High End Server Rumors?

MacRumors · Jul 17, 2003

Scattered (but unconfirmed) whispers of a high-end server coming from Apple have been mentioned in the past -- but with no real confirmation.

MacBidouille adds to these with a rumor that Apple is working on a high-end server (codename: Dark Star) with support of up to 64 G5 Processors. According to the site, the new machines would be priced between $12,000 and $500,000 [article originally said $50,000, now $500,000] and targetted at clients such as Industrial Light & Magic, Genentech, Pixar, and NASA.

No further information or corroboration of this rumor is available.

Update: Some new reports suggest that this rumor is not true

kettle · Jul 17, 2003

short term joy would be...

Pixar using Apple🙂

Vlade · Jul 17, 2003

Does anyone want to buy one of these for folding?

😀 😀 😀

nagromme · Jul 17, 2003

Xserve Blade

Rack-mount Xserve Blade, perhaps?

Seems like a potentially useful addition to the soon-to-be-G5 Xserve line.

Waluigi · Jul 17, 2003

Now, if only they had saved that commercial they used for the G5 for this monster. Talk about being blown away.....

--Waluigi

JtheLemur · Jul 17, 2003

Well, time to start saving money. I want one.

no, I don't know whyyy i want one, I just do. go apple. yay!

i wanna run BBEdit on 64 G5 processors. w00t.

kettle · Jul 17, 2003

issues?

What issues would stop Apple from becoming a realistic alternative for Pixar, what is the long and the short of render farming?

MrMacMan · Jul 17, 2003

Wow that is insane 64 processors could sure generate a ton of power.

:fold: 🙂

bousozoku · Jul 17, 2003

If they were blades, it wouldn't take much more than clustering software to get them to work.

If it's one macihne without all the redundant pieces, it's going to take some great design. Maybe IBM would be helping with this since they have at least, 24 PPC and 32 + Power4 machines already running.

Sounds like it's time for an Aqua server (like XWindows server) to get the GUI across the network. 🙂

gandalf55 · Jul 17, 2003

all those g5 processors might tear a hole in the fabric of the universe.

hehe.

JtheLemur · Jul 17, 2003

Oh sure, I post one nonsensical comment and it gets deleted. It was out of excitement at this rumor. Swear!

Seriously though... for this to really be effective, Apple has to get on the clustering bandwagon. Really on it - as in, including a well-written, easy to use/configure application that would allow even the biggest companies with huge IT teams to configure crates full of these systems with relative ease. What good is 64 procs X 10 racks full of them, if you can't get them to work together seamlessly and easily? It would really revolutionize the high-end server market.

Heck - I just bought a few Dell PowerEdge 650 1U servers (don't hit me!) and it was a chore just figuring out how to open it up to add more memory! They don't come with any hardware documentation, and there is basically zero info on their site ("because it's a new server" they said. sheesh. they took a solid MONTH to ship them to me, while I got 5 custom XServes only 5 days after putting in the PO. hmph!)

considering how fugly most blade server are, I'd love to see Ives' take on it. perhaps something like an XServe RAID, only taking up more rack space... hey, with the processors on remove modules just like the Apple Drive Modules! now THAT would be something! Want more processing power? just pick up a box of 20 Apple G5 Processor Modules, pop 'em in, and voila!

Now I REALLY want one. =D

Bob Knob · Jul 17, 2003

Pixar just went to Intel pixar-intel So I'm not so sure about this report.

But at the same time I do know that one of the companies I am associated with has reported that a US agency is doing testing on an Apple server that is not currently available to the masses. I don't have any more info beyond that (no specific agency or server info), so who knows, could be NASA and a mass G5 server.

pretentious · Jul 17, 2003

It seems Apple is already in talks w/ the Australian Government in a clustering project in this Computerworld article.

Apple sources have also confessed to a Department of Defence implementation of an Apple-based cluster computing project, the details of which it refuses to divulge other than that the project is "not located in Canberra", at the G5 launch last week.

Any people down under know what 'Canberra' is? or know any more on this?

Nebrie · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by Bob Knob
Pixar just went to Intel pixar-intel So I'm not so sure about this report.

