Ariel Days 2-3 - Test Cluster Assembly
Having determined that the loading dock didn't have enough space, we spent the next few days trying to find some solutions to this problem. Step one: move things to storage and start working on a test cluster. Step two: start assembling in what space we might have, using the lessons of step one. And so by the end of 11 May 2004, we had a full five systems mounted in the rack.
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 System One Our very first node! We retrieved it on the 10th, and got to work. |
 System One, Assembled Ready for testing... |
 System Two, Boxed This is what the nodes look like as they come out of the boxes. |
 Mini-Cluster By the end of the 10th, we had this actually set up as a small cluster, so that Jim could work on it. |
 Rack in Storage By the afternoon of the 11th, we decided that we needed to start retrieving systems from storage so we could start working. |
 Rack on Pallet Jim, John and I spent a while trying to work out how to get this thing off the pallet. |
 Inside of the Rack Yes, we eventually took this paper (and shipping brace) off. |
 Power Switches It's a nice change to have well-designed power on our racks. |
 Inside of the Rack It's fascinating to look at new toys sometimes... |
 Unbolting the Ramp Our first trick was to find the proper socket set so we could disconnect the ramp from the pallet. |
 Loads of Stuff And that's just one angle; I was completely surrounded by equipment in this position... |
 Loads of Stuff, II Most of this is just rackmount kits! |
 Ramp, Part I I found it really satisfying to see that the ramps are held on with velcro. |
 Rack's Back At this point I was walking on the computers in back, because it seemed like a good way to get some shots. |
 Unbolting The racks came bolted to the pallet, and so now we unbolt it so we can move it. |
 Ramp, Part II Just about ready to move! |
 ...down the ramp... Jim and John roll the rack down and off the pallet, to where we can actually use it. |
 ...and out the door! John pushes the rack out to the hallway, where we can start using it for storage for the first time. |
 Cart Of Machines I got to push this cart; it was exciting trying to not hit anybody, let me tell you. |
 Rack and Rails And so we complete loading up the systems to go upstairs. |
 Destroyed Floor It doesn't show up well, but we beat up the floor tiles with the rack as it went through. Oops. |
 Stacks of Machines Our front machine room really isn't large enough to hold all of these boxes, but we used them all the same. |
 Proof of Concept With this, we proved to ourselves that we knew how to mount a system. We then promptly took the system back out because we figured out what we were doing wrong. |
 Mounting the First Machine After a few false starts we finally worked out how to use the catches. Kirby and John therefore slide the first system home. |
 First Rack-Mount Complete Jim looks on victorious as the first of just 78 systems is finished. |
 Day Three, Final Product Five systems and five rail kits - that's the result of three hours of work by four of us. |
 Day's Garbage That's how much was generated by just five systems, *without* the boxes. |
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Pictures by Tim Skirvin
Created with the tool album script from Marginal Hacks by David Ljung
