Secrets of Google Servers Revealed

At last Google unveils their Server set ups. After much of the talk from Microsoft boasting about their server set ups and that they have most efficient ones in the market, Google shows why and how they are one of the largest and quickest data centres of the world by its own merits. The motherboard that they use comes specially made for them by Gigabyte and Google doesn’t buy their servers from any one like Sun, IBM et al but themselves. Ben Jai is the person behind Google’s server development. Also the most important part is each server has its own 12-volt battery to supply power if there’s a problem with the main source of electricity. The company also revealed for the first time that since 2005, its data centers have been composed of standard shipping containers–each with 1,160 servers and a power consumption that can reach 250 kilowatts.

The Google server was 3.5 inches thick–2U, or 2 rack units, in data center parlance. It had two processors, two hard drives, and eight memory slots mounted on a motherboard built by Gigabyte. Google uses x86 processors from both AMD and Intel, Jai said, and Google uses the battery design on its network equipment, too- as Cnet observes.

Here is a probable set of components that Google may well be using if I am right deciphering the pic

• Intel Xeon Nocona, NetBu(r)st architecture, unknown clock, 800 MHz FSB
• GigaByte GA-9IVDP, Intel 7320 MCH + 6300 ESB chipset
• Magnetek 300W PSU, 280W output
• 8×1GB DDR2-400
• 2x Hitachi Deskstar 1TB HDD, RAID1

Details at Cnet.com