But at the same time I do know that one of the companies I am associated with has reported that a US agency is doing testing on an Apple server that is not currently available to the masses. I don't have any more info beyond that (no specific agency or server info), so who knows, could be NASA and a mass G5 server.

Yes, Pixar went Intel because it needed fast chips *yesterday* when Apple couldn't deliver. Pixar will continue to require new cutting edge machines as their business requires, and since they control their own software, a switch will be easy. Considering how much better Nemo did than expected, they can surely afford a few million for new Apples.

j33pd0g · Jul 17, 2003

I think it's time to quote Moe Syzlak: Wah!

nagromme · Jul 17, 2003

A render farm can mix platforms. So pixar could keep their Intels, but add G5s for the next batch.

Possibly this is a reason why Pixar is rumored to be porting Renderman to OS X?

MrMacMan · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by nagromme
A render farm can mix platforms. So pixar could keep their Intels, but add G5s for the next batch.

Possibly this is a reason why Pixar is rumored to be porting Renderman to OS X?

And why is apple making Pix-Lets?

Hmmm...? For Pixar?

Because there is no compression? 🙄

richie · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by pretentious

Any people down under know what 'Canberra' is? or know any more on this?

Canberra is the capital of Australia 😛 It's also the term journalists tend to use to refer to the Government/Government departments (since they're stationed in Canberra) 🙂

Freg3000 · Jul 17, 2003

It seems that Apple may already have some type of informal agreements with NASA and Pixar and such if MacB is naming specific customers. Then again, MacB could be pulling this out of the sky from logical deductions.

Originally posted by richie
Canberra is the capital of Australia 😛 It's also the term journalists tend to use to refer to the Government/Government departments (since they're stationed in Canberra) 🙂

Whenever this comes up in Social Studies class, all the kids go....capital of Australia.....Canberra?!?!?!....I thought it was Sydney!

pretentious · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by richie
Canberra is the capital of Australia 😛 It's also the term journalists tend to use to refer to the Government/Government departments (since they're stationed in Canberra) 🙂

Sorry, I'm just a dumb Amerikun 🙂.
Yes I thought that Sydney was the capital as well, but I guess that would be just the same like thinking that either New York or LA was the capital of the US, right?

Trimix · Jul 17, 2003

Any people down under know what 'Canberra' is? or know any more on this? [/B][/QUOTE]

Canberra ? You are not serious not knowing WHAT Canberra is ?
😛

steve-dave · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by Nebrie
Yes, Pixar went Intel because it needed fast chips *yesterday* when Apple couldn't deliver...

Pixar bought a Blade server system, which Apple does not offer. It had nothing to do with CPU power. Blades are a hell of a lot cheaper than an X-Serve and take up far less rack space. If Pixar had bought X-Serves it would have cost significantly more and taken up far more space all for the same amount of processing power.

If Apple does create a high-end server it almost certainly will be in a blade configuration.

Trimix · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by pretentious
Sorry, I'm just a dumb Amerikun 🙂.
Yes I thought that Sydney was the capital as well, but I guess that would be just the same like thinking that either New York or LA was the capital of the US, right?

Waddaya mean - NY is NOT the capital LOL ???? Thought it was Philly - at least I am sure it was a little while ago
🙂

Anyhow at 12.000 a pop, one of these things in my bedroom would be nice - the question is what to do with it - but it is important that Apple raise their profile -
so all of this is good news

MisterMe · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by Nebrie
Yes, Pixar went Intel because it needed fast chips *yesterday* when Apple couldn't deliver. Pixar will continue to require new cutting edge machines as their business requires, and since they control their own software, a switch will be easy. Considering how much better Nemo did than expected, they can surely afford a few million for new Apples.

Exactly. The Linux renderfarm pushed by Pixar was a one job purchase. IIRC, Pixar used it for Finding Nemo. By the time its next big release is ready to be rendered, that renderfarm will be obsolete. That is not to say that Pixar won't purchase a new Intel-based system, but neither is there a guarantee that it will.

trebblekicked · Jul 17, 2003

a render farm system seems to play to the strengths of the 970. Why not push it?

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