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How many computers do you own?
A while ago someone was going on about how Google has thousands of really cheap computers to power their network vs just having a couple really expensive servers. The idea being if the cheap computers broke they could easily and quickly be replaced and an extra benefit would be less reliance is on each individual one where as high end servers not so much.
Obviously this guy was joking because of course Google has massive data centers with very expensive servers. They also have the largest solar panel powered data center in the world too I think. But anyway it got me thinking about building my own mini network/super computer with cheap desktop computers vs buying a single high end.
I've seen a provider on here mention that an older computer he had seemed to run faster than newer stuff, which I believe since newer power saving tech can make cores take awhile to ramp up to their full potential and even then maybe not reach it as it could be designed more for distributing load vs speed. So the prospect of a cheap low end computer with ram, cpu, os, dedicated to a task vs trying to allocate parts of a high end computer intrigues me. Just trying to consider the downsides. The local network to control it would pose no bottleneck so that's not one. I believe there's even a protocol for this, can't remember it off the top of my head, but in any case have any of you tried something like this, and also how many computers do you own?
Comments
Keep in mind that "cheap computers" to Google are still enterprise-grade, rack-mounted servers with Xeon processors, etc. Most of the "cheap computers" that Google uses are similar to what providers here use for VPS servers (though tailored to Google's enterprise, of course).
It's not like they go to Newegg and load up on cheap desktops.
The point of Google's approach is that they use wide scaling with commodity x86-based servers as opposed to proprietary kit like SPARC, POWER7, etc.
More to the point, you can take cheap desktop computers, or cheap VPS, or what ever you wish, and with HA applications, losing 1 of many has little effect on the whole.
Yes it is, can be a huge bottle neck.
Depending on the work load, it can put enormous strain on the network.
A couple years back, I had to render out a two hour video through Sony Vegas. Noticing that you could spread the load out over networked computers, I thought 'hey, this should be fun' and installed the rendering software on all the computers in the house, and let it run overnight.
Needless to say, sending raw, uncompressed, 1080p footage over 802.11g wasn't a great idea, and slowed everything down to a halt.
Sure, it was a bad scenario, but when you say a 'super computer' and scale CPUs/RAM up, you'd have to scale the network up too.
Rendering a Pixar film on your 'server farm' over your Belkin router won't quite cut it :P
Check out BOINC for an example of distributed computing done correctly.
EDIT:
In the household we have a fair few computers... and it depends what you define as a computer.
4 laptops actively in service, (one as a home server, the others doing normal stuff)
3 desktops (one as a home server, the others doing normal stuff)
1 iPad
My Fridge has an ARM Processor, is a computer? :P
Perfect way to put it.
I own quite a few computers, I can't include my families since we don't share computers and I don't know what they have either.
4 Laptops
2 Desktops
3 Phones
1 Raspberry Pi
1 iPad
I have 2 Desktops, 1 laptop, 1 iPod Touch and 2 Android devices.
I have a network of Packard Bell systems. About 40,000 racks of them actually amounts to a good, solid server.
All kidding aside:
1 NewEgg creation, little aged, AMD dual core
1 27" iMac (try not to enjoy Unity on that screen)
2 iPad 3s (1 for the wife)
2 iPhones between me and the wife
1 MacBook for her
Around 10 vps systems that might as well be sitting in my house. I count them among personal machines.
Used to be much worse, I've cut down a lot. I just don't find myself using anything but the iPad most of the time.
1 laptop
1 android phone
4 vps
1 android phone
1 laptop
1 desktop with a 4core cpu, 4 hdd, 8GB ram and many virtual machines
4 Desktop Computers
1 Android Phone
1 Xbox (Counts as a computer, You can browse youtube and it connects to the internet.)
Haven't we had this discussion before?
1 formerly Dell, partially customized desktop
2 old laptops (Macbook Pro circa 2007 and older Toshiba circa 2001)
1 netbook (ASUS circa 2011)
1 older desktop (2004-ish)
A couple personal VPSes and several production VPSes.
