Hello Ubuntu

The new computer arrived, but in the meantime I've been given a to-be-scrapped computer to use as a testbed for my "linux project". What I'm hoping to do is build a linux cluster. At first it'll just be two computers, but I hope to expand it as things go to surplus.

Why? Because with the amount of information we'll be acquiring (especially once we start 454 sequencing in earnest), I'll need the computing power for processing the data. I'd like a 64 bit computer, but from a Windows standpoint that means using Vista, and the government doesn't currently allow Vista on their computers without seeking exceptions ... and that paperwork is a bit of a pain. Besides, several of my programs don't work on Vista yet, which means I'd need to keep an XP machine around anyways (rendering the above moot). *sigh*

Anyways, if I cluster a couple of linux machines, I can achieve (I believe) similar results. So, anyone build a cluster recently? Also, what bioinformatic tools do you use regularly on linux? I've already installed Geneious and the Bio-Linux base programs (which is mostly Emboss) and Artemis.