I had a weird thought. Is anybody using laptops for servers? They're small so they don't take up much space. They don't weigh much so they're easy to ship. They have built-in battery backup power. The keyboard and monitor is right there if you need it. They don't make much noise. They don't use much power, and they don't produce much heat. Do any colocation providers even allow laptops? What about something like http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/5868.shtml? Post your thoughts...

Originally posted by ToastyX
I had a weird thought. Is anybody using laptops for servers? They're small so they don't take up much space. They don't weigh much so they're easy to ship. They have built-in battery backup power. The keyboard and monitor is right there if you need it. They don't make much noise. They don't use much power, and they don't produce much heat. Do any colocation providers even allow laptops? What about something like http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/5868.shtml? Post your thoughts...

Yep - we use them for some of our customers and some of our own servers - excelllent machines and hardly ever go down.

We don't buy them from ThinkGeek.com we buy the shell and bits all separately and build them ourselves... and the shell we use is very similar looking, although is exactly the same size and made by the same manufacturer. Much cheaper this way.

Not really a good idea.

expensive to buy
expensive parts
complicated to repair
heating problems
no expandability
no rack mount
.....

Originally posted by Walter
Not really a good idea.

expensive to buy
expensive parts
complicated to repair
heating problems
no expandability
no rack mount
.....


+ Not expensive at all - you just need to know where to buy from

+ Not expensive parts - standard SO-DIMM RAM, standard 2.5" 9.5MM high HD

+ repair? the ones we buy come with a warranty - if anything does go wrong it goes back to the distributor and gets replaced

+ No heating problems whatsoever - we have a number of these in our racks - they run much much much cooler than the standard 1U and 2 U machines we have

+ Expandability - what expandability are you looking for? the P4 version is due out soon.. you can buya CDR/DVD unit for it - yo can upgrade the memory, etc etc.. what other expandability would be required on an ultra cheap machine?

+ Rack mount - not really a problem - you can fit about 8-10 of these on a shelf.

Like I said we have months of experience with these machines - so surely we must know the pros and cons. :)

non standard parts = expensive parts.
No repairs? Have you ever changed a mainboard?
Warranty - every warranty comes to an end.
Expandability: Ok, if your customers never will ask about a second hard disk or such...
Memory - how much memory can you fit in a laptop? 1 GB? 2 GB? 3 GB? :)

I really didn't thought I had to elaborate on this...

Originally posted by Walter
non standard parts = expensive parts.
No repairs? Have you ever changed a mainboard?
Warranty - every warranty comes to an end.
Expandability: Ok, if your customers never will ask about a second hard disk or such...
Memory - how much memory can you fit in a laptop? 1 GB? 2 GB? 3 GB? :)
I really didn't thought I had to elaborate on this...

Why is everyone talking about this as a laptop - it isn't.. it is a mini-computer.

At the end of the day does it not depend on what the customer wants in a server spec? Most customers, as you are aware, do not upgrade their server spec that often - if anything it is mainly a bigger disk or more memory - second/third hard disks are not that common upgrade paths, IME.. and even if they did want to do that they can always go for a different machine.

Horses for courses.

Originally posted by AotI
Why is everyone talking about this as a laptop - it isn't.. it is a mini-computer.

Why?
Maybe because the title of this thread is "Laptops or Mini-PCs for servers"?
:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Walter

Why?
Maybe because the title of this thread is "Laptops or Mini-PCs for servers"?
:rolleyes:

Dude my apologies on this count - I was only thinking about the mini machines and the link that was posted rather than thinking 'laptop' too.
:blush:

LOL, no offense intended.
:)

I'd like to know where you are getting the parts at. I wouldn't mind building one of these for my son.

__________________
Keith

Originally posted by kmurrey
I'd like to know where you are getting the parts at. I wouldn't mind building one of these for my son.


Unable to tell you on the board - however do email me directly and I will.

the mini-pc looks like a great choice

For laptops, i would have to say no, not a good choice as a server..you know how hot those babys get (ever sit in 1 spot longer then 30 minutes with your laptop ON your laptop ? :)


I did however see a few emachines at our colo facility yestreday :) hehe

Originally posted by AlaskanWolf

I did however see a few emachines at our colo facility yestreday :) hehe

They better have some mini-atx power supplies on hand :)