existing network of
PCs.
 
Clustor 2.0 implements a job distribution engine with API commands that
allow you to easily incorporate Clustor within other applications. 
Clustor 2.0 also
supports tight integration of Clustor commands with any shell or
scripting language. 
 
API commands give the operator complete control over the distribution of
jobs. The user can add jobs and nodes while executing applications.
Clustor 2.0
lets the application decide what resources are available for use.
Machines can
be added or subtract during processing. Users may choose to enter
commands manually
or automatically. Clustor 2.0 allows the user to execute one job on all
the machines. Status information is available throughout operations.   
 
Clustor harvests your computers while they are idle, increasing the
utilization of your existing equipment, creating a network of machines
that never sleep.
Clustor generates jobs, executes them and collects the results
distributing them over
local area networks or the Internet. Additional security features
enhance the operating
systems. Clustor also provides extensive logging and diagnostics and
includes remote
management features.
 
Clustor is based on a simple, yet extremely powerful concept, called
parametric 
execution.  Parametric execution is where an application performs the
same calculation 
numerous times with different input parameters, such as Monte Carlo
simulations used 
in Financial Risk Management. To perform parametric executions, the user
simply 
provides the application to be executed on a cluster and values for the
parameters. 
Clustor does the rest. It generates jobs to be computed, manages their
execution and 
collects the results.
 
"Independent Software Developers can now use distributed computing power
to deliver their high performance applications to clients on a much more
affordable
platform.", states Rok Sosic President and CEO of Active Tools Inc.
"More
importantly our API commands significantly reduces their time to the
market. Clustor breaks
through the knowledge barrier.  You do not have to be an expert in
distributed
computing anymore. A simple API makes it easy for any programmer to
develop suitable high
performances applications."
 
Active Tools develops software tools for high performance computing,
providing 
professional consulting services to assist customers in the successful
implementation of 
all phases of cluster computing projects, from justification and design,
through to 
deployment and daily operations.  Customers already taking advantage of
Clustor 
include Rockefeller University, Motorola and AMP Asset Management.

Visit http://www.activetools.com for more information.

---end of press release-----