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0 pointsFischgericht2y ago0 comments

I know that many might have by now forgotten how an actual data center works.

"One size fits all" will never work.

Here are the main headaches that someone who actually runs a data center will run into:

- How many power circuits does the DC provide you? What voltage? AC or DC?

- How many amps do the circuits have? Is the PDU provided by the DC, or do you provide it?

- How many upstreams will you have? Dual core routers? BGP? Static routing? Failover?

- Upstream provided via Fiber? Copper?

- Given that for the last couple of years being able to re-buy a typical server model (say: Supermicro), CPU, Storage for more than a couple of weeks has been a challenge, and given that rack hardware is supposed to run for years - how can I be sure to be able to scale?

- What happens if that Oxide startup goes bust 6 months from now?

- Would any sane DC operator really buy "we just built our own switch"? I wouldn't. Those who have been in that business for 20 years still f*ck it up on a regular basis. I want a proven vendor for my mission critical stuff.

I am sorry, I don't see them addressing ANY of the real life pain points you have operating your own rack. Unless they ship a couple of data center engineers within the box.

The whole cloud stuff is simply designed for managers who believe that in a job market where it's hard to find DC/server engineers that things will be magically done in the background. With this, it's worse - it's pretended that "stuff just works" if you ship it in a single box. And that's simply not a case. A DC installation not constantly maintained by skilled engineer will go down in flames within months, one way or another.

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wpm2y ago

Many of your questions have answers in TFM: https://docs.oxide.computer/guides/introduction

FischgerichtOP2y ago

Part of the power distribution question is answered, in a way that gives even more concerns, though. A single DC distribution without redundant PSUs? What if one of the servers trips a fuse?

By the way, the list of questions would go on. At least over here, DCs offer different rack footprints. They don't even list their footprint.

But most importantly: The TFM doesn't say "There is an experienced network engineer in the box that you will own and that will do the maintenance". Unless this is provided, this will blow up.

Again: I can imagine that they find a hand full of managers buying into this. Up until the date the first few of their racks have burned down a DC, or got hacked and all customer data stolen.

Come on, this is hacker news. Everybody here should know that nobody so far has found a way (not even via AI) to replace the competences many of us here have. Again, I understand that management would love to get rid of those expensive and annoying nerds, but the ACTUAL REALITY is: An unmaintened rack in a DC will go down in flames, and management people will be in tears.

So, let's just be realistic: Oxide is simply a terrible idea that will blow up. But I congratulate them for VCs falling for this.

Now, let's find a VC that is funding someone doing an IPMI system that is not shit, does not have access to all data of the server, and does not get hacked within 5 minutes after deploying it. That would address an ACTUAL need.

Sometimes it makes sense to ask those who you hope your future customers could be.

hypfer2y ago

> Come on, this is hacker news.

Yep, exactly. That's precisely the reason why this "solution" to a problem that doesn't exist is currently being praised as the soon to be heir of the throne of computing

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