Spare Parts Cluster

[Sventek]

This is my first worklog, so the pictures aren't all too good. Next time i'll take better and more detailed pictures, but here is what i got...

Like most computer hardware enthusiasts, I tend to collect used parts and pieces from friends and use them for whatever project I feel like working on at the time. So for a while I had three desktops just in my bedroom. One all-purpose/gaming custom computer(my second casemod) running Win XP(2.4 Ghz, 1gig RAM), one file storage/testbed Dell running Win2k(1.8 Ghz, 256megs RAM), and another Dell running whatever flavor of Linux I happen to have installed(1.6 GHz, 256megs RAM). One day I stumbled upon Jeffrey Stephenson’s site www.slipperyskip.com and his Humidor Cluster. The look of all those mobos stacked on top of each other got me interested in small clusters. So I started looking into easy cluster solutions. I finally decided on ClusterKnoppix (clusterknoppix.sw.be). It’s a LiveCD cluster solution. Boot a couple of computers on a LAN from the CDs and BAM! you have a cluster. With a little bit of work you can get the LiveCD to install clusterKnoppix onto the hard drive. I had a lot of trouble getting drive permissions figured out and all, but that might just be me being an idiot. After clearing up all the hardware issues, I had a three-node, auto-balancing cluster running. Then I turned it off. And rebooted. And one of my Dell motherboards died. I hadn’t used it much in a long time and so it was toast. Down to two. I realize that a two-node cluster isn’t much of a cluster, but I wanted a project to work on, and I was tired of having so much space taken up by computer cases. So I decided to build a two-node cluster in a custom case. I decided to use a threaded rail system similar to the humidor cluster. I wanted keep access to XP and 2K, while still having a cluster. Since I had few spare hard drives, I decided to set-up dual-booting on both mobos. Boot to windows and I had a basic single system. Boot to linux and I had a quick cluster.

First was the testing. After I downloaded the latest disk images and burned them, I booted both comps. One KDE loaded, I opened a terminal window and ran “knoppix-installer.” After some trouble formatting the hard-drives right, I got them both running. Once I had the software installed and working, i began the hardware work.

Here are the computers i plan to tear apart.

To test the configuration of the cluster i put the first mobo on the rails and booted it up with it's bare-bones components.

I finally decided to mount the mobos above the PSU and HD brick.

Because Dell uses non-standard hardware(arrrrgggg!) I used the metal tray from the original dell case to hold the mobo and then mounted the tray on the rails.

The tray had a metal latch and rear component panel that i cut off with my dremel.

More to come....

 

[Sventek]

Part #2

My next job was one that I wasn’t too sure about. I wanted to save space so I was gonna try to use one PSU to power the whole cluster. So I soldered an extra atx plug on to the PSU bundle.

After lots of soldering and some cable ties, i had a neat dual-plug PSU

Here is the working mock-up of the cluster

Running the whole system from one PSU caused some problems since the only way to get the system powered up was to push BOTH power buttons at the same time. I’m sure I could have just wired my own switch to directly jumper the green wire to ground but then one of my motherboards died. It was already buggy and I had had a number of problems with it before, so I wasn’t surprised. But this left me with one system, which does not a cluster make. But an hour on eBay and $16.00 later, I had a new mobo to replace the dead one and I was back in business.

After tossing around a few ideas for the basic design of the case, I decided to use a wood base to support the cluster, and house the optical drive and power switches. Then I would build a plexi case to go around the cluster itself.

I built the wood box out of scrap wood that I got for cheap from the local Ace hardware. I wanted a chance to use the router attachment that I had for my dremel, so I beveled the edges, with limited success. I still have a lot to learn but the only way to learn is to do… so I did.

I also used the router to cut some guide grooves for the flexi case.

After re-thinking cable routing, I cut another hole in the back and painted the wood black.

Next was the hard drive brick. My fiancé’s mother owns a custom picture framing shop, which allows me lots of free plexi scraps. So with some cutting and drilling I had simple secure stand for my drives.

The holes in between the sets of drives are for mounting LEDs. My idea was to have the back set glow yellow when ever the power is on, and the front LEDs grow green with the hard drive activity lights. The top two drives are for one mobo and the bottom two are for the other. I wired up some transistors and resistors to run the LEDs corresponding to the correct set of drives.

To make it easy to connect and disconnect the drive brick, I took a front panel connector board from an old case and cut off the usb and audio connectors, leaving me with a bunch of pin connectors which I soldered to the transistors. I mounted then both on a piece of plexi to put on top of the drive brick.

Next I built the plexi case. After cutting the pieces to size, I measured and drilled holes for the corner braces and the exhaust fan.

Next: Modding another PSU to match the original and adding an active mobo light

 

[khanable]

Hey cool idea!

You have a nice steady flow of pics and then it ends!

keep up the good work.. and get us more pics asap!

 

[Dangman]

Nice work man but aren't those hard drives a bit too close? How are you planning to cool them?

 

[sowingseason]

only one exhaust? and 80mm???