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krack3rz
August 19th, 2010, 10:45 AM
So, I recently came into possession of 10 Identical IBM ThinkCentre (MT-M 8171-31U) computers...and I would like some ideas of something fun to do with them and hopefully someone can tell me how to do it if I can't xD :lolflag:

Specs {All specs (http://www.superwarehouse.com/IBM_ThinkCentre_S51_8171/817131U/ps/437430)}: Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD

*No software on them - clean*

nbkr
August 19th, 2010, 10:48 AM
Setup an auto-install environment and see how 10 computers can be installed automatically without having the admin to run around with a CD.

Or: Setup a thin client environment with x2go and some (optional) cardreaders so see how you can take your destkop with you by carrying around a small plastic card.

//Edit: An of course, write a blog entry about how it worked out.

polomint77
August 19th, 2010, 10:51 AM
The funniest thing to do would be to send one to me, :lolflag::D:D:D

Oppermongo
August 19th, 2010, 10:52 AM
I'd combine them into 4 or 6 more powerfull computers and have a LAN party:lolflag:
or set up a network, send a huge file from computer to computer and see how much of it got lost during the process O.O

TheNerdAL
August 19th, 2010, 11:01 AM
10?! I'm so jealous, I was only given one! :lolflag:

Do you also have 10 monitors? If you do then get a multi-monitor setup!

mkendall
August 19th, 2010, 11:03 AM
Step one: Install Linux

Step two: network together

????

PROFIT!

Oppermongo
August 19th, 2010, 11:07 AM
What I also always have wanted to try, is to see how many virtual machines you can install before the pc crashes :p
(meaning: you install a virtual machine, in that virtual machine a new one, and so on...)
Or try installing 10 different deri's of Linux, take a picture and post it here.
Or start a new olympic sport: desktop throwing.

What the heck, just send me one :lolflag:

Grenage
August 19th, 2010, 11:07 AM
Beowulf cluster!

handy
August 19th, 2010, 11:27 AM
Sorry to be the one throwing a negative in here, but P4s are real energy burners. So I suggest finding a job for them where they aren't on 24hrs/day.

My lightweight PIII, uses $54-/year & it spends most of its time idling in its job as an IPCop firewall/router on a tiny home LAN, it runs 24/7.

I would guestimate that 10 x P4s, not working particularly hard during a 24hr period would cost somewhere in the vicinity of $1500-/year if they were running continuously. That is calculated at the 19cents/kw, which is what I am paying in Oz.

I got my figures by using a PowerMate appliance, which is built for measuring electricity usage in a variety of ways, including pricing it out over various length terms.

jespdj
August 19th, 2010, 01:53 PM
Nice!

I'd use them to set up a cluster of computers for rendering graphics (ray tracing).

scottuss
August 19th, 2010, 02:01 PM
Use one as a router / security appliance, one as a server and the other 8: cluster them.

handy
August 19th, 2010, 02:05 PM
Ok, I'll come at it from the other side: Do something with them that makes them at least pay for the cost of running them. :D

LowSky
August 19th, 2010, 02:29 PM
install an OS on them, and donate them to a school, library, church or some NPO that will make sure they get into the hand of people who could really use them.

handy
August 19th, 2010, 02:34 PM
install an OS on them, and donate them to a school, library, church or some NPO that will make sure they get into the hand of people who could really use them.

+1

Give them to people that can't afford to buy them, or at the very least can share them in a community.

snek
August 19th, 2010, 03:05 PM
Various cluster setups come to mind (if you can afford the electricity costs):



Make a clustered YouTube clone
Make a high availability Apache cluster (2 loadbalancers, 4 apache servers, 4 mysql servers)
Try to build your own cloud (fill the cloud with seperate virtual machines)
Mail cluster (incl virus scanning and spam filtering)

Of course it's possible to rent out parts of a cloud/mail/apache-cluster to friends/colleagues if you don't want to put it in a datacenter.

