Google's hardware?

[imported_Phil]

Hi all,

Was browsing for interest to see what kinda hardware Google runs on, and came across this amusing piece from 1998.

That's a lot less than they're running now, but does anyone know how many boxen Google runs from?
Surely the Google Cache takes up an ungodly amount of space too...?

 

[discostusback]

did you accidentally type boxen or do you know of brian reegan the comedian. just wondering cause his plural of box is boxen on one of his cds

 

[imported_Phil]

No idea who he is, boxen sounds a bit better than boxes when talking about PCs

 

[ultimatebob]

I'm confused.... I thought that Google only ran on Linux. If that's the case,what are the IBM RS/6000 F50 and the Sun Ultra II for? I don't think that either of those platforms could run Linux back in 1998.

 

[DaveSimmons]

They ran unix variants.

 

[dnuggett]

Why do I have a feeling with 3 billion pages in it's database, that they have upgraded just a little. Wired mag did a lengthy write up on them in the newest issue.

 

[SUOrangeman]

I knew that Google was (once) powered by a lot of old PCs. However, I thought they were running them all in a Beowulf configuration. Example link:

http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/2003-March/006166.html

-SUO

 

[AIWGuru]

Love the 1998 digicam image quality. Fantasitc LEGO scsi drive box btw.

 

[Rotax]

That lego box idea is great...build a whole case outta that and you'd have one stylin sys next to your desk. :0 definatley would get some comments!

 

[nitromullet]

Wouldn't they use some sort of variant of their own product?
http://www.google.com/appliance/products.html

 

[AIWGuru]

Originally posted by: Rotax
That lego box idea is great...build a whole case outta that and you'd have one stylin sys next to your desk. :0 definatley would get some comments!

Some kid won some lan party case contest which was covered by tomshardware. It was made of lego and incorporated all the sets. No glue. But...it melted when he turned it on.

 

[Shedness]

They recently had a job posting in my area and I believe that the posting said that they have 10,000 machines.

 

[p1800volvo]

From news on the SCO case, they have Thousands, running linux.

 

[KristopherKubicki]

Heh, Remmber this was like 7 years ago. I had a chance to meet some google folk in 2002 and even then they were running TENS of thousands of machines.

Kristopher

 

[imported_Phil]

:Q :Q

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: AIWGuru

Originally posted by: Rotax
That lego box idea is great...build a whole case outta that and you'd have one stylin sys next to your desk. :0 definatley would get some comments!

Some kid won some lan party case contest which was covered by tomshardware. It was made of lego and incorporated all the sets. No glue. But...it melted when he turned it on.

I wonder if you would have that problem if you built up the legos around the case...

 

[AIWGuru]

I wonder if you would have that problem if you built up the legos around the case...

It didn't really melt. That was a joke.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: AIWGuru

I wonder if you would have that problem if you built up the legos around the case...

It didn't really melt. That was a joke.

I'd still worry about it. I'm wierd like that.

 

[lenjack]

Latest issue of MaximumPC magazine has the info.

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: lenjack
Latest issue of MaximumPC magazine has the info.

dare to sahre it with us.