<br><tt><font size=2>>From: Sameer Verma <sverma@sfsu.edu><br>
>Subject: [Server-devel] location and muscle of the school server<br>
>To: server-devel@lists.laptop.org<br>
>Message-ID: <47BB905A.3030509@sfsu.edu><br>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed<br>
<br>
>I've been reading up on the specs for running the XS (XSX - the one
that <br>
>relies on off-the-shelf parts) and one thing that keeps bugging me
is <br>
>that if we don't have reliable power infrastructure on site (which
is <br>
>why XO makes a lot of sense) how can we expect to run a <br>
>common-off-the-shelf server that consumes 200W of power?</font></tt>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Sameer,</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Not that I can speak on behalf on the
OLPC team, but it seems that the XSX is to work out the</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">bugs of the XS in real-world situations
before mass production. The XS will not be delivered</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">until November I am told, so the XSX
will be used in various parts of the world to gather requirements</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">and get a better feel for what is needed.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">In the case of OLPC Nepal, we will have
three PCs (Proxy, School, and Backup) server.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">That would be 600W, but we plan to support
150-200 students, so now on a student basis, is</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">only 3-4W per student.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Your suggestion of keeping the servers
elsewhere is valid, but just as electricity is uncertain,</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">internet connectivity is also uncertain.
We are trying to have a working system even one that</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">is useful/usable if the connection to
the internet is down.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Depending on power availability, it
may be necessary to shut down the servers at the end of</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">the day, and bring them back up in the
mornings. Ideally, they would run 24x7 and through the</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">weekend, to allow students to take their
OLPC home, and through the mesh antennas continue</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">to surf the internet, access Moodle
lesson plans, and read cached content. The difference is</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">168 hours (24x7) versus 40 hours (8x5).</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">An interesting blog post I saw were
"PlayPumps" </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">(http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/02/the-cleverest-i.html)
where kids playground equipment</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">is used to pump water. Perhaps
this idea could be modified to generate and store electricity</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">into car batteries. Many sustainable
sources of energy like wind and solar can also be used.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Thanks<br>
</font>
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<td><font size=1 color=#0060a0 face="Microsoft Sans Serif"><b>Tony Pearson</b></font><font size=1 face="Microsoft Sans Serif"><br>
Senior Storage Consultant, IBM System Storage™<br>
Telephone: +1 520-799-4309 | tie 321-4309 | Cell: +1 520 990-8669<br>
email: tpearson@us.ibm.com | GSA: http://tucgsa.ibm.com/~tpearson<br>
Blog: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/InsideSystemStorage
AKA: 990tony Paravane, eightbar specialist </font></table>
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