Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Speed-Assembling Servers

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the summon-precision-and-a-crown-and-coke dept.

Nieriko writes "The Planet is holding competitions to speed-assemble rack-mounted servers. It's like watching latter-day Marines field-strip and assemble their weapons. There is a video on YouTube about this incredible contest. Looks pretty challenging."

11 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Uh yeah... very speedy. by Xest · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "It's like watching latter-day Marines field-strip and assemble their weapons."

    Well no actually, it looked like any normal IT support guy putting a machine back together, except most people don't even fumble and drop the RAM.

    Really, that was fast? I'd be inclined to believe anyone here on Slashdot whose built a machine a few times could do it faster than that. It's not like they even had to build half the machine, the fiddliest components were already in place anyway.

    1. Re:Uh yeah... very speedy. by ranulf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This task was just pointless. The CPU was already in there, the graphics card, disks, DVD drive etc... Make it a real challenge and actually get them to assemble the machine in order to win a speed-assembling prize.

    2. Re:Uh yeah... very speedy. by ircmaxell · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Seriously. Rack mounted server? That was just a regular computer case (Sure, it could be rack mounted, but that kind defeats the point of a rack)... Where's the thermal paste? Not to mention the IDE hard drives (I thought SCSI at first, but that doesn't look like a u320 68 pin (or 80 pin) SCSI, so I can only assume it's IDE...

      The better test would be to give all the parts set on the table along with all the screws. Then time from the first part picked up to the computer booting into a boot CD (to test that everything actually works). For bonus points, chose the parts from a bin (So they would have to select the proper CPU/Mobo combination, etc)...

      --
      If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
    3. Re:Uh yeah... very speedy. by flosofl · · Score: 4, Informative
      Wow Nierko (the submitter), way to plagiarize BoingBoing. Cory Doctorow used this exact same phrase in his post last night about this event.

      The Planet is holding competitions to speed-assemble rack-mounted servers. It's like watching latter-day Marines field-strip and assemble their weapons.

      Seriously, you couldn't come up with something original?

      --
      "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
    4. Re:Uh yeah... very speedy. by JWSmythe · · Score: 4, Insightful

          Ya, severely misrepresented.

          The guy installed a CPU and memory into a desktop box, and hooked up a couple cables.

          We used to do real "speed assembling servers". You start out with organized piles of parts from the vendors. Memory, CPU, hard drives, rails, piles of sorted screws. We used a lot of SuperMicro machines, so the motherboards came mounted in their case. Well, originally, it was all from scratch. We just got lazy with the SuperMicro stuff. :) We were probably under 2 minutes, and then just around 5 minutes to get it complete with OS. It was more impressive with two people flowing 10 machines through simultaneously. While you have all your powered up positions full, keep the assembled hardware pool ready to start new installs on.

          All they did was complete the assembled hardware, which looks like they just pulled a little of it apart anyways. They didn't get the OS on the drive, which is kind of essential to call a computer a server. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    5. Re:Uh yeah... very speedy. by NotBornYesterday · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not if the faster one screws it up trying to be fast. Call me old-fashioned, but when jockeying hardware, I prefer taking my time, being careful, and wearing a static wrist strap. Not that I can't be fast, I just prefer not to.

      --
      I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
  2. That's not a rack-mounted server by pathological+liar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... and that's not speedy.

    The youtube clip is some knob plugging in ram and an *IDE* disk cable in what appears to be a several-year-old desktop. If any of you can't match that, turn in your computer geek card now...

    1. Re:That's not a rack-mounted server by ircmaxell · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wouldn't match it. Not because I couldn't reach that speed, but because I chose not to. I prefer to take the time to make sure every cable is secure, that each screw goes in straight, not stripped and tight. I take the time to apply thermal grease and make sure it's applied well before carefully placing the heat sink so as not to disturb the grease... I take the time to power the computer up while the case is still apart and on the bench, so that I can verify that all components are working properly before buttoning it up. Sure, doing it fast is nice. It may take twice the time to get it together, but I wonder how much longer it would take you to figure out what's wrong when something doesn't work (including removing the case, and possibly removing components that are blocking the issue)...

      --
      If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
  3. Was it just me? by naich · · Score: 5, Funny

    Was I the only one that read his shirt as saying "Herpes without capes" due to the placement of his name tag strap? Oh god, it was just me, wasn't it? I'm sick.

  4. It isn't done right until you are bleeding by Rhacman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe I'm just clumsy but the job isn't truly over until you discover all the cuts on your hands that you didn't realize you made at the time. The ones that have that sort of quantum uncertainty to them in that they don't hurt until you see them for the first time.

    --
    Account -> Discussions -> Disable Sigs
  5. latter-day marines? by bunhed · · Score: 5, Informative

    "It's like watching latter-day Marines field-strip and assemble their weapons."

    umm...no, it was not like that at all. It was more like watching a guy plug in a usb cable.