> Why not have a single (redundant) big 24VDC power supply for
> all the boards instead of supplying them all 120VAC?
>
> Would there be a commercial market for such "unicluster"
> devices, where multiple independent boards are associated
> with a single power supply transformer --- or maybe an alternate
> power standard connector which would provide computer voltages
> to computer equipment instead of 120 VAC?
>
> Or is the current state of distributed power supplying really
> a best practice because it prevents loading problems and
> line resistance problems that running DC lines around the computer
> room (using Edison wiring rather than a Tesla wiring) would cause?
There are actually lots of good examples of just this sort of thing. The
"Cluser in a box" idea is but one, where you actually have a bunch of
computers on plug in cards, all sharing the same video, disk drive, CD, but
having separate CPU, memory, SCSI controller and drives, etc. And they all
plug into the same backplane on an N+1 power supply system.
Remote access concentrators are the same way, like the 3Com (USR) Total
Control console, and a good many routers/hub/switches have those plugs for
RPS connections.
It probably won't catch on big for mainstream products though. It would
help cooling though to take the power supplies out of a rack of computers.
I have one system here of 3 Compaq racks bolted together...5 servers, LOTS
of hard drives (a little over a terabyte I think), etc. Even in the
air-conditioned server room, you can still behind this beast, where all
those case fans blow out, and warm up a bit. :-)
Aaron
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