Considering the hardware is old you probably want to make it high availability so that the whole system doesn't come crashing down when one of the machines dies..

Oppermongo
August 19th, 2010, 03:09 PM
+1

Give them to people that can't afford to buy them, or at the very least can share them in a community.
I'll second you on that ;)
+1

Wiredfixer
August 19th, 2010, 03:16 PM
Maybe you can try to setup a LTSP Enviroment, is nice :D

Or use 8 of them as Desktop, 1 as APT Mirror and the last for Administration with Puppet, maybe you can use one more to make a NAS or a Mail Server and have a test Enterprise Enviroment.

cascade9
August 19th, 2010, 03:17 PM
I'd turn them into 5 decent computers (up 512MB to 1GB, from 1 x 40GB to 2 x 40GB HDDs), then sell/givaway/trade the leftovers for other parts.


Sorry to be the one throwing a negative in here, but P4s are real energy burners. So I suggest finding a job for them where they aren't on 24hrs/day.

+1. It might seem like a fun idea to set them up as some sort of DC project, but with P4s, not a great idea.

pricetech
August 19th, 2010, 04:01 PM
I'd cannibalize half to upgrade the other half and donate them to the charity of your choice, with Ubuntu installed of course.

sandyd
August 19th, 2010, 05:20 PM
install ubuntu server on them. run "tasksel" and select (using spacebar) ubuntu cloud. press tab to select "ok". profit???

krack3rz
August 19th, 2010, 07:14 PM
I dont actually have to use all 10...say I connect, say 5, I was thinkin that maybe I can turn them into functioning as 1 machine so that I can perform very fast executions of stuffs, is it possible to make a Super Ubuntu? xD having (5) x 512MB RAM = win + (5) 3.20 GHz processors would win!

I would like to use them from my main comp (the 1 i'm typin from) to save space, and use 1 keyboard, 1 mouse, and the dual monitors connected now and add on those resources from those 5 comps.

Can that be done?

Nick_Jinn
August 19th, 2010, 07:16 PM
So, I recently came into possession of 10 Identical IBM ThinkCentre (MT-M 8171-31U) computers...and I would like some ideas of something fun to do with them and hopefully someone can tell me how to do it if I can't xD :lolflag:

Specs {All specs (http://www.superwarehouse.com/IBM_ThinkCentre_S51_8171/817131U/ps/437430)}: Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz, 504 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD

*No software on them - clean*

Two ideas....1, install Linux and sell them. If they are cheap enough I might buy one for my mom. 2. Use them to open an internet cafe.

Nick_Jinn
August 19th, 2010, 07:32 PM
I dont actually have to use all 10...say I connect, say 5, I was thinkin that maybe I can turn them into functioning as 1 machine so that I can perform very fast executions of stuffs, is it possible to make a Super Ubuntu? xD having (5) x 512MB RAM = win + (5) 3.20 GHz processors would win!

I would like to use them from my main comp (the 1 i'm typin from) to save space, and use 1 keyboard, 1 mouse, and the dual monitors connected now and add on those resources from those 5 comps.

Can that be done?




If you were skilled enough, it might be cool if you could build a new kind of computer, one with multiple motherboards, like a new AM3 plus 2 of these older motherboards. Maybe you could rig them so they all boot up when you hit the same power button. This might require 2 power sources. They would all load up their respective operating systems and you could have 2 virtual machines only instead of virtual they are remote desktops running full blast....You could have a Mac, Windows and Linux all in one computer, and delegate tasks accordingly.


You could do it differently, just stacking them, but if you could network them all internally, maybe weld two cases together or even 3, have them all using the same video card and a shared solid state hard drive plus their own respective hdds. That could be fun.



Is there software for delegating tasks to remote desktops?

Austin25
August 19th, 2010, 07:50 PM
Beowulf cluster!
ABC Linux?

Do this (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April09/NaturalLaws.ws.html).

sydbat
August 19th, 2010, 08:37 PM
I agree with all the ideas about installing an OS (best would be a Linux distro), then donating them to a charity, school, library, etc.

