Why Open Compute Is a Win For Rackspace

1sockchuck writes "Cloud provider Rackspace is looking to the emerging open source hardware ecosystem to transform its data centers. The cloud provider spends $200 million a year on servers and storage, and sees the Open Compute Project as the key to reducing its costs on hardware design and operations. Rackspace is keen on the potential of the new Open Rack program, and its buying power is motivating HP and Dell to develop for the new standard — partly because Rackspace has also been talking with original design manufacturers like Quantra and Wistron. It's an early look at how open source hardware could have a virtuous impact on the server economy. 'I think the OEMs were not very interested (in Open Compute) initially,' said Rackspace COO Mark Roenigk. 'But in the last six months they have become really focused.'"

Comments

open standards for hardware

[dhammabum]

They have some really good ideas for rack/server design - eg they reckon they are getting 34% power saving by supplying 12V DC to buses in the racks so servers don't need individual power supplies and with improved cooling paths.

Manufacturers won't standardise unless they are pushed like rackspace is doing. This is a big advance.

Who are the entrenched interest in this case?

[Taco Cowboy]

The rack frame itself is 24 inches in width, but, for some stupid reason, the rack was confined to 19 inches

Plus, all the components, like HD, mobo, and so on, had to had their own PSU

Air flow was seriously constricted, and heat built up

Now that they change the spec to 21 inches, and leave the power supply to the frame, just like what they were doing in the blade servers, much improvement will be had in this new design

As for the entrenched interest - HP and Dell are the two biggest OEM, and if they do not want to play, well, the Taiwanese ODMs will be more than happy to move in and fill the gap

And do not discount the biggest elephant in the room, Foxconn - if Foxconn decides to join in the game, the whole scene will change drastically

Re:Who are the entrenched interest in this case?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

It isn't really a question of whether the pacific rim ODMs will be manufacturing the gear. It's just a question of whether HP and Dell will be providing case badges and customer support or not...

Foxconn, among others, already handles a nontrivial amount of manufacturing for HP, not sure about Dell. The open question appears to be whether large operators like Rackspace will find it economically viable to handle system integration for themselves, in addition to operations, or whether existing systems integrators will continue to smooth over the rough edges of the ODM side and serve as the final vendor.