The Home Office - Dreamy Setup - Enjoy

[E.Beadle]

http://www.stefandidak.com/office/

 

 

The Bloggers Personal FAQ
http://www.stefandidak.com/office/faq/
 

Aren’t two, maybe three, monitors enough for normal people?

I have never been accused of being normal. But seriously, no. In my case I am more efficient when I have a lot of monitors to move information onto.

Isn’t it just excessive and useless to have that many screens?

 

If using many screens simultaneously was excessive and useless daytraders wouldn’t have similar configurations and companies like 9X and Digital Tigers would be out of business fast.

How much did it cost you to build all that?

I haven’t kept track and would have to ask my accountant for those details. It’s also very difficult to keep track of because every 2-3 years all hardware has eventually been replaced with updated hardware. On top of that the hardware value or cost is not all that relevant since the software and data is much more valuable!  Those who know their hardware will probably be able to guess but for those who don’t know, an indicator is that just a system like Argon will set you back approximately between $20.000 and $25.000.

 

What do you need, or use, all that stuff for?

As a software developer and consultant I often work on very complex projects that require a lot of CPU power as well as storage. Not having to switch around stuff or reboot into other operating systems, not having to switch screens or use a KVM, not being forced to use just one or two systems at a time, really helps me be more efficient. And, of course, when other systems are under heavy load there’s plenty of CPU power on other systems to use for other things, including surfing the web.
 

How do you manage so many windows on that many monitors without going nuts?

I’m using WiLMA, the Ignytion Window Layout Manager. And yes, I very often write tools to make my work easier. You can click the image below for more details on WiLMA and read a little more about it.  http://www.stefandidak.com/windows-layout-manager/
 

Why do you keep systems powered on all the time?

Teamwork! Because some of the systems are servers that other people also use from remote locations, either through the development portal or via VPN. Powering down anything would mean a loss of connectivity and interruption of business.
 

Why on earth do you need so much storage and disk space?

I use a lot of virtual machines that I absolutely rely on, several of the internal servers are completely virtualized even. These VM’s take up a lot of storage space, anywhere from 5GB up to more than 60GB per VM. Imagine having dozens of those and then also having a backup of all of them. That requires a lot of storage, a lot of fast storage, and a relatively high network speed. The VM’s are test targets, a compiler farm, several team development services, bug tracking, etc. and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Why so many monitor screens?

I don’t like to move around windows when they overlap. I like to be able to have a lot of information present without having to dig through menus and windows, especially when debugging a piece of software and code that itself spawns many windows and information. I find it more efficient to move my eyes and head around than moving the mouse around to minimize and maximize and move windows.
 

Do all those screens run on a single computer?

Not specifically but they can be made to operate all from any single computer on the network. I can control all systems via a single system’s keyboard and mouse and I can drag windows from any screen onto any other even while they are connected to physically different systems. I can also expand any single application onto four screens at once (which looks impressively cool when using Google Earth, let me tell you).

What kind of software do you use to drive all those screens, any special graphics cards? Why aren’t you using a KVM switch and have all those keyboards around?

There are no special graphics cards involved, though all cards are dual-headed and support two-screens on a single system. I can set any system to use two screens by either using MaxiVista or switching the input controls on the five screens that support and are hooked up using dual-inputs. Other than that I use a software/network based keyboard and mouse switch that allows me to seamlessly control all systems on all screens from a single system, it’s called Synergy (and it’s open source).I’ve used KVM switches in the past but eventually none worked as efficient as the combination of Synergy and MaxiVista.

Since the arrival of Windows 7, however, I have moved away from Synergy in favor of Input Director. I now use both Synergy and Input Director between the Linux, Mac, and Windows systems. Works like a charm if you’re careful about the configuration and layout.

As for all the Dinovo’s and keyboards, that’s simple. I normally use just one unless the machine it’s on is rebooting or undergoing maintenance, then I just grab another. Otherwise in the meantime the keyboards are there to keep dust off the desks. It’s an easy process of throwing