[kwlug-disc] [OT] linux server power

[William Park]

On Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 09:06:15PM -0500, unsolicited at swiz.ca wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:37:10 -0500, William Park <opengeometry at yahoo.ca>
> wrote:
> > On Sat, Jan 29, 2011 at 05:35:10PM -0800, Raul Suarez wrote:
> >> I found these plug computers (based on the sheevaplug design). These
> are
> >> full
> >> blown micro servers I'm seriously considering.
> >> http://www.ionicsplug.com/compare.html
> >>
> http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/p-31-guruplug-server-standard.aspx
> >> Raul Suarez
> > 
> > Problem with those are, by the time you add this and that, you end up
> > with "netbox" or "nettop" (whatever they it) at a price you don't want
> > to pay.  Because you can get $199 x86 box (ie. Acer Revo).
> 
> Interesting.
> 
> Take this further, and back to what Paul suggested elsewhere ... do such
> specs in a laptop format start making reasonable sense? Or does it get too
> expensive by that point.
> 
> - part of the point Paul was making at the time was 'built in UPS'.
> - the laptop format avoiding the having to dig up and haul over a keyboard
> / monitor when something isn't right and/or the personal expertise isn't
> yet in place to deal with it via ssh or the like. (Certainly I can
> appreciate the idea of one-stop hardware shopping.)
> 
> Have I not see the ION criticized as video and power consumption overkill
> for a dedicated device? (Such as running trixbox or ... what was that
> firewall distro? ...)
> 
> I've also seen criticism of the Atom because Intel took the easy way out
> and paired it with a non-matching chipset (in terms of power consumption?).
> Is that likely to change any time soon?
> 
> Just remember ... since Atoms are soldered to the motherboard, such
> devices are disposable. Any problem with any of the components, and you're
> replacing the entire board, CPU included. Which may be no bad thing, but is
> something to know.

My point is that cost is overriding factor for most people.  If it's
cheaper to swap the entire board, then why not?  If it's cheaper to
throw away a laptop and get another disposable laptop, then why not?  Of
course, there are other factors, like time, hassle, etc.

I had my share of "fighting against commodity PC".  I lost every time.
If I had saved all that money, I could be driving a front-grill car,
right now.
-- 
William