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How to Use a PS3 As a Supercomputer

The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) game console can be used for more than just playing games. It has been used for scientific computing in different fields from protein folding to gravitational wave modeling codes, which require complex mathematical computations. PS3's Cell Broadband Engine processor and he 300GB/s internal bandwidth bus are at the heart of its processing power. The PS3 can run the entire Linux operating system. By connecting more than 1 PS3 together, a powerful supercomputer network can be designed to run high performance applications and complex computations.

Instructions

- 1
  Perform a search on the Web to look for resources that allow the installation of Linux on the PlayStation 3.
- 2
  Download the Linux operating system as an image and burn it to a DVD. Most of the online resources will have the image version of the Linux operating system that can be downloaded and burned directly without any additional work.
- 3
  Download the PS3 add-on CD ISO image and burn it to a DVD. This image will be found on the same resource where you downloaded the Linux image in the step above.
- 4
  Download the kernel source CD, which is also available at the same location.
- 5
  Download the appropriate operating system installer for the Linux version by visiting the PlayStation open platform website.
- 6
  Save the installer file onto a flash drive.
- 7
  Go to "Settings" "System Settings" "Format Utility" on the PS3 console and create a Linux partition of 50GB in size.
- 8
  Insert the USB flash drive and go to "Settings" "System Settings" "Install Other OS" and follow instructions to complete the installation.
- 9
  Change the default system OS by going to "Settings," "System Settings" "Default System" and selecting the Linux OS.
- 10
  Restart the system and insert the Linux DVD. Follow the instruction to install Linux.
- 11
  Restart the system when installation is complete and launch Firefox from the Linux operating system.

PlayStation 3