how it worKs
hardware
Dell
•
™
Precision
™
R5400 rack workstation
with quad-core Intel
®
Xeon
®
processors
Dell UltraSharp™ 3008WFP 30-inch
•
wide-screen flat panel monitor
Dell FX100 remote control device
•
software
Linux
•
®
operating system
serviCes
Dell ProSupport
•
dell worKstations deliver
performanCe within power
and Cooling Constraints
Despite the location of the display in a former
study room in a university library, the team
has stayed well within the building’s power
and cooling constraints. Buchhorn says, “Even
with a dozen powerful computers and a wall
full of displays, we have not experienced any
overheating problems.”
dell display helps expand
researCh and eduCational
CapaBilities
The new display is contributing to the continued
growth of the university’s research and teaching
capacity. For example, a geophysical study
looking at different layers of the Earth has taken
on new dimensions. With the new cluster and
display wall, a researcher can now compare
multiple layers at once, enabling more extensive
analysis. “We can even place multi-layer slices
of the image side by side to create a very large,
three-dimensional view,” says Buchhorn.
standards-Based dell
system offers a platform
for further development
Scientists at ANU are using the new display
system not only to view images, but also as
a platform for improving research software
and techniques. “Researchers often want to
try a different approach to using the display,”
says Buchhorn. “A researcher might want to
use a different operating system or port over a
simulation or animation program. Using off-the-
shelf Dell hardware was critical to facilitating
that exploration by allowing researchers to
employ virtually any standards-based technology
with the display.”
dell helps anu Create
a flagship faCility for
researChers around
the world
Buchhorn credits Dell with helping ANU
successfully develop a world-class, large-scale
scientific display system. He says, “The Dell team
understood that this wasn’t just a bulk order, but
that we were creating a flagship facility.”
For more information on this case study
or to read additional case studies, go to
DELL.COM/CaseStudies.
“with the raCK-mounted
worKstation form faCtor,
dell addressed our spaCe,
Cooling, and performanCe
ConCerns all in one
.”
Dr. Markus Buchhorn,
director, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Environments, The Australian National University
June 2009. © 2009 Dell, Inc. Dell is a trademark of Dell Inc. Intel, the Intel logo, and Intel Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its
subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities
claiming the marks and names or their products. This case study is for informational purposes only. DELL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, IN THIS CASE STUDY. 10007440
SiMpLify yoUr ToTAL SoLUTioN AT
DELL.CoM/Simplify
