Cluster Express provides robust, cost effective cluster scheduling and management by integrating proven, best-of-breed open source components into a seamless, easy to install and use package.

"This 'beta' program lets users get in on the ground floor and positively impact the development of this open source project," said Steve Tuecke, co-founder and chief technology officer at Univa UD. "We are seeking a broad cross-section of users, administrators and developers to try out the Cluster Express beta to help shape its future, in terms of additional components and features we should add and how best to integrate them."

The Cluster Express 3.0 beta can be downloaded from Grid.org, Univa UD's newly launched online community for open source cluster and grid users, administrators, and developers. The beta program is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Beta participants can also participate in email forums and track product issues and enhancements via the open Grid.org BugZilla tracking system.

"With today's announcement of the Cluster Express beta program, the market finally has a fully supported and integrated cluster management stack consisting of some of the most widely used open source components in the maturing cluster and grid sector," said Wolfgang Gentzsch, general coordinator of Germany's D-Grid Initiative and creator of Grid Engine, which is among the open source components included in Cluster Express.

Cluster Express integrates commercially proven open source components into a single package that provides everything needed for running applications in a cluster environment. This includes:

• Integrated installation, configuration, monitoring and management of best-of-breed open source components, including Grid Engine, Globus, and Ganglia.
• Robust job scheduling and extensive workload management functionality.
• Detailed monitoring through an integrated GUI.
• Remote access to a cluster with strong security and integrated file staging.

Univa UD said the final 3.0 version of Cluster Express will be released in early 2008 after being fine-tuned based on responses to the beta program.

"With Cluster Express, Univa UD is taking direct aim at the traditional costly and inadequate proprietary cluster software solutions available today with their unreliable support and hefty price tags," said Jason Liu, chief executive officer at Univa UD. "Now there is a proven open source alternative, including full commercial support from Univa UD."