[Bio-Linux] Cloud computing...

[Martin Gollery]

Many people do not have the funds for a BlueGene/L, nor the need for
such a thing on a regular basis, as WSU and VBI recently announced.
The throughput was very impressive, but the cost is in the millions of
dollars.

If a researcher had a job that was bigger than what he or she could
easily do on the standard BioLinux system, then a 20 CPU instance can
be started at Amazon for 80 cents (US) per hour. If there is a
deadline looming, the data could be divided into, say, ten parts and
run on ten instances for a total of 8 dollars per hour.

This does not 'lock you into a proprietary system'. Running HMMer on a
cloud today does not prevent you from running it on your own server
tomorrow, your mac the next day, and windows the next. Why would
anybody think that? A Linux instance runs like Linux.

Marty

On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 7:31 AM, Norman Morrison <morrison at cs.man.ac.uk> wrote:
> A bit more fuel to add to the fire:
> http://www.inkspotscience.com/blog/index.php/tag/cloud-computing/
>
> In practice, I think some kind of compromise between the two 'extremes'
> will be the likely outcome. Although it is very much a buzzword, I think
> it would be unwise to dismiss cloud computing out of hand for one simple
> reason... as Dawn mentioned, in what will be a carbon credit economy,
> relocating cyber-infrastructure to remote renewable energy sites not
> only helps the environment but can also alleviate the pressure on an
> institution that is reaching it's carbon credit cap. In essence, cloud
> computing will become a necessity driven by a carbon economy.
>
> Tony - with Scotland's natural resources and cooler temperature enabling
> data centres to be powered and subsequently cooled (aka rainy and cold)
> - you could well end up becoming the European cloud computing hub!
>
> Michael Craige wrote:
>> I support Richard's view - it's a trap!
>>
>> Michael.
>>
>>
>>
>>> From: Tony Travis <rwt017 at abdn.ac.uk>
>>> Organization: Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health
>>> Reply-To: Bio-Linux help and discussion <bio-linux at envgen.nerc-oxford.ac.uk>
>>> Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:09:47 +0000
>>> To: Bio-Linux help and discussion <bio-linux at envgen.nerc-oxford.ac.uk>
>>> Subject: [Bio-Linux] Cloud computing...
>>>
>>> Hello, Dawn.
>>>
>>> Re: our recent posts about cloud computing, here is a biased view that I
>>> completely agree with ;-)
>>>
>>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stall
>>> man
>>>
>>> Bye,
>>>
>>> Tony.
>>> --
>>> Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition
>>> and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK
>>> tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk
>>> mailto:a.travis at abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
> --
> Norman Morrison, PhD
> NEBC Ontologies & Data Standards Coordinator (http://nebc.nox.ac.uk/)
> Room LF8, School of Computer Science, Kilburn Building,
> University of Manchester, Oxford Road, MANCHESTER, UK. M13 9PL.
> Tel: +44 (0)161 275 0646 Fax: +44 (0)161 275 6236
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> is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents
> of this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless
> it is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to
> NERC may be stored in an electronic records management system.
>
>



-- 
-- 
Martin Gollery
Senior Bioinformatics Scientist