What is the difference between HPC and HTC? Can HPC and HTC run on the same cluster architecture?
ANSWER:
HTC = High Throughput Computing
HPC = High Performance Computing
Below are some attributes of HTC and HPC that highlight the differences. HPC and HTC jobs can run on the same cluster architecture, but use the resources differently. In summary:
HTC jobs generally involve running multiple independent instances of software on multiple processors, at the same time. Serial systems are suitable for these requirements.
HPC jobs generally involve running a single instance of parallel software over many processors. Results at various instances throughout the computation are communicated among the processors, requiring a parallel environment.
More detail:
HTC: use when one needs to:
-run many jobs that are typically similar but not highly parallel;
-run the same program with varying inputs;
-run jobs that do not communicate with each other;
-execute on physically distributed resources using grid-enabled technologies;
-make use of many computing resources over long periods of time to accomplish a computational task.
HPC: use when one needs to:
-run jobs where rapid communication of intermediate results is required to perform the computations;
-make intense use of large amounts of computing resources in relatively short time periods.