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Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Mini
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Author:  ProfessorF [ Fri Dec 06, 2013 3:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Mini

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/12/apples-mac-mini-reborn/

Quote:
Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Minis
BY CADE METZ 12.06.13
If you walk into one of the massive data centers that underpin Facebook’s ever-expanding online empire, you’ll find tens of thousands of computer servers. Many of them are designed by Facebook, and most run Linux, the open source operating system that drives so much of the modern web. But those aren’t the only machines you’ll find.

You’ll also find Mac Minis. Lots and lots of Mac Minis.

The Apple Mac Mini is a small, square computer sold without a display, keyboard, or mouse. It looks kinda like a makeup case with an Apple logo on it. The thing was conceived as a home machine. You could toss it onto your desk and attach peripherals already lying around the house. But nearly a decade after its debut, the Mini has assumed a very different role at Facebook. Mark Zuckeberg and Co. operate a vast fleet of Mac Minis so they have a place to test the Facebook iOS app — the app that lets hundreds of millions of people use the world’s most popular social network from the iPhone and the iPad.


This is all well and good, but by god the iOS FB app isn't very good, is it?

Author:  paulzolo [ Wed Dec 11, 2013 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Mini

ProfessorF wrote:
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/12/apples-mac-mini-reborn/

Quote:
Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Minis
BY CADE METZ 12.06.13
If you walk into one of the massive data centers that underpin Facebook’s ever-expanding online empire, you’ll find tens of thousands of computer servers. Many of them are designed by Facebook, and most run Linux, the open source operating system that drives so much of the modern web. But those aren’t the only machines you’ll find.

You’ll also find Mac Minis. Lots and lots of Mac Minis.

The Apple Mac Mini is a small, square computer sold without a display, keyboard, or mouse. It looks kinda like a makeup case with an Apple logo on it. The thing was conceived as a home machine. You could toss it onto your desk and attach peripherals already lying around the house. But nearly a decade after its debut, the Mini has assumed a very different role at Facebook. Mark Zuckeberg and Co. operate a vast fleet of Mac Minis so they have a place to test the Facebook iOS app — the app that lets hundreds of millions of people use the world’s most popular social network from the iPhone and the iPad.


This is all well and good, but by god the iOS FB app isn't very good, is it?


No.It’s recommended that you manually quit it after use because it’s a battery drainer and it remains “on” all the time.

Author:  big_D [ Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Mini

How are they getting the Infiniband cables connected to get the low latency (200 nanoseconds) and high data throughput (up to 300Gbps)?

Author:  paulzolo [ Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Facebook Erects Supercomputers With Giant Stacks of Mac Mini

big_D wrote:
How are they getting the Infiniband cables connected to get the low latency (200 nanoseconds) and high data throughput (up to 300Gbps)?


Thunderbolt? I have no idea if that’s possible, or if it offer any benefits. A Mac mini is a nice little box, and there are nice 1U enclosures to hold them.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/xmacminiserver.html

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