KOC deploys Sun Linux cluster

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has completed deployment of a Sun and Linux-based high performance computing cluster, which will be used for oil reservoir simulations and other intensive computing tasks.

The 154 node cluster is based on Sun Fire x4100 entry level servers using AMD Opteron processors, running Red Hat Linux Enterprise Edition. The deployment was managed by Sun executive partner Kuwait Diyar Company.

According to KOC, the company was looking for a powerful, yet cost effective solution that would enable them to run simulations much more quickly than previously, and also tackle multiple tasks at once. The system has now cut the time required for complex simulation studies from days to weeks.

Badria Abdul Rahman, manager, Field Development, South & East Kuwait, Kuwait Oil Company said: "Before deploying the Sun Cluster in KOC, we used to use a system that could take several days and sometimes even weeks to run the simulation applications on which we base our business decisions. We needed a solution that would increase our processing power to ‘crunch' the data generated by the reservoir simulation software more rapidly, giving us greater efficiency and the ability to take faster business decisions.

"The Sun cluster has exceeded our expectations and has enabled the entire KOC team to access vital up-to-date information on all aspects of the oil reserves; we are now able to run simulations faster than ever before which has resulted in the development of long term strategies and preparations for the future new wells to meet the production target. It took us almost two years to find the right solution, and after examining the most commonly-used technologies, we opted a solution that out-shone the rest - the Sun Cluster," she added. The cluster also includes Sun Fire x4100 servers to manage the cluster and to run workload management software, along with x4200 servers for network file systems.

Marc Heger, district manager, Gulf Region, Sun Microsystems said: "While the system that KOC was previously using scaled up to most of the company's IT processing requirements, speed and limitation control over the proprietary system was an issue for them. By opting for a Sun clusters with standard, off-the-shelf processors and open standards like Linux, KOC were soon seeing the results of increased availability of data due to better computing power and faster application execution; the ability to scale to accommodate growth; increased utilization of computing resources; and a reduced risk and time to deployment."