6 ms·

Laptops are becoming potentially useful as servers, especially considering that they have what amounts to a built-in UPS that can run for up to 12 hours (in thi

by qjz 17y ago

Laptops are becoming potentially useful as servers, especially considering that they have what amounts to a built-in UPS that can run for up to 12 hours (in this case), without the problems inherent in a conventional UPS (price, single point of failure, etc.). ACPI even offers flexible event-driven power management to protect your data. The only problem is that I haven't found a laptop that offers server-oriented options in the BIOS. For example, I would like to tell the laptop to hibernate when power is disconnected and battery is dangerously low, then wake when AC power is restored. Extra points for providing a sleep stage before hibernation, depending on battery levels. I'm not a big fan of WOL for this purpose.

JadeNB 17y ago
> For example, I would like to tell the laptop to hibernate when power is disconnected and battery is dangerously low, then wake when AC power is restored. Extra points for providing a sleep stage before hibernation, depending on battery levels. I'm confused. Unless I misunderstand you, this is exactly how my MacBook Pro behaves—as the battery drains, it warns me with an icon in the menu bar when the power is low (less than 1/4 charge, I think), then with a pop-up dialogue at 10 minutes, then hibernates. If I plug it in, it wakes back up effectively instantly. (It doesn't offer the sleep period by default, but I think it can be configured to do so.) Is this what you're looking for, or is it something more subtle?
- qjz 17y ago
  My MacBook Pro is in the red at this very moment. Let me test this out...
  - qjz 17y ago
    Well, the MacBook hibernated (and the Windows XP VM running in Fusion even went into standby first), but reconnecting the power supply didn't bring it out of hibernation, which is the behaviour I want. I had to hit a key to wake it up. I had ruled out using a MacBook as a server, mainly because I want to operate it with the lid closed most of the time, which might cause it to overheat (an issue shared by some models of other brands). If I can find a way to run Linux, keep the lid closed, and bring the laptop out of hibernation when power is restored, I'll be happy.
    - JadeNB 17y ago
      Oh, sorry, you're right! Indeed I was missing the bit about having to hit the power key. In Leopard, under Energy Saver, there's a selection "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access"; will that provide what you want? (Actually, I'm a little confused: If you're physically present to plug in the machine, what's the problem with pressing the power button? Is it just that you don't want to open it?) By the way, according to this article (http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/359432/how-get-your-mb-p-run http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/359432/how-get-your...), which links to this Apple KB article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131), it is perfectly OK to run the MacBook Pro with the lid closed. Have you had trouble when you actually do so?
      - qjz 17y ago
        Plugging in the machine was merely to simulate power restoration (a more accurate test would be to leave the DC connector attached to the laptop and cut off power to the AC plug, which sometimes creates different behaviour). I want a server to come back online unattended, so I can enjoy my vacations. :) I've only read that MacBooks overheat with the lids closed (I definitely feel the warm air being expelled near the hinge, and the area surrounding the track pad can get pretty hot), but if that's not the case, I might reconsider using them as servers.
old-gregg 17y ago
I don't think very many of them are designed to run for a prolonged periods of time at 100% CPU utilization. Ever heard of Adobe Flashplayer AKA the laptop melter? :-) Moreover, laptops often have inferior FSB bandwidth which further amplifies "fast CPU/slow RAM" bottleneck often seen in multi-tasking server environments.
- qjz 17y ago
  I definitely have lightweight servers in mind, where prolonged 100% CPU usage would be rare. These would basically be headless Linux servers where X11 isn't even running (samba, mail, web, DNS, etc.), with the bonus that a keyboard & display is readily available if you want to log on locally and fire up a window manager for some reason (pretty graphs and the like).

by qjz 17y ago

JadeNB 17y ago

> For example, I would like to tell the laptop to hibernate when power is disconnected and battery is dangerously low, then wake when AC power is restored. Extra points for providing a sleep stage before hibernation, depending on battery levels. I'm confused. Unless I misunderstand you, this is exactly how my MacBook Pro behaves—as the battery drains, it warns me with an icon in the menu bar when the power is low (less than 1/4 charge, I think), then with a pop-up dialogue at 10 minutes, then hibernates. If I plug it in, it wakes back up effectively instantly. (It doesn't offer the sleep period by default, but I think it can be configured to do so.) Is this what you're looking for, or is it something more subtle?

qjz 17y ago
My MacBook Pro is in the red at this very moment. Let me test this out...
- qjz 17y ago
  Well, the MacBook hibernated (and the Windows XP VM running in Fusion even went into standby first), but reconnecting the power supply didn't bring it out of hibernation, which is the behaviour I want. I had to hit a key to wake it up. I had ruled out using a MacBook as a server, mainly because I want to operate it with the lid closed most of the time, which might cause it to overheat (an issue shared by some models of other brands). If I can find a way to run Linux, keep the lid closed, and bring the laptop out of hibernation when power is restored, I'll be happy.
  - JadeNB 17y ago
    Oh, sorry, you're right! Indeed I was missing the bit about having to hit the power key. In Leopard, under Energy Saver, there's a selection "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access"; will that provide what you want? (Actually, I'm a little confused: If you're physically present to plug in the machine, what's the problem with pressing the power button? Is it just that you don't want to open it?) By the way, according to this article (http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/359432/how-get-your-mb-p-run http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/359432/how-get-your...), which links to this Apple KB article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131), it is perfectly OK to run the MacBook Pro with the lid closed. Have you had trouble when you actually do so?
    - qjz 17y ago
      Plugging in the machine was merely to simulate power restoration (a more accurate test would be to leave the DC connector attached to the laptop and cut off power to the AC plug, which sometimes creates different behaviour). I want a server to come back online unattended, so I can enjoy my vacations. :) I've only read that MacBooks overheat with the lids closed (I definitely feel the warm air being expelled near the hinge, and the area surrounding the track pad can get pretty hot), but if that's not the case, I might reconsider using them as servers.

old-gregg 17y ago

I don't think very many of them are designed to run for a prolonged periods of time at 100% CPU utilization. Ever heard of Adobe Flashplayer AKA the laptop melter? :-) Moreover, laptops often have inferior FSB bandwidth which further amplifies "fast CPU/slow RAM" bottleneck often seen in multi-tasking server environments.

qjz 17y ago
I definitely have lightweight servers in mind, where prolonged 100% CPU usage would be rare. These would basically be headless Linux servers where X11 isn't even running (samba, mail, web, DNS, etc.), with the bonus that a keyboard & display is readily available if you want to log on locally and fire up a window manager for some reason (pretty graphs and the like).