[NCLUG] Re: "Green" power -- off grid

[Chad Perrin]

On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 03:38:04PM -0600, Sean Reifschneider wrote:
> Chad Perrin wrote:
> > Holy crap -- they were granted a patent for that?
> 
> I haven't looked into the patent, but I think it might involve a lot of
> specifics about the way they are managing the servers in that environment.
> It sounded like they were trying to make the customers only access the cold
> side rather than allowing access from the cold side to the hot.  Which
> makes sense, because if there was any pressure differential between the two
> sides a traditional door could not only leak a lot but also pose quite a
> hazard -- either it would be hard to close or hard to open and slam
> (possibly taking body parts with it) when it closed.  1psi across the
> surface of a door can be a lot of force...

So, basically, if I copied their patent and replaced client prohibition
on the "hot" side with an airlock so clients could have full access --
would that mean I could get a separate patent?

I find the whole idea of patenting methods for separating temperature
differentiated airflows kind of absurd.  Then again, I tend to find
patents in general absurd.  Maybe it's a personal failing.


> 
> Anyway, it sounded like they were trying to make the servers kind of like
> blades, but in a more standard form-factor.  So customers could pull out
> their machines, poke around with them, then slide them back into their
> slot, and have all the connections on the back made for them.
> 
> Which seems more more reasonably patentable.
> 
> Though it does remind me of Equinix's patent.  They run cable trays around
> their data-center and they have 3 tiers of these trays, one for fiber, one
> for copper networking, and one for power.  IIRC, it's fiber on bottom and
> power on top, because fiber is least likely to burst into flames, though
> there's also a case for net then fiber then power to reduce the
> inductive signal between power and Ethernet...
> 
> They have a patent on this.   Because it allows them to recable easily, and
> also doesn't require a raised floor.  The only Equinix datacenter I've been
> in was one they purchased from someone else, and it had raised floor in it,
> so I don't know what they do with the cooling, but I imagine they normally
> run that overhead too.

That sounds to me like a pretty absurd patent, too.  Again, maybe it's a
personal failing.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ content licensed PDL: http://pdl.apotheon.org ]
Thomas McCauley: "The measure of a man's real character is what he would
do if he knew he would never be found out."
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