[foxrena]

Please forgive me I am totally ignorant about this topic

I saw that on the website of Windows Server 2012: "Windows Server powers many of the worlds' largest datacenters, enables small businesses around the world, and delivers value to organizations of all sizes in between". So I am wondering if Windows Server runs on multiple motherboard/CPU configuration, and can access all computing power as if it's within a single PC? I know there must be some interconnect linking multiple motherboard. What kind of devices are used, a network router?

For example if I have a heavily multi-threaded application (for example Matlab or 3D rendering software) can I use the above configuration to boost performance?

 

[Cyrious]

Its possible. You're looking at something along the lines of building a Beowulf Cluster, which is essentially a bunch of machines networked together to perform a single function.

As for the details though, that eludes me because i have never had a sufficient amount of hardware of which to construct such a cluster. You'll have to google how to do it.

Word of advice though: If you are doing something using more than 4-6 nodes, be prepared to shell out money just for some very beefy cooling (air conditioning) system to keep the machines from frying under their own heat. I cannot stress it enough. A six CPU only cluster using your main rig's CPU, board, and ram will burn through close to 1000W of power and dump all of it into the air as heat.

The costs of the hardware, let alone the cooling, with cost a pretty penny, but yes, it is possible to link multiple machines together to perform a single task.