Constructing a Beowulf cluster as a pedagogical tool

This paper considers the construction and use of a Beowulf cluster to fulfill the senior project requirement in Computer Information Systems. The requirements for a senior project, as set by the author, is that the project must include concepts from at least three upper level courses and encompass a semester (three credit hour course) of work. It is required that the students learn new concepts and document the work. The goals are to lead the students to synthesize information from the degree programs into a single project, learn to use course material from the degree program as a stepping stone to expand their body of knowledge and to act as a capstone in the major. The construction and use of a Beowulf cluster is a very manageable project for one or two students in the context of a three credit hour course.