Welcome, Open Random Vibration Testing of OTS DC Hardware users! This website contains the latest documentation for this open source hardware testing project. Before contributing, please read the CONTRIBUTING.md guideline.

March 24th Update

For those who has been waiting, the first batch of white papers on Google's Random Vibration Testing Methodology is here. Papers/sample data/diagrams/photos/videos have been uploaded under specific tracks in the "White Papers" section. Moving forward, we will release new materials on a bi-weekly basis following a regular release schedule. Please take a moment to familiar yourself with the table of content and the schedule of future releases (also inside "White Papers").

If you have questions or requests for specific topics, e-mail [email protected] directly and I will be happy to add them to the release schedule. Feedback is always welcomed on how to make this project better and more useful to the readers.

October 2024 Update

Those of you who are here because of the presentation at 2024 OCP Global Summit (https://www.opencompute.org/summit/global-summit), thank you for your interest! The full recording of the presentation is now available at the OCP's website at https://www.opencompute.org/events/past-events/2024-ocp-global-summit. The most up to date slides and abstract are uploaded here under the "2024 OCP Global Summit" folder. As we mentioned, White papers and sample data of will become available starting February, 2025.

In the mean time, please reach out to [email protected] to share pain points, stories, methods, past experiences, comments, and suggestions.

This is not an officially supported Google product

What is Random Vibration Testing of OTS DC Components and Hardware

Random vibration testing, in the context of data center hardware, evaluates whether the components, subsystem, machines, and fully integrated rack systems used at a data center will withstand vibration induced mechanical stress throughout the data center supply chain.
The follow types of vibration are common in the data center supply chain:

1. Truck vibration from local and long range shipment
2. Plane vibration from world wide shipment
3. Handling with forklift and pallet jacks at warehouse and loading dock environment
4. Pushing of racks from loading dock to dc floor
5. Handling by hand at bench top (assembly, repairs, troubleshooting, etc)

The follow OTS components and hardware examples are commonly used in data centers:

1. Server racks from Rittal
2. OTS switches from Arista and Cisco
3. Rectifiers from Delta
4. OTS Electronic components
5. Resistors, Capacitors, Fuses, etc.
6. Power Supply, Voltage Regulator
7. Interconnects and cables from Molex
8. DIMM, SSD, Flash from Samsung
9. CPUs from Intel and AMD
10. Heatsinks, Fans

Goals of the Project

The goals of this project are to:

1. Open source the mechanical testing of off-the-shelf data center components and hardware, and their results.
2. Help to reduce the time and cost of mechanical qualification of DC components and hardware for Google.
3. Make it easier for people to demonstrate the reliability and durability of DC components and hardware well ahead of Google’s product roadmaps and development cycles.
4. Make it easier for people to test the reliability and durability of DC components and hardware in better and more meaningful ways.
5. Make it easier for people to share test methods and meaningful results across the whole ecosystem.
6. Make it easier for Google to collaborate with experts of relevant and adjacent fields and benefit from their core expertises.
7. Create a community of hardware developers, manufacturers, test labs, and customers who can contribute to and improve the collective understanding of this area of testing, and, ultimately, the durability of DC components and hardware.
8. Develop a robust framework to evaluate the durability of all DC hardware. Such framework would then enable:
9. The ability to optimize packaging for sustainability
10. The ability to reuse materials for sustainability
11. The ability to deploy fully populated racks for sustainability and velocity