ABSTRACT
This chapter overviews a Cray XE6 platform, which exhibits a number of architectural features and programming methodologies of multi-petaflops systems, and potentially serves as a testbed for developers of Exascale applications. Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) was one of the first sites in Europe to install a Cray XT3 system and since that time we have expanded, upgraded, and installed several newer Cray systems. The key feature of the X* lineup from Cray is the versatility and modular nature of the system design. Almost all of the computational resources available on the current CSCS flagship Cray XE6 platform, Monte Rosa, are distributed to researchers who have successfully applied for them with regular Production Project Proposals. The distinguishing feature of the Cray XE series platforms is the Gemini interconnect, which is a custom-built system-on-a-chip, like its predecessor called the SeaStar. Cray XT and XE series systems have a customized operating environment called the Cray Linux Environment (CLE) for compute.
