Low Cost Cluster Architectures for Parallel and Distributed Processing

Cluster based architectures are standing out in the last years as an alternative for the construction of versatile, low cost parallel machines. This versatility permits their use as much as a teaching tool or as a research environment in the field of parallel and distributed processing. This paper describes some of the possibilities found today on the market for the construction of cluster based parallel machines and proposes different configurations based on cost and application areas.