What if a Server was Stackable Instead of Rackable?

This is an interesting concept of stackable instead of rackable servers. I did this video in the 45 drives lab showing a physical prototype of the idea. The prototype consists of a UPS unit, power supply unit, CPU unit, and a drive unit. The units are connected through PCIe edge cards, eliminating the need for wires between the stacks. The system has one network interface for everything and only requires power and a network interface to connect. This concept could be beneficial for small businesses or home users who need a compact system in a small space.

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Chapters
00:00 Concept of stackable instead of rackable servers
00:57 How they Stack Up with Power and Connectivity
02:30 Use Cases
03:50 Should this exist?

[languarmonkey]

I like the concept. My first thought is serviceability. A system consolidated like that needs fail over equipment built in. That can keep the client running while the other piece of equipment is being serviced.

[GlassDeviant]

Agree on the servicing issue mentioned by others, the whole concept of the rack was to allow complete access to any piece of equipment without disturbing the others unnecessarily. Edge cards are just a different take on cables and although they make things neater, they trade flexibility for getting rid of the cable clutter.
This is rather like that modular computer one company (I forget which) came up with decades ago, where even the CPU and RAM were on a daughter board that could be swapped out. Fantastic idea with one critical flaw.

[sinisterpisces]

I love this. As you mentioned, it's going to be great for home/small office/home office prosumers who need storage and compute density in a small space. The lack of cables is a huge plus; it's going to be much easier to place *and move.*

If a system like this existed a couple of years ago, I probably wouldn't have a 9U rack under my desk. If it's aimed at the home/small office, it'll also have to be relatively quiet (but not silent); it'll be interesting to see how that's done.

I actually really like the look: it's very reminiscent of a PDP-11 stack, which was absolutely a stackable computer. I can't wait to see how this develops. I'd love to see more videos on it if more news escapes their labs. :)

[BDTB]

Love the concept. Nothing gets my OCD more amped than misaligned switches.

[zeroibis]

I feel like this is trying to solve an issue that could be solved at a lower cost with a modernized server tower.

[augurseer]

New ideas and prototypes are always good to see.
Keep testing. Keep trying. I am here for it.

[ColbyPerry]

I really like this idea. The thought of adding a "compute" module or "storage" module without much technical assistance onsite is real nice.

[mcol]

That's a slick concept I like it. I think they should make it to be also rackable so it can flex multiple ways.

[johnvanwinkle]

I think it is a great concept, good for the storage closet to keep things quiet. Great video Tom!

[elv_on]

I see so many problems: how do you replace the UPS? The switch? Disassemble everything? Maybe make them like drawers? Then again looks like a rack? Maybe instead of 2.5" drives, a half unit drawer with M2? But then again then again we have expansion cards and each one does something. The concept is cool but not practical IMO.

[consecratedtech]

yes to the half rack!! it creates the ability for growth as needed instead of having to step to a full size item first. like the HL4 and 8 there is a need for something to be that small and if you create it so people can use it in a smaller design then you open the world to home labs and enterprise needs!!
Thanks for always bringing us the coolest stuff!!

[nickholman]

This is an awesome concept. Cant wait for future updates and to see the iterations over time

[insobox]

This totally takes me back to the Thermaltake/BMW Level 10 days with its modular design. You could pick and choose: "I want this CPU unit, this storage unit, and that XYZ add-on unit, " with the flexibility to swap things out over time. I love that concept! However, I do see a couple of design flaws. First, the lack of redundant power is concerning. A dual power supply option, or even a built-in bypass to switch between them, would be a game-changer, especially if you ever need to swap out the UPS. Second, there's no redundant network connectivity. If you're virtualizing like you mentioned, having the ability to team NICs or at least dedicate one NIC for management and another for virtual servers is crucial. Those features would really take the design to the next level.

