PCLinuxOS Folding Team - #50619

How to build a small diskless Linux based, protein folding farm.

Here are a few pics of the project in progress...


First, I started with a old stripped out pbx rack.


Next, I mounted five cooling fans on the back of the rack.


Here is the completed 1000 MHz HP something or another server.
My goal here was to be as minimalistic as possible.  I intentionally
disabled all non-essential on board hardware at the BIOS level.
It has 256 megs PC100, an 8.4 gb Quantium Fireball HD, a 52x Sony
CD ROM burner and an additional cooling fan in the front of the case.


Here are the reset switches and power led's which I mounted on
6 - 866 MHZ HP E-vectras.  My reason for doing this was that this
hardware is pretty old. I wanted to make it easy to disconnect them
and replace them with spares as they burn out.
Believe me, they WILL burn out...


Same thing as above, just mounted in the rack this time.


Next I installed an old AT style psu in the bottom of the rack.
This is giong to power up the rear cooling fans and supply
the 110 VAC needed for a 9" VGA monochrome monitor.


Here is a picture from the back, early in the wiring stage.


Same thing, just a little farther along.


Here is the low voltage side. I installed six 19 VDC psu's all individually
switched.  BTW, I'm not really happy with how the switch wiring turned
out. Murphy's law or something. The power cables came out nice though.


Here is the high voltage side. I am pretty happy with this.


Just another pic with things tied up a bit more.


Here is a view from the front without the grill.


Again, same thing just with the grill this time.


Everything pictured above is used equipment stripped from old
computers I have collected over the years. So far I have
exactly $0.00 US dollars invested in this project.

(Well, that's not counting wire ties, heat shrink tubing
and cable wrap of course...)


The parts list so far...

1 - White, standard issue student desktop.
1 - Gutted telco rack.
1 - 1 GHZ HP something with 256 meg PC 100.
6 - 866 MHZ HP E-vectras with 128 meg PC 100.
1 - 200 watt AT power supply.
7 - Double pole, single throw AT power switches.
5 - Rear cooling fans pulled from some old Dell PSU's.
1 - 8.4 GB Quantium Fireball HD.
1 - 52x Sony CD burner.
1 - 16 port generic 10base-T hub.
1 - 15" Packard Bell, VGA monitor for the server.
1 - 9" Miracle, monochrome VGA monitor the E-vectras.
2 - PS2 Keyboards
1 - PS2 mouse
3 - Strips of stick on chrome rocker panel.
1 - Black metal acoustical, office cubical mesh.
5 - Rubber groumets.

Future plans...

I recently tested 2 old dual processor Asus P28-DS mainboards.
Each board is populated with 2 - 450 MHZ PIII's and 256 meg PC 100.
Both boards seem to fold just fine and since the rack is currently full,
I'm considering using small diameter threaded rod to stack them on
top of each other so that I can plug them into the farm also.

How this will actually work still remains to be seen...