Cluster computer ?

[verticallimit]

Is it possible to make a cluster computer, for example with 8 computers and then get 8 graphics card to display from the same FS program.

When only one FS program is running then this will show the cockpit view and instruments. In this way, all clouds and AI traffic can be 100% synchronized.

[Neil Hewitt]

Basically - no. Not if you mean sharing the load between all 8 PCs equally, to up the overall frame rates or performance.

With WideFS and Wideview, you could slave multiple PCs running FS to a master PC running FS, and there are ways to sync up the traffic and the weather AFAIK, but the performance would be limited to the capabilities of the individual PCs.

It would be great if you could, say, have one PC just running the outside display, one running AI traffic, one running weather etc, all driving one 'view' PC that renders the display - basically the inverse of the above - but you can't.

Lockheed's Prepar3d fork of FSX has a mode where you can run a panel-only instance without an outside display, which saves CPU when you network it with another instance to show the outside visuals, but that's as far as it goes so far.

Unless anyone else knows of a way...

NH

[ak49er]

LINUX......?

[Neil Hewitt]

Using Linux wouldn't gain you anything. I don't think MSFS works under Wine anyway - though I could be wrong. Nonetheless, without altering the FS source you can't do what the OP wanted.

Making a generic compute cluster with Linux - yeah, of course, there's several grid computing distros that are very worthwhile. And Windows can be similarly clustered within reason. But that's not what the OP was asking, as far as I could tell.

NH

[Hessel Oosten]

Unless anyone else knows of a way...


Hi Claus, Neil, All,

One possibility....

I run Level-d 767 on my "Aircraft PC" and delete/minimise everything not related to that aircraft, e.g. all weather, scenery, etc. sliders to the left. The window for scenery viewing is minimized to 2 at 3 cm ...

This PC is my WideView Server (no, no, for those who don't know the difference, WideView is NOT the same as WideClient or WideFs).

This "Aircraft PC" communicates to the second networked PC via WideView (called my "Scenery PC", this is now the WideView Client) about coordinates on earth, view angle, view direction etc.

On this PC all items related to the aircraft functions are minimised ( all " // " in the panel cfg before the gauges) and the scenery beauty here is maximised performance (slider to the right etc.).

On this PC the view is widened with the Matrox THTG, (but that's secondary to this theme).

So, two PC's dividing the load of 1. aircraft systems and 2. scenery.

Hessel

[Neil Hewitt]

Yes, I suppose if you have a CPU-heavy 3rd party aircraft like a PMDG or a Level-D then that's a good strategy. You're still restricted by the performance of the fastest PC in the cluster, but the overall performance is better than you could get from a single machine working alone.

I must try something similar in my setup!

NH

[verticallimit]

Hi Claus, Neil, All,

One possibility....

I run Level-d 767 on my "Aircraft PC" and delete/minimise everything not related to that aircraft, e.g. all weather, scenery, etc. sliders to the left. The window for scenery viewing is minimized to 2 at 3 cm ...

This PC is my WideView Server (no, no, for those who don't know the difference, WideView is NOT the same as WideClient or WideFs).

This "Aircraft PC" communicates to the second networked PC via WideView (called my "Scenery PC", this is now the WideView Client) about coordinates on earth, view angle, view direction etc.

On this PC all items related to the aircraft functions are minimised ( all " // " in the panel cfg before the gauges) and the scenery beauty here is maximised performance (slider to the right etc.).

On this PC the view is widened with the Matrox THTG, (but that's secondary to this theme).

So, two PC's dividing the load of 1. aircraft systems and 2. scenery.

Hessel

It's pretty much how I run my setup now and with 8 screens for panoramic view.

But the dream was to clone the computers so that they act as one single computer, but with 8 graphics cards, where they all work from a common FS program.
It was an opportunity for synchronize the clouds and ai traffic with out Widetraffic and wideview.

And thanks for the replies.