The glory days are over for Cheyenne.
  • Lets_Eat_Grandma@lemm.ee
    2·
    6 months ago

    I don’t know why anyone would buy this. Maybe it’s one of those precious metal reclamation groups.

    Generally hardware that old is cheaper to replace with newer more efficient hardware than to even consider running due to electricity costs.

    • Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.ml
      1·
      6 months ago

      Does the hardware being all so arranged as it is in this manner to create a supercomputer make any difference to that evaluation? Like does the work of putting all the outdated hardware together in the complex way needed to make it functional for supercomputing make it potentially cheaper than buying more modern hardware but having to build it all yourself?

      • Lets_Eat_Grandma@lemm.ee
        1·
        6 months ago

        Does the hardware being all so arranged as it is in this manner to create a supercomputer make any difference to that evaluation?

        The storage drives for all of this have been stripped. You can’t just run commands on the hardware… you have to figure out how to cluster things with software, buy drives for it all, have it all installed in a datacenter somewhere which is going to cost way more than the purchase price.

        The labor costs for the technical people required to do this are way more than half a million a year.

        • Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.ml
          1·
          6 months ago

          Didn’t know they’d taken out the storage drives but I was aware despite my general ignorance that it’s not turnkey ready to go. I guess what I’m wondering is, is there any part of the of the process involved in designing and building such a supercomputing cluster that is already taken care by buying it in the manner that it has been sold and could that in any way offset the increased costs of trying to bring such a cluster online rather than starting from scratch? I’m not saying it is the case, so much as wondering aloud for anyone with expertise to chime in, to see if that’s a way it could make sense.

          I understand there’s a mountain to climb to bring this thing in to a usable state for anyone, but could it maybe get you to base camp more quickly?

          • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
            1·
            6 months ago

            I’m guessing that due to the nature of this server (scientific calculations by scientists and students who sent jobs remotely, if I understood right) everything was done on RAM and then stored on SAN (separate servers) afterwards

            Otherwise taking out all the storage from each single blade AND putting it back nicely in the racks would have been a massive job, if they did that I would expect to have it half dismantled on the pictured