Slideshow: Facebook remakes the server

Rick Merritt, EETimes
10/3/2012 12:00 PM EDT

MENLO PARK, Calif. – Facebook showed EETimes its first working prototype of Open Rack, an energy efficient server that's intended to power data centers which can theoretically scale to more than 100,000 physical machines.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft also specify low cost, energy efficient servers and other data center gear. But they generally keep those designs private, aiming to get a proprietary advantage. Facebook's "open" angle isn't related to a Linux-like use of the word. Rather, it indicates use of modular power supplies, standard mechanical form factors and other elements any vendor can make. This means everything can be swapped out, without replacing the entire server.

Click here to read more ...