computer science

SGI Virtu

SGI Virtu is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SGI Virtu rather than just read about it. In short: SGI Virtu is a computer product line from Silicon Graphics dedicated to visualization, announced in April 2008. It represents a return of Silicon Graphics to the visualization market after several years of focus on high-performance computing.

Key takeaways

SGI Virtu belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SGI Virtu to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SGI Virtu from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SGI Virtu is a computer product line from Silicon Graphics dedicated to visualization, announced in April 2008. It represents a return of Silicon Graphics to the visualization market after several years of focus on high-performance computing. SGI Virtu workstations effectively replaced the SGI Fuel, SGI Tezro and SGI Prism workstations that were discontinued in 2006. The Virtu range consists of a rack-mounted server configuration (Virtu VN200) and four workstation configurations (Virtu VS series). The latter are re-badged systems from BOXX Technologies, based on Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics chipsets, running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or Windows Compute Cluster Server.

SGI Virtu VN200 SGI Virtu VN200 is a high density node installed in a rack-mounted enclosure. Five nodes are supported in the 4U enclosure. The node itself is based on a two-way Intel Xeon 5400 architecture and supports Nvidia Quadro graphic cards and is intended to be clustered.

SGI Virtu VS The SGI Virtu VS series are the workstation models of the product line. Virtu VS100 is based on a two-way Quad Core Intel Xeon architecture. Virtu VS200 is a two-way AMD Opteron configuration, Virtu VS300 a four-way AMD Opteron and Virtu VS350 is an eight-way AMD Opteron configuration. All systems accept the full range of Nvidia Quadro Plex and Nvidia Quadro graphic solutions. NVIDIA SLI is supported.

References

External links Official Virtu Homepage

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SGI Virtu

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SGI Virtu claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SGI Virtu before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SGI Virtu ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SGI Virtu

In research: SGI Virtu appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SGI Virtu in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SGI Virtu is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 64-bit computers, Computer-related introductions in 2008, Computer hardware stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SGI Virtu outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SGI Virtu in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SGI Virtu means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SGI Virtu out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SGI Virtu in simple terms?

Why does SGI Virtu matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SGI Virtu?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SGI Virtu.