How’s this for a new approach to application serving:
Rackable Systems has turned to low-cost desktop components for a new server design that aims to provide a cheaper alternative for companies running busy Web applications, the company announced Wednesday. The design uses Athlon and Phenom desktop CPUs from Advanced Micro Devices and allows for highly dense servers that can be priced under US$500 because they are based on commodity PC parts, said Saeed Atashie, director of server products at Rackable.
Rackable puts desktop CPUs in low-cost servers - Network World
People have been using desktops as server for years. Hell, my first publically accessible web server ran an a Mac SE30. And it ran commercial sites driven by an Oracle Database that ran on a PC!
But that was a one off test bed, not a large scale web farm. It was also 1994.
Rackable makes high density x86 servers. Until now they utilized Xeon and Opteron processors. The systems were designed so as many as 84 servers could fit into a standard server cabinet. At about $3K a piece, they were not cheap, but were in the same ball park as the much lower density 1U servers from everyone.
This offering fulfills the RAIC paradigm. This is really an array of inexpensive computers. While the reliability won’t be as high as with server grade parts, that doesn’t matter that much in this use model. Quickly pulling out a failed server and replacing it is the story here and dumping a $500 box is much easier to justify to the CFO than a $3500 one, even if you could make the case that the $3500 one was cheap too.
Very interesting.
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