1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with logic for scheduling in a high-performance computer (HPC) system, wherein the logic operates when executed to: receive a call from a management engine operable to manage a cluster of nodes in a HPC system, the call specifying a request comprising a job for scheduling, the job comprising one or more processes for execution at one or more nodes in the cluster, the call further specifying a number of nodes for executing the job; determine whether the request is spatial, compact, or nonspatial and noncompact, the request being spatial if the job assumes spatial relationships between nodes executing the job, the request being compact if the job assumes proximity between nodes executing the job, the request being nonspatial and noncompact if the job assumes no spatial relationships or proximity between nodes executing the job; generate one or more combinations of nodes in the cluster, the one or more combinations generated according to whether the request is spatial, compact, or nonspatial and noncompact; and communicate a return to the management engine, the return identifying one or more nodes in at least one combination of nodes in the cluster for executing the job.