Microsoft has traditionally had problems entering the high performance computing (HPC) sector -- but the recent release of the 64-bit Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 (WCCS) product could mark a new chapter in Redmond's wooing of the enterprise. What's more, Microsoft is using third party, open source software as a crucial part of the system -- the first time that it's done so and quite a climb-down from the dissing that Redmond has dished out to its Linux oppos in the past.
The importance of this product to Microsoft is that Linux is well ahead in this corner of the forest. Due for launch next month, the full product will have its work cut out to beat established products, which are largely open source and based around Linux. but it's a market that's growing, with IDC's market research figures showing that HPC deployments were up 70 per cent in 2004, with most of that growth coming from departmental or workgroup clusters costing under $50,000, with most of them using x86 servers: Microsoft's target market.
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