FlexPod / VCE – Preconfigured like ExaData…. http://www.netapp.com/us/solutions/flexpod/

The FlexPod® solution portfolio combines NetApp® storage systems, Cisco® Unified Computing System servers, and Cisco Nexus fabric into a single, flexible architecture. FlexPod solutions are designed and validated to reduce deployment time, project risk, and the cost of IT.

Vblock® Systems, built on Cisco servers with Intel® Xeon® processors, EMC storage and virtualization from VMware are the world’s most advanced converged infrastructure are pre-integrated and validated to accelerate your deployment of data center resources, decrease costs, and enhance availability and performance for your most critical workloads.

$3 / 10Gbps

2 x FI, up to 160 Compute resource [collectively known as UCS System/Domain] 1 Mgmt per UCS System
UCS Central to manage multiple UCS System

UCS Director Unified Infrastructure Controller

1 Unified Cable (10G) per Chassis. up to 8x10G for redundancy and capacity. shared for DATA/SAN/MGMT/….

UCS – Service profile. (WWN,MAC,BIOS,FIREMWARE)

Virtual Adaptor – 256 vHBA/vNIC per physical 10G adaptor

Redundancy model is different between NW and FC. FC uses 2 independent fabric while NW uses cross-connect/multi-uplink.

Data Centre Bridging – Cat65 are not using enhanced Ethernet, not able to provide lostless data flow.

How FC garentee no lost of data frame. ITs does this by negotiating on port up. knows how much buffer the other end has

DCBX (Data Center Bridging Exchange) automatically configure devices when they are connected to DCB.

Greenfield environment see more iSCSI to FCoE

I/O Module behaves as a FEX to the FI. Internal Ports from Blades (2/4ports) to I/O module is like connecting directly to the FI.

CISCO UCS 2204XP

SMASH simplifies server management

goo.gl/eQd3XN – UCS docs/simulator

Finally, gotten it up and running today.

BOM

1. 1. 100W Solar Panel (100w太阳能电池板家用发电机系统18v发电板12v蓄电池充电光伏组件) Y299 ~$70
2. 70AH Car Battery -$145
3. Charge Regulator (太阳能控制器12v/24V10A 带USB 5V手机充电口 液晶显示LCD屏) Y45 ~12
4. LED Strip -$45
5. Motion Sensor (DC12V三线制人体红外线感应开关拓安达造 衣柜 衣帽间 LED灯可调) 3xY23.5 ~$18
6. 2 core wire – $16

Shipping cost for those from overseas amount to around $50.

Total cost for project is $356, big chunk of it is Battery and LED Strip.
If the charging really work

I’ve about 2 hours of direct sunlight on the Solar Panel at this time of the year.
A good iPhone App, EPiSunTools, helps show how much Sunlight I’m going to get for me installation.
I got worst coverage at this time of the year, so if this setup works now, it’ll work for the rest of the year.

The 100W unicell Solar Panel is value for money, about $100 inclusive of shipment. Complete with ??4 connectors which are IP65 certified.
Panel is rated ????
During morning sun (8+am) I’m getting 2.2A Isc 20V Vsc with direct sunlight.
Without direct sunlight, I’m seeign 0.3A Isc 19.2V Vsc, not sure is this normal.

https://github.com/njsharkracer/infinitysolarjar

On connection to the battery through the Charge Regulator, I measure 13.5V across both the SolarPanel Battery, which is the floating voltage. Will need to monitor how the whole system runs over the week.

Changed my Car Battery to Amaron (85D23L) battery after 13 months on my old battery (MF80D26L)
Amaron got good review on the web. Indian made. Let’s see how long will this last
Two previous battery died on me in 1 year. The last battery is 13 months old. Don’t want to get another incident of needing to jump start the car.
I’m reusing the old battery as storage for my solar project. Should have some more juice to last 1 more year

Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term was coined in 1967 by Edward de Bono.

According to de Bono, lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from standard perceptions of creativity as either “vertical” logic (the classic method for problem solving: working out the solution step-by-step from the given data) or “horizontal” imagination (having a thousand ideas but being unconcerned with the detailed implementation of them).

Discovered various means of purchasing online from oversea sources.
China is one BIG factory with millions of products.
Jack Ma did a great job building Alibaba and its various subsidiaries that is catering to different people

1. Alibaba is targeted to manufacturer and import/exporters.
2. TaoBao catered mainly to Chinese speaking consumer buying from China manufacturer/distributors.
3. Aliexpress targeting non Chinese speaking consumer.
4. Daigou which is non Alibaba, focuses on shipping goods out of China.
5. Qoo10 is local in Singapore.

Intention is to have touch that is perpetually everlasting, “batteryless”, “maintenance free”

Experiment with a number of setup, with the following observation.

Tesla Torch is a variance of “Joules Thief”
Typical LED specs at 3.3V and can be lighted up at 3V
What “Joules Thief” does is using a amplifier circuit to boost Voltage up to 3V from a supply as low as 0.5V
It does this in pulses, meaning that the LED is actually blinking. OFF when voltage is low and ON when voltage is high.
The waveform resemble a square/sign wave.
Efficiency is not high – 60% typical.

A good site on “Joules Thief” is http://rustybolt.info/wordpress/

Tesla Torch is slightly different as it resemble a transformer on the coil portion.
Circuit flows through primary coil and LED is driven from induced current on secondary coil.
Efficiency may be higher, pending verification with oscilloscope.
Can’t measure voltage across LED with multimeter.

Tearing up a 1 cell LED torch and realized that it uses a silicon booster chip plus inductor, resistor and capacitor.
Its able to maintain consistent 3.3V output with input voltage as low as 0.5V. This can have efficiency as high as 80-90%
Lower the input voltage will have lower corresponding output current and transfer efficiency.

Efficiency aside. The concept of combining Super Capacitor with Hand Crank and booster circuit to light up a LED is commendable.
It extend the shelf-live and ease out operation expenses of a “Emergency Torch” eliminating the need to change battery, long term cost saving.
Super Capacitor is also “fast charging” compared to rechargeable battery. Allowing quick “light”

Good deployment for

1. Cruise Ship Cabin
2. Hotel Room
3. Outdoors entuesist
4. Rural areas with frequent power outage.
5. Disaster Relief Packs/Stores

Torch to have the following features.

1. Maintenance free
2. Batteryless
3. Quick charge – 30 secs from 0 to usable. (i.e >0.8V for a JT circuit)
4. Relatively long run time. Charge time vs use time.
5. Brightness control. Low/medium/high light with corresponding use time.
6. Use as charger for USB devices
7. Quick Charge – achievable with a small capacity super capacitor, high ampere generator Long run time – this needs balancing with respect to brightness. high ampere generator could help shorten charging time.

Possible combination to achieve the desire outcome

1. High ampere generator
2. High efficiency (MTTP) super-capacitor charging circuit
3. High efficiency LED buck/boost driver https://www.ams.com/eng/Products/Power-Management/DC-DC-Buck-Boost-Converters/AS1331
   High voltage range. i.e. using 5.5V 4F Super Capacitor that can run down to 1.8V
4. TOREX  XC6206P332MR  LDO, FIXED, 3.3V, 250mA, 6V, SOT-23-3