13 Jul 2004: 'Anyone following the high performance computing industry has probably noticed the growing popularity of Linux cluster systems. The 23rd Top 500 list, a ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers, reported that clusters make up more than 50 percent of the list. The appeal is easy to understand; Linux clusters are a fraction of the cost of traditional supercomputers while providing blazingly fast performance numbers. Many organizations from national labs to Hollywood special effects