I also like the idea Nick_Jinn has about opening a business, like an Internet cafe.

And to those of you in OZ (and NZ) - man, are you ever getting hosed with the electricity pricing. Handy said he pays $0.19/kWh. That's about 120% more than we pay here. I can see why you wouldn't want to run a box 24/7.

handy
August 20th, 2010, 12:38 AM
...
And to those of you in OZ (and NZ) - man, are you ever getting hosed with the electricity pricing. Handy said he pays $0.19/kWh. That's about 120% more than we pay here. I can see why you wouldn't want to run a box 24/7.

Actually the price is just going up at the moment too.

We get most of our power from solar panels which helps us a great deal re. running costs.

cascade9
August 20th, 2010, 10:32 AM
I dont actually have to use all 10...say I connect, say 5, I was thinkin that maybe I can turn them into functioning as 1 machine so that I can perform very fast executions of stuffs, is it possible to make a Super Ubuntu? xD having (5) x 512MB RAM = win + (5) 3.20 GHz processors would win!

I would like to use them from my main comp (the 1 i'm typin from) to save space, and use 1 keyboard, 1 mouse, and the dual monitors connected now and add on those resources from those 5 comps.

Can that be done?

Its sort of doable, but really, not a great idea.

One of the main problems is that any processing being done by any of the networked computers is going to have to go through the network. 100Mbit network connections are pretty slow (its only 12.5MB/sec max, and 10MB/sec is all you can really hope for).

Even 5x512MB and 5x P4 3.2GHz CPUs, its going to be slower than single mutlicore CPU. A Phemon II X4 955 would be faster all over, even without the networking bottleneck, and are very cheap these days.

surfer
August 20th, 2010, 11:44 AM
for high power computing you can cluster them with condor (http://www.cs.wisc.edu/condor/) pretty simple to set up. it's even in the repositories. you can submit jobs from you desktop and it will select the next available free resource to execute the job. you can even set priorities for more or less important jobs.

rahul27
August 20th, 2010, 11:46 AM
Pile them up and build a fort ... :lolflag:

finnbuntu
August 20th, 2010, 11:48 AM
2. Use them to open an internet cafe.
+1!
Great idea.

Bachstelze
August 20th, 2010, 11:56 AM
Sorry to be the one throwing a negative in here, but P4s are real energy burners. So I suggest finding a job for them where they aren't on 24hrs/day.

This. Donate them to a charity or something.

Johnsie
August 20th, 2010, 12:06 PM
Give them to people that can't afford to buy them, or at the very least can share them in a community.

+1

I donate netbooks to schools in Honduras when I'm there.They have the Windows that they come with and also a Wubi install of Ubuntu so that they can use whatever works best for them. The key is to make sure to get them somewhere that they will get the best use.

By all means have fun with the computers for a while though.

andras artois
August 20th, 2010, 01:38 PM
Make cluster and then how much you get out of them folding.

samalex
August 20th, 2010, 03:09 PM
I have to second a few ideas others have already thrown out there:
- If you're into high performance computing, setup a clustered or grid computing system.
- If you only want to keep a few systems, give the rest to a local LUG either for members who need a second computer to work with Linux, or to give back to the community.
- Get a business level Internet connection and do web hosting from home. Around here TW charges like $100 or more a month for a business class connection with static IP. It wouldn't take many clients to recoup the costs.
- Contact your local library or Goodwill Computer center and see if they need more workstations.
- If you enjoy teaching, see if a local computer shop has room to setup a small lab for training. You and others could use the systems for teaching, and with such a large donation you might be able to get someone else to donate a server.

Just some thoughts. When I was single I grabbed every cheap to free system I could get, but then last year when we moved I had TONS of systems I needed to part with. I gave them to folks in our local LUG who didn't have a second system to work with.

Take care, and let us know what you decide...

