13 ms·

> wifi for servers I urge you to reconsider. Potential customers and applicants will immediately go all in and the "but this doesn't make any sense" step will

> wifi for servers I urge you to reconsider. Potential customers and applicants will immediately go all in and the "but this doesn't make any sense" step will never happen. We'll be reading blog posts like "I'm hooked on PCP (the Post-Cabling Paradigm)" from Google SRE's with comments praising the downfall of "Big Ethernet" while the emissions from datacenters vaporize flocks of migrating birds.

jtwaleson 2y ago
Yes! The servers will look lit without those ugly cables. Zero-downtime cross-rack migrations will become possible.
- spydum 2y ago
  Wireless fiber is the way of the future
- LeifCarrotson 2y ago
  It would take some downtime (or at least a really long extension cord and redundant power supplies for swapping one-by-one) because you'd still need to connect it to power. The solution is obvious: Qi inductive wireless charge coils on the outside of the server cases.
  - jtwaleson 2y ago
    Or integrated miniature diesel generators.
    - Aeolun 2y ago
      The idea of having a miniscule diesel generator in the server chassis is almost worth doing it right now. Still have fond memories of our miniature steam engine, but I figure that would be a bit impractical.
    - j16sdiz 2y ago
      Or nuclear reactor
      - passivegains 2y ago
        what I wouldn't give for a 1U RTG...
    - all2 2y ago
      VW makes an excellent 2.0L TDI that would be a good fit. It would take up about half a rack. You could integrate a fuel cell (say 5 gallons) so that it can function when it is detached from the fuel delivery fans. If you don't want to worry about piping diesel around your server farm, we could go with compressed air and use air turbines with generators on them. Clean and efficient energy transmission without wires!
      - gpderetta 2y ago
        Does it automatically detects when you are running a benchmark and switches to a special benchmark mode?
        TheTxT 2y ago
        That’s what the gearbox is for! It will automatically kick into high gear
  - electroly 2y ago
    You swap it over to a desktop UPS that can come along with the server during the physical move. No downtime as long as you have redundant PSUs and you can walk fast enough to beat the battery draining.
- hateful 2y ago
  But - hear me out - if all of your servers did have wifi - and it was usually disabled - but you could enable it, move the server, then disable it - that might be something? I know having a redundant server is better - but there's something to it. Also, this reminds me of a post I read a while ago about them moving a server from one building to another without unplugging it or something. [Found it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24059243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24059243]
  - jtwaleson 2y ago
    We should apply to the next YC batch as cofounders.
  - passivegains 2y ago
    thank you for digging up the link, it was everything I hoped it would be. that one's going in my bookmarks. obviously a second server and a reverse proxy or something would be less jank, but your idea definitely has merit. it's kind of like using two points of contact while climbing something.
  - thisislife2 2y ago
    Why just Wifi? With ARM chips you can also have LTE in your servers! (Better check with the NSA first - maybe all the existing Intel and AMD SoCs already have some form of wireless comm built-into it?).
- FuriouslyAdrift 2y ago
  Cannot tell you how many uncomfortable conversations I have had trying to explain that you still need to run cables for power to wireless cameras (the outdoor cams work off of solar quite well, though).
  - dmd 2y ago
    None of the wireless cameras at my house have power cables. They run for months on a charge.
    - FuriouslyAdrift 2y ago
      Our bullet cams pull a steady 30W ad they record 24/7 (factory floor). Our newer 4k and PTZ cams are coming in pulling nearly 60W.
    - paulddraper 2y ago
      Same with game cameras. But resolution + recording time matter.
  - rtsil 2y ago
    They're wireless, not wirefree.
- itishappy 2y ago
  The technician changing the rack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Z6QAzlkSs&t=370s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Z6QAzlkSs&t=370s
- mystified5016 2y ago
  Put a micro UPS in the server and just haul it around campus still online

jtwaleson 2y ago

Yes! The servers will look lit without those ugly cables. Zero-downtime cross-rack migrations will become possible.

spydum 2y ago
Wireless fiber is the way of the future
LeifCarrotson 2y ago
It would take some downtime (or at least a really long extension cord and redundant power supplies for swapping one-by-one) because you'd still need to connect it to power. The solution is obvious: Qi inductive wireless charge coils on the outside of the server cases.
- jtwaleson 2y ago
  Or integrated miniature diesel generators.
  - Aeolun 2y ago
    The idea of having a miniscule diesel generator in the server chassis is almost worth doing it right now. Still have fond memories of our miniature steam engine, but I figure that would be a bit impractical.
  - j16sdiz 2y ago
    Or nuclear reactor
    - passivegains 2y ago
      what I wouldn't give for a 1U RTG...
  - all2 2y ago
    VW makes an excellent 2.0L TDI that would be a good fit. It would take up about half a rack. You could integrate a fuel cell (say 5 gallons) so that it can function when it is detached from the fuel delivery fans. If you don't want to worry about piping diesel around your server farm, we could go with compressed air and use air turbines with generators on them. Clean and efficient energy transmission without wires!
    - gpderetta 2y ago
      Does it automatically detects when you are running a benchmark and switches to a special benchmark mode?
      - TheTxT 2y ago
        That’s what the gearbox is for! It will automatically kick into high gear
- electroly 2y ago
  You swap it over to a desktop UPS that can come along with the server during the physical move. No downtime as long as you have redundant PSUs and you can walk fast enough to beat the battery draining.
hateful 2y ago
But - hear me out - if all of your servers did have wifi - and it was usually disabled - but you could enable it, move the server, then disable it - that might be something? I know having a redundant server is better - but there's something to it. Also, this reminds me of a post I read a while ago about them moving a server from one building to another without unplugging it or something. [Found it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24059243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24059243]
- jtwaleson 2y ago
  We should apply to the next YC batch as cofounders.
- passivegains 2y ago
  thank you for digging up the link, it was everything I hoped it would be. that one's going in my bookmarks. obviously a second server and a reverse proxy or something would be less jank, but your idea definitely has merit. it's kind of like using two points of contact while climbing something.
- thisislife2 2y ago
  Why just Wifi? With ARM chips you can also have LTE in your servers! (Better check with the NSA first - maybe all the existing Intel and AMD SoCs already have some form of wireless comm built-into it?).
FuriouslyAdrift 2y ago
Cannot tell you how many uncomfortable conversations I have had trying to explain that you still need to run cables for power to wireless cameras (the outdoor cams work off of solar quite well, though).
- dmd 2y ago
  None of the wireless cameras at my house have power cables. They run for months on a charge.
  - FuriouslyAdrift 2y ago
    Our bullet cams pull a steady 30W ad they record 24/7 (factory floor). Our newer 4k and PTZ cams are coming in pulling nearly 60W.
  - paulddraper 2y ago
    Same with game cameras. But resolution + recording time matter.
- rtsil 2y ago
  They're wireless, not wirefree.
itishappy 2y ago
The technician changing the rack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Z6QAzlkSs&t=370s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Z6QAzlkSs&t=370s
mystified5016 2y ago
Put a micro UPS in the server and just haul it around campus still online