[yobart]

this kind of stuff exists in the industrial sector. They tray like chassis in which you can slot in blades of different funciton (similar to blade servers but the blades are different in design).

it is not per say "stackable" as the issue that commes with this idea is "how do i replace the middle layer without moving the entire half of the stack" hence why we have screw in rack mounts.
in the industrial sector they prepare slot in emplacements for you to put equipement in.
Not so new radio switches for example have slots in which you can fit networking redundancy switch multiple emitters, central computation units and so on.
Industrial switches are also very much like this, in IT we have plenty of rackmounted monster chassis with expansion cards and the like.
in the industrial field, everything looks like a PLC. you get a central unit and you can clip on more stuff to it.
These solutions are simple to service, they are mounted on th35-7, 5 DIN rails and you can remove any one module indidually as they are small.

For vertically stacked servers, i see them as a big investement and hindrance. You would probably be locked in to the vendor, have big issues in terms of servicing any one layer.
and for a product this size you would most likely need an IT team to deal with it anyway.

what would be nice to see is a unified way of sharing power across an entire rack or cabinet.

[georgehooper]

I like the concept and idea of it. It kind of reminds me of the shape of the Microvax 4200 we had back in the day. Yes it can appear to be a trash can with a tape drive.
I think something like this would work for a dental office or small business office. That way they could tailor the stack to their needs. I would say the internal components should be common computer hardware, such as mobo, raid controller or drives. This way replacement parts 8-12 years after installation can still be found. You know most systems in medical offices are used until the wheels fall off (i.e. way beyond their useful life).
If we think about a medical or business office. This system needs to be really quiet, or as quiet as possible if it might exist in a person’s working space. The appearance would be something that you might find in an office and not right away identify it as a computer. Other modules I could see is a 48 port networking switch. This would give the small office both computer, storage, and networking in one battery backed-up enclosure. The battery backup system should have some kind of management card that would integrate with an ilo/idrac like interface for out of band management for msp access (I realize this moves the system out of the use of commodity hardware). This out of band management interface could have some kind of vpn in place that could reach out to the monitoring msp. This vpn should be transparent to whatever ISP the customer is using and not require any changes to the customer ISP router. Something else (reflecting back on the mv4200) is a roll-about base. Simply a platform the compute stack would sit on where you could move the server around. Depending on the battery pack size, the stack could be quite heavy, maybe too much for a desktop work surface.
Of course, all of this revolves around the price point. If its quiet, looks like a water cooler, has plenty of compute power, manages itself, built in network switch for the entire office, and costs as much as the doctor’s 2nd yacht it simply won’t be purchased.

In general I like the idea and thinking of this project.

[juliejones]

Using some woodworking experience with Bosch L-Boxxes and Festool Systainers I can tell you that you always need to get to something at the bottom of the stack. Systainers have a neat feature that you can actually move the latch to a position that lets you tip the upper part of the stack and get to something in one of the lower boxes. This is much better than having to unstack everything. With that as my prelude, I like the idea of the neatness of a stack instead a huge partly empty rack. I think that I would modify the system so that each unit is a drawer in a box. The tops and bottoms of the box can be removed and they stack just like what you are showing. Power can work the same way also. The change it that the pull out drawer has to have some type of backplane connector to the PCIe bus. You get all the benefits, but you can still pull out the drawer for the CPU module (that has four more boxes stacked on it) and add more memory. Prototyping is fun!

[soulassasin]

Great idea! Keep developing this technology. We need this. Finally cut down the rack from the setup.

[richardedmondson]

Really like the concept. It doesn't look to have a footprint much larger than an office printer, so I can't imagine the size would be a serious issue. Seems like it would work for all kinds of small businesses and many home lab folks. I'd really like to see this enclosure use commodity innards (like standard PSUs, motherboards, drive backplanes, etc.) that link up to the chassis interconnects using existing technology. If everything is proprietary such that a motherboard can't be swapped with a standard ATX replacement, then this will never fly.

[monkeyrebellion]

Great concept. I can see this taking off with startups, SOHO, or homes that do not have racks in them. If they are able to cover high availability, affordable cost, and easy expansion/replacement/upgrade, then this could do well in the market.

There would need to be a ton of customizations available for the nodes as well as 24/7 support for the democratically appointed "IT Guy." I would definitely see this as an investment for those who cannot afford or trust the cloud.

[TinyHomeLabs]

Make nodes that need maintenance slide the internals out the front. think of a blade server chassis. the power and data going up the stack stays in tact but the internals of the node can be pulled out hot swap style to service it.