Way back in 1792 the French instituted the use of the guillotine during the French Revolution. They used this device for almost 200 years, using it for the last time in 1977. That happened to be the year the Apple II computer was released. Makes a person wonder…
Was the release of the Apple II computer responsible for the French Government changing its capital punishment practices?
Why does the modern server rack bear a suspicious resemblance to an 18th century French guillotine?
On a snowy morning in the late 1970s did a budding 9-year-old IT administrator in Topeka, Kansas somehow draw inspiration from the design of the guillotine and the newly released Apple II computer to conceive of the server rack-mounted headless PC?
Not long after the guillotine was introduced in France, Washington Irving wrote his famous story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Familiar to us all, this story features a mysterious and scary character, the Headless Horseman. Now, imagine if Irving had lived several centuries later. Perhaps the specter in his story might have been a headless PC instead of a headless horseman. The part of the story where the Headless Horseman is revealed might instead read like this:
On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveler in relief against the sky, miniature in stature, and muffled in various cables, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that the mini-PC following him was headless!
Who’s to say to what role the guillotine, the Apple II, and the Headless Horseman played—or didn’t play—in the development of headless PCs in today’s tech environment. Regardless, headless PCs play a valuable role in today’s IT infrastructure. Sometimes they are used solo to power specialized equipment and execute functions. Most commonly, however, these PCs are connected to networks and used for things, such as
- Web hosting
- Web farms
- Hardware servers for print, firewall, etc.
- Video walls, data boards, digital signage
- Diagnostics/imaging
A headless computing device could run the gamut of a Raspberry pi or thin client to a mini-PC to a powerful server. ClearCube Technology makes, stocks, and sells a variety of computing devices—headless or not, and we have models available and in stock today!
Thankfully, in the interest of public safety, most headless PCs are not permitted to roam stealthily at night, terrorizing everyday citizens. Headless PCs are typically secured in racks inside access-restricted data rooms (or at least locked closets).
Because modern headless PCs can be small units, many of them can be racked in the server room in a space-efficient and easy-to-manage manner, particularly if used with the ClearCube Client Drawer. Pictured below, the Client Drawer can hold up to 10 ClearCube Zero Clients, Zero+ Clients, Thin Clients, or Mini-PCs. Having redundant power and internal cabling, the Client Drawer chassis efficiently houses hundreds of computing devices for easy management. A standard 42U rack holds 10 Client Drawer chassis, each housing up to 10 computers. So, one server rack could become a fan-cooled, redundantly powered (hot-swappable), cleanly cabled, tower of 100 PCs! It’s nothing to lose your head over, but impressive nonetheless.
Here are some images of the Client Drawer chassis up close, highlighting key features:
The helpful ClearCube team is ready to speak with you about your hardware needs to help alleviate or prevent your headless hardware nightmares. We will help you identify the product(s) that meet your specific needs. We won’t let you pick the wrong product or try to sell you what you don’t need. USA-based, creating innovative products for almost 25 years, ClearCube Technology offers outstanding service and products that are TAA-compliant. Give us a call today!
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