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Following are links of my DIY 6-Node Hadoop Cluster using i3 Machines,

What is the best possible way to protect my design from dust & provide better heat transfer? What should I use to cover four side of my rack in order to protect it from dust?

ewwhite
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yogesh.panchal
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4 Answers4

13

Use real server cases with good cooling/ventilation paths.

Sven
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    +1. Exactly what I was going to write. There's a good reason real server cases have all of those plastic ducts - to direct airflow directly onto and away from the components that produce the most heat. – EEAA Jan 07 '13 at 13:37
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    -1. See, there also is a reason why some companies started not doing that. Among them little home shops that turn into GOOGLE. Yes, this setup is bad - but it is a LOT cheaper. That may be worth a lot. – TomTom Jan 07 '13 at 14:41
  • @TomTom: Even if it's not the Supermicro style server case, nearly any cheapo case from your local computer shop will be better than this, and likely cheaper than any more DIY stuff, at least from the perspective of time invested. And if you start experiencing (financial) scalability problems, you have to invest a lot more work into a solution than this project. – Sven Jan 07 '13 at 14:54
  • @SvenW Yes, sure. That likely is why I have some home build wood setups in the basement - mostly computers carrying up to 6 graphics cards each. Google also started with home made. For some stuff (mostly grids) that is the best way. – TomTom Jan 07 '13 at 14:54
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    @TomTom Google started in an era before server hardware was the sort of commodity product it is now. Cargo cult "Google does this, so we can" thinking can be harmful. – ceejayoz Jan 07 '13 at 15:15
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    "google does this" - yes but google does 'this' (whatever 'this' we're talking about, server hardware right now, sure, but other things too) because google have looked at their needs and come to that conclusion. They're not doing it because "altavista did this", and you shouldn't be doing it "because google does this". Now if you look at something google is doing and it makes sense for you too, then fill your boots. Otherwise... not so much. – Rob Moir Jan 07 '13 at 15:26
  • Yes, but today this still is the case if you ahve out ot area requirements. Show me a decent server case to hold 5-6 high end graphics cards please. – TomTom Jan 07 '13 at 15:29
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    @TomTom OP does not appear to be doing anything like that. – ceejayoz Jan 07 '13 at 18:35
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    that rack is holding 6U of stuff in 42U of space. Microsoft experimented with putting servers in a tent outdoors. That doesn't make it a good idea. – Sirex Jan 07 '13 at 22:38
11

Here's what I'd do.

Get some large sheets of thin Lexan (or even foam board / corrugated plastic board - I know this as Correx, YMMV).

Punch some holes through it, and bolt it to the holes on the uprights. Build about a foot or more higher on the top, cut out a hole and then mount a 12v automotive radiator fan on the top. You'll also want to build in some air-path through the "rack". One way to encourage airflow up and across would be to block alternate shelf-sides, and then build out a "box channel" for it to flow through. Side view. 

                           ^^
                           || Fan Out
            +--+-----------||----------+
            | +-+--------->++          |
   And Up   | ||                       |
            | ||                       |
            | ||-----------------------+
            | ||                       |
            | |<----------------------+|
            | <--+                    ||
            +--+-|--------------------++--+
               | +--------------------+-+ |
               |                       || |
               |                       || |
               +-----------------------|| |Air flows up
               |       +----------------> |
               |   +-----------+       || |
               |   |           |       |+ |
               +---|Filter IN  |-------+--+
               |   |           |       |
               |   +-----------+       |
               +-----------------------+

Cut out a panel at the bottom, and mount in that hole a filter from a ducted AC unit..

The theory is that air will be drawn up from the bottom (where it's cooler), through the filter panel, up past the servers, and out the hole with the fan in, on the top.

Or just buy a few 2U rack server cases from somewhere like Xcase, and then get a second hand rack to put them in.

Tom O'Connor
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2

Honestly? Unless its in a very dirty or very hot place (ambient temperature of above 30c in the room), nothing.

Those computers aren't going to generate much heat and there is loads of room around them to dissipate the heat they do generate. Not nearly enough to worry about in any case.

Mark Henderson
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0

Use mini-itx.

No heat. No dust. No noise. (almost) no electricity bills.

I've been running hadoop 8 nodes cluster for a month+.

The cluster is described here: http://www.pault.com/p/table-t

The cluster is used to datamine hadoop urls: http://hostedrobots.com/hadoop/

PaulT
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