The Tool Desk
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What Open19 was
Open19 was a modular infrastructure approach for servers, storage and networking designed for standard 19-inch rack environments. It described how equipment and supporting power and data infrastructure could fit together; it was not a single server model. As LinkedIn’s 2018 post put it, “The Open19 open source standard does not define the servers.” LinkedIn’s 2018 description said server suppliers built the servers.
How the design was organized
LinkedIn’s 2018 account described passive cages in 8RU and 12RU sizes, several server-brick form factors, a 12-volt power shelf, snap-on power and data cables, and an optimized top-of-rack switch. The intended benefit was to add server capacity and supporting infrastructure in modular increments. These are details of the design LinkedIn described at the time, not universal specifications for every later Open19 implementation.
What LinkedIn announced, and when
- September 2018: LinkedIn said Open19 was deployed in its data centers. Its deployment post described the design and reported results.
- March 2019: LinkedIn announced that it had contributed the Open19 technology specifications to OCP, making them available to the community. The announcement described the contribution as adding choices for OCP participants.
Joining or contributing to OCP did not make Open19 and OCP interchangeable names for one standard. Open19 was a particular set of specifications contributed to the broader OCP community.
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How Open19 related to OCP and Project Olympus
LinkedIn said Open19 included support for Microsoft’s Project Olympus, which had been contributed to OCP in 2017. That is a compatibility point in LinkedIn’s account; it does not mean Open19 and Project Olympus were the same design. LinkedIn’s 2019 announcement discusses both the Open19 contribution and that support.
What performance LinkedIn reported
LinkedIn made company-reported claims about integration and server density. The figures differ between its 2018 and 2019 posts, and neither post’s figures should be treated as independently verified results:
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| Source and date | Rack integration claim | Server-density claim |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn, September 2018 (deployment post) | 7× improvement | 4× as many servers per rack |
| LinkedIn, March 2019 (OCP contribution announcement) | Up to 6× improvement | 4× the number of servers per rack |
The posts do not explain why the rack-integration figures differ or provide a measurement method. They should therefore be read as LinkedIn’s claims in each post, not as a directly comparable or independently audited benchmark.
What OCP’s rack work covers today
OCP’s Rack & Power project describes work spanning both 19-inch EIA-compatible and 21-inch Open Rack architectures, along with rack-level power systems. Its Rack & Power project page, specifications index and marketplace show continuing activity that includes 19-inch power shelves. This current project scope is broader than Open19; it does not establish that LinkedIn still uses Open19 or indicate the scale of any present-day deployment.
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- Sturdy Construction: The rivet that hold the swing-out is made of steel. This 4U desktop rack shallow is made of high quality cold rolled steel with powder coating. The 4U desktop network rack becomes more sturdy once your first unit is screwed in. Max loading weight capacity: 50 pounds.
How to compare Open19 with broader OCP rack infrastructure
The useful comparison is about design scope, not an unsupported performance contest. Open19 was described as a modular system for standard 19-inch racks, with server bricks and supporting power and data components. OCP’s current Rack & Power work spans more than one rack architecture and includes rack-level power work. The available material does not provide a complete head-to-head performance comparison between Open19 and today’s OCP rack systems.
Quick Recap
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- Rack compatibility: Open19’s described target was a standard 19-inch rack environment; OCP’s current project scope also includes 21-inch Open Rack architectures.
- Power and data: LinkedIn’s Open19 description specified its own modular components, including a power shelf and snap-on connections. OCP’s broader project addresses rack-level power across its work.
- Historical versus current claims: LinkedIn’s deployment and performance figures describe its reported experience in 2018 and 2019. OCP’s current project pages describe the scope of its ongoing work, not LinkedIn’s present inventory.
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