Sam

Zorgoth
August 20th, 2010, 03:12 PM
If you were skilled enough, it might be cool if you could build a new kind of computer, one with multiple motherboards, like a new AM3 plus 2 of these older motherboards. Maybe you could rig them so they all boot up when you hit the same power button. This might require 2 power sources. They would all load up their respective operating systems and you could have 2 virtual machines only instead of virtual they are remote desktops running full blast....You could have a Mac, Windows and Linux all in one computer, and delegate tasks accordingly.


You could do it differently, just stacking them, but if you could network them all internally, maybe weld two cases together or even 3, have them all using the same video card and a shared solid state hard drive plus their own respective hdds. That could be fun.



Is there software for delegating tasks to remote desktops?

Remote desktops using what? VNC sure wouldn't work too well. You need some way to take advantage of the hardware access.

Zorgoth
August 20th, 2010, 03:16 PM
I would tend to agree with the suggestion to donate them. Find someone to donate them to, install an OS for them, maybe tweaked a little for their purposes.

Either that or find a way to start a business like an internet cafe someone mentioned before with them.

pwnst*r
August 20th, 2010, 03:26 PM
So, I recently came into possession of 10 Identical IBM ThinkCentre (MT-M 8171-31U) computers...and I would like some ideas of something fun to do with them and hopefully someone can tell me how to do it if I can't xD :lolflag:

Specs {All specs (http://www.superwarehouse.com/IBM_ThinkCentre_S51_8171/817131U/ps/437430)}: Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz, 504 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD

*No software on them - clean*

Set them up to be used in a number of charitable ways - halfway homes, homeless vet centers, etc.

Nick_Jinn
August 21st, 2010, 12:12 AM
Remote desktops using what? VNC sure wouldn't work too well. You need some way to take advantage of the hardware access.


Yeah, I dont think anything currently exists for that kind of set-up, but having a few mini-computers that can be delegated to work on certain tasks might prove to be better than just having dual cores. There is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to having multiple cores that you dont experience when you have a real second computer....An internal sub-computer, or a few of them, networked by USB3 or SATA or even firewire might be a pretty cool set-up and would have performance benefits over networking computers over the net.


I might be talking out of my *** though. I dream up a lot of cool stuff that I have no idea how to build.

handy
August 21st, 2010, 03:11 AM
You could use multiple NICs to speed up the data throughput of your LAN, you could probably get a pile of used 10/100 cards for no more than a dollar each as opposed to the expense of going gigabit.

You would need enough ports on your switch/hub to be able to handle the extra cables too though.

coolbrook
August 21st, 2010, 04:25 AM
Recycle everything but the hard drives and processors.
Sell the processors on eBay.
Get some efficient hardware.

MasterNetra
August 21st, 2010, 06:58 AM
So, I recently came into possession of 10 Identical IBM ThinkCentre (MT-M 8171-31U) computers...and I would like some ideas of something fun to do with them and hopefully someone can tell me how to do it if I can't xD :lolflag:

Specs {All specs (http://www.superwarehouse.com/IBM_ThinkCentre_S51_8171/817131U/ps/437430)}: Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz, 504 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD

*No software on them - clean*

Actually thats 512MB of ram, no such thing as 504, the 504 is what is left for use after the core system usage. Its was retarded for it to be shown it that way but whatever. Ram comes/came in 8MB,16MB,32MB,64MB,128MB,256MB,512MB,768MB,1GB, etc. Granted more so in 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, 4GB, 6GB, 8GB, etc these days.

Khakilang
August 21st, 2010, 08:26 AM
You're lucky! I just upgraded 10 computer for my customer and they give me nothing beside being paid.

Have the 10 computer install with Window XP and let it run and see which one crash first than give that one to me. LOL.

