Facebook isn’t just a massive web property, it’s also a massive server infrastructure consumer and builder. For over a year, Facebook has been open sourcing many of its server and data center designs under the auspices of the Op
en Compute Project.
n an interview with ServerWatch, Amir Michael, Facebook’s system engineering team lead, detailed his firm’s approach with Open Compute. Among the most recent Open Compute specifications is one known as Open Rack, which was first announced in May.
Currently most server racks have an outer dimension of 24 inches and an interior width of 19 inches for servers. With Open Rack the interior width would be resized to 21 inches to provide greater density.
While Facebook is a leading proponent of the Open Rack specification, it is not yet in use at the social media giant. Michael said that Facebook’s current racks are neither 19 nor 21 inches, but are instead around 20 inches.
Read the full story at ServerWatch:
Facebook’s Open Compute Plans to Remake Servers
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Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.