

How To... Cram a 24-Core Linux Cluster in $30 IKEA Drawers - helwr
http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/24core-linux-cluster-in-30-ikea-drawers-079331

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mey
Personal favorite Ikea use <http://lackrack.org/>

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Adrock
If you wanted to get that same amount of processing power using Amazon EC2,
that $2550 would get you about 1250 hours (52 days).

Of course, you have to pay for your energy, build it, and maintain it.

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adamt
Great hack - but in terms of core density it's not exactly great.

The article talks of "What we needed was a compact and efficient design with
maximal core density"

You can buy a Dell R410 1U 8 core (2 x 4-core Xeon) for about $1,400.

Whilst you are paying about 25% more, you'd get 24 cores into a fraction of
the space. If you include the cost of power, the 'Ikea rack' is likely to cost
a fair amount more over 3 years.

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chrisbolt
Original article is from 2008. Now you can get a 1U-twin Supermicro with 24
cores in 1U.

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mrb
The parent is correct. Many vendors make 24 cores in 1U nowadays. For example
you can get an Asus barebone with two Opteron 6168 processors for $2290: $800
barebone
([http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816110...](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816110055))
plus two $745 processors
([http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819105...](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819105267))

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aresant
Link to original

[http://obscuredclarity.blogspot.com/2008/09/24-core-linux-
cl...](http://obscuredclarity.blogspot.com/2008/09/24-core-linux-cluster-
in-2999-case-from.html)

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Natsu
The original you found is much more informative that the one linked here. It
goes into more detail and has more pictures, etc.

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tzury
Well, the $2550 total price for that platform is never the less shocking. And
those are 2008's prices, today it shall come out even cheaper.

In other words, If I was thinking of giving my imaginary startup team (5)
iPads as a bonus, I now have a better thing to do with the $2.5K, right?

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DanielH
The Blender guys also used such an approach...

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eWJs9pygwU>

for their new movie:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac7KhViaVqc>

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helwr
also <http://helmer.sfe.se/>

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prewett
It bothers me slightly that for the price of my 17" MacBook Pro I could have
bought a 24 node cluster... At some level it just seems like one portable
processor ought to be 1/24th or 1/12th (factoring in extra for the mobility)
the price.

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jbooth
6 node cluster - 4 cores each for 24 cores.

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towndrunk
Seems like a few different sizes of hole saws could be used to open the back
of the drawers. They really hacked it up by cutting it the way they did.

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metamemetics
Should put some sort of mesh\screen on the front label airports. Otherwise
your cabinet is vacuum cleaner for dust.

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kiujygtyujik
You may also wish to connect each drawer to the AC power ground on it's PSU

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ars
Then you get grounding loops - not a good idea.

Connect all the drawers to a single ground, using only one direction (star,
not ring).

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oiuytgfrgh
Ground loops probably aren't a big problem for a SMPSU - if you are putting
power into a metal box you need to have a ground to the metal box.

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ars
You do need ground, but do it without loops. Grounding loops are a violation
of the electrical code (and can be dangerous in certain fault conditions).

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timinman
And you get a free space heater!