Seriously, I would suggest to set up a computer learning center for children or some tuition of sort for computer if you know how to teach or get someone to teach.

slooksterpsv
August 21st, 2010, 08:48 AM
Actually thats 512MB of ram, no such thing as 504, the 504 is what is left for use after the core system usage. Its was retarded for it to be shown it that way but whatever. Ram comes/came in 8MB,16MB,32MB,64MB,128MB,256MB,512MB,768MB,1GB, etc. Granted more so in 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, 4GB, 6GB, 8GB, etc these days.

never heard of a 768mb chip, which doesn't follow the rule of 2^x power. Nor have I heard of 3 or 6.
3 = 2gb + 1gb
6 = 4gb + 2gb or 2 + 2 + 2
768 = 512 + 256

krack3rz
August 22nd, 2010, 10:24 AM
You could use multiple NICs to speed up the data throughput of your LAN, you could probably get a pile of used 10/100 cards for no more than a dollar each as opposed to the expense of going gigabit.

You would need enough ports on your switch/hub to be able to handle the extra cables too though.

You probably didn't notice in the specs but each comp. has a Gigabit internal Ethernet card...it was a B*t*h to find the correct driver(s) and point windows xp to it since its such crap...

Also,
Update on wat I did so far, i installed windows on 4 of them and the rest I put different distro's to check 'em out. windows, cuz i wanted to connect them (LAN) :lolflag:

distros: fedora, solaris, freeBSD, opensuse kde4, debian so far...and i realized they all are pretty much the same as far as i know....so y r there so many distros? cant u just change the icons and woala? unless there is something fundamentally different internally...i dont know about that stuff so didnt bother. can some1 explain?

also how do i get a list of hardwarez on me comp? because i got a laptop as well and dual booted win and ubuntu, and ubuntu all worked rite out the box but windows cant seem to find wifi!
i mean were the microsoft programmers drunk while makin windows?

handy
August 22nd, 2010, 10:56 AM
So you have a gigabit switch?

Zorgoth
August 22nd, 2010, 03:52 PM
never heard of a 768mb chip, which doesn't follow the rule of 2^x power. Nor have I heard of 3 or 6.
3 = 2gb + 1gb
6 = 4gb + 2gb or 2 + 2 + 2
768 = 512 + 256

3 and 6 are very common amounts of memory in laptops (of course, 3 is a 2 GB and a 1 GB stick, 6 is a 4 GB and a 2 GB stick). And while I never saw a 768 system I'm sure they existed. The person you were talking about was presumably referring to the amount of RAM in a computer, not the amount of RAM in a single SODIMM.

cascade9
August 22nd, 2010, 05:05 PM
3 and 6 are very common amounts of memory in laptops (of course, 3 is a 2 GB and a 1 GB stick, 6 is a 4 GB and a 2 GB stick). And while I never saw a 768 system I'm sure they existed. The person you were talking about was presumably referring to the amount of RAM in a computer, not the amount of RAM in a single SODIMM.

They would have to be talking about total RAM in the computer, never has been 768MB, 3GB or 6GB stick sizes.

768MB is just 512MB + 256MB. Run that setup plently of times myself.

2+1GB sticks or 4+2GB sticks would work, but its going to kill dualchannel RAM....The i7 socket 1366 boards use triple channel RAM, so 3GB = 3 x 1GB sticks, 6Gb = 3 x 2GB sticks, etc..

snek
August 23rd, 2010, 11:27 AM
If you want to run a single desktop session over all the computers you could just do an Ubuntu Cloud installation on all of them (http://www.ubuntu.com/cloud/private/deploy) and then try to get an NX server running on the cloud, discussed here: http://www.starryhope.com/linux/2010/ubuntu-desktop-in-the-cloud/

Also check:
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/desktop-lucid-desktop-cloud

And:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Linux_Terminal_Server_Project

If I am correct, you should be able to harness the combined power of all the machines as a single desktop. Of course you can only really use a remote desktop connection to it, but you could maybe configure one machine to act as a thin client to login to the cloud.

After that, you can basically harness that power for anything you are doing.
Or give away accounts to friends/family/strangers to test out Ubuntu without having to install it..

Many different options there :)