Google Server Design

Written by Harsh Ajmera

Topics: Google, Latest, Technology Updates

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<< This is the first official Google Server, but According to Larry and Sergey, the beta system used Duplo blocks for the chassis because generic brand plastic blocks were not rigid enough.

And recently Google engineer Ben Jai revealed that Google used large shipping containers that can hold up to 1,160 servers at once as shown below. Each server is a 2U server chassis and are backed up by battery power in case of outages. The biggest difference however, is that Google builds each server with its own battery backup unit.

The servers it uses are not standard fair offered by the likes of Dell, IBM or Sun as one would expect. Instead they are based on a proprietary design which has been kept under wraps for years. The electrical engineer behind the design referred to the servers as Google’s Manhattan Project.

There were a couple of surprises that opened a few eyes of attendees at the conference, not the least of which was the fact that Google has kept the concept secret since it began using the design in 2005. The servers are now in the sixth or seventh generation and feature a 12-volt battery on each server in lieu of a centralized uninterruptible power supply. This design ensures servers have continuous power, but results in lower costs and eliminates any wasted capacity. Efficiency is raised from 92-95 percent for a large UPS to over 99.9 percent for the individual battery design. Google has obtained a patent on the battery design but might be willing to license it out to other vendors.

Using this method, Google is able to allow backup power to be supplied to servers that require it, not an entire rack. This method also allows Google to fully track power consumption and efficiency on a very granular level.