[funsec] Database design.

[Drsolly]

On Tue, 6 Jun 2006, Blue Boar wrote:

> Drsolly wrote:
> >> Drsolly wrote:
> >>> 300 gb drives cost about $100. You can put four of those in one computer, 
> >>> total cost maybe $600. For 460 terabytes, you'd need some 400 of those, 
> > 400 computers at 100 watts per computer, would need 40 kw. Space 
> > requirement - you could put it in a double garage. Aircon requirements 
> > wouldn't be too bad, you could probably go with 20 kw to augment the 
> > natural cooling. 
> > 
> > Hardware really is cheap.
> 
> Grabbing a random Google match:
> http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/seagate16/
> "According to the Kill-a-Watt electricity usage monitor, the Seagate 
> 300GB 8MB and 16MB SATA models use 11 watts when idle. When busy the 
> Seagate 300GB SATA hard drives can utilize approximately 13 watts each. 
> The Maxtor MaxLine III 7V300F0 uses 9 watts when idle and approximately 
> 12 watts when busy copying data."
> 
> Let's use 10 watts as an easy number to calculate with.  So that's 40W 
> burned per machine with an ideal power supply.  Where do you buy these 
> $200 60W computers?  All the standard clone shop PCs I buy come with 
> 300-400W power supplies,

The power supply rating, is the maximum it can supply, not what it 
actually burns. I also get 300 watt power supplies for my boxes.

> and probably use an average of 200W while 
> working?  (Since the power supply rating is a theoretical peak.)

Like I said - I put a clamp wattmeter on a server, and I'm telling you 
what I measured. 150 watts on start-up (that's because you're spinning up  
the drives), 110 watts when the computer is working hard, 75 watts when 
it's doing nothing.
 
> Or another way to estimate:
> http://www.nppd.com/My_Home/Product_Brochures/Additional_Files/electric_usage.asp
> 
> It says "Computer w/Monitor, Printer  	77.6¢ / week", which comes to 
> $16,140.80/year for 400 machines, if that number is accurate.  I expect 
> you have no monitors & printers, but you do have network switches.  So 
> adjust as appropriate.

I'm not sure what your figure would mean in kilowatts. Also, remember that 
servers wouldn't have monitors or printers. And switches (you'd want one 
per 32 or 48 computers) would take very little electricity compared to the 
400 servers.