I have 3 boxes at home:
Francisco
Main computer: i5 2500k, Nvidia GTX 670 SLI, 16GB RAM. 3x Acer 23" LED Monitors
MacBook Pro: Core 2 Duo, 8GB RAM, 120Gb Sandisk Extreme
Old Laptop: Centrino (1.8 x 2), 2GB RAM, 30GB Pyro
All of them.
I have only 1 main noob phenom quaddy... grandma's got a dell laptop, sister just purchased a 8core bulldozer... :P
A few, My work laptop, my home PC (with 6 monitors), some Atoms in the rooms as media players and lots of phones.
Why would you need 6 monitors?
we hate you for the rick roll music
One for each location.
Flagged. (and accidently thanked, lol)
so...
I want to know.
I don't know if this list is complete:
(please don't tell to my psychologist)
I was thinking of getting the Xoom, but theres no 3G version
@prometeus
Seriously, you cannot have enough tablets. Worst case scenario you end up with a few incredibly powerful digital picture frames.
1 x Core i5 760, 4GB RAM (used to be 8 but I don't have time to get my other broken sticks replaced), 3TB's of HDD (1.5TB Hitachi, 1TB Hitachi, 500GB Samsung).
1 x Core Q6600 (with a broken mobo and 4GB RAM and no HDD's - my uncle thought it would be funny to put a diode between the terminals of the PSU).
0 x MacBook Pro 2009 13" (4GB RAM, 250GB HDD?, it was dropped down a balcony and probably still worked but I couldn't actually get it back).
1 x Lenovo ThinkPad T520 [i3 version] (500GB HDD, 4GB RAM).
1 x Lenovo G570 [i3 version] (500GB HDD, 4GB RAM too).
1 x Toshiba Satellite C660D (320GB HDD, 3GB RAM, Random AMD processor?).
1 x Odd shaped tablet, used as a media player thingey (Archos 48 IT - 500GB HDD, 256MB RAM, ARM Cortex-A8).
[insert large number] x old computers and rack mount servers in the loft which I can't really be asked to really turn on or care about.
Why not?
http://imghost.asia/di-BGOP.jpg
As list:
iPhone 4 (Work)
Nokia E71 (Work)
Nokia 8800 (gold version, got it very cheap (compared to retail price) a few years ago, For business travel and external meetings etc)
Samsung Note (as camera and tablet)
iPad 2 (3G)
Some HTC with full keyboard and WM6 (old)
Motorola L7 (simply looks good, old)
Motorola Razr V3 (in gold, old)
Antec Big tower (Eleven Hundred) - that thing has SO MUCH SPACE, unbelieveable.
ASUS P8Z68-V (only one to offer enough PCIe slots at this time)
32GB (4x8Gb DDR3 1600) RAM
6x 2TB HDD - 2x 500GB HDD (System) - 1x 180Gb SSD
2x AMD HD6870 (1GB each) + 2 DP -> DVI adapters
9 additional fans, full copper CPU cooler, 600W Bequiet PSU, 3,5" -> 5,25" HDD adapters
3 x Fujitsu Desktops (1 as main PC, 1 as server, 1 as media centre)
2 x Dell Desktops (Both old main PCs, not in use anymore)
2 x Dell laptops (1 is mine, 1 is my mother's)
2 x Sony laptops (1 is mine (old and not in use), 1 is my sister's)
1 x HP laptop (Dad's laptop)
2 x Raspberry Pis (1 used as a web server, 1 hasn't even been unpackaged)
@William, how much is it costing you to run it? and where the heck did you get the monitor mounts from? :P
I'm not sure, maybe 10-15EUR in Power per month.
The mounts are a special order from a UK company - costing around 120GBP (without VAT) for a complete 6 system (including 3 stands, 6 vesa mounts and screws etc etc)
I can PM you the part list and company if you want