The Rocketcalc Cluster Toolbox is a set of open-source software tools and utilities for assembling easy-to-manage GNU/Linux high-performance computing (HPC) clusters. Clusters built with the Toolbox use aufs (http://aufs.sourceforge.net) to share a common root file system, making them very simple to manage. Most cluster adminitration tasks like managing users and installing software are identical to those tasks on a regular PC.

The Cluster Toolbox is suited to smaller-scale cluster systems of up to a few dozen computers (nodes) of homogeneous processor architectures, like the Rocketcalc Redstone, Atlas, Titan and Saturn personal cluster systems.

The Cluster Toolbox is distribution-independent and consists of open source software, allowing you to operate your cluster with the flavor of GNU/Linux that you're most comfortable with. The Toolbox also leaves you free to apply regular OS security and feature updates without affecting cluster operation.

Unlike many clustering technologies, back-end cluster nodes may be diskless or not, and if they have disks you can set up a parallel file system with PVFS2 easily. Cluster Toolbox clusters also support high-performance network fabrics like Infiniband with minimal additional configuration.

The Cluster Toolbox includes simple, easy-to-understand administration and monitoring tools like Rocketcalc Houston and a web-based cluster access portal. The Toolbox also supports sophisticated management tools like IPMI right out of the box. The Toolbox has a minimal software footprint, and is incredibly easy to install on (and remove from) most GNU/Linux operating systems.

The Cluster Toolbox is not the only way to build a GNU/Linux cluster, but it is one of the easiest. It does not provide a distributed process or virtual shared memory space, nor does it include HPC application software. It is simply a very easy, lightweight, and flexible way to operate traditional Beowulf-style clusters using most standard GNU/Linux operating systems.