[Beowulf] Confused over the term cluster

[Mark Hahn]

> More general term one could use is the "processing element".
> For example if a cluster consists of
> 2 nodes with each having 1 single core CPU,
> 2 nodes with each having 1 dual core CPU,
> 2 nodes with each having 1 quad core CPU,
> 2 nodes with each having 2 dual core CPUs, and
> 2 nodes with each having 2 quad core CPUs.
>
> Then we could better say that there are 38 "pocessing elements" in this
> 10-nodes cluster.

I find "processing element" pretentious.  I'd say core, cpu or processor.
how many cores happen to share a socket is largely a packaging issue,
and one I'd address by discussing the app's memory size or BW needs,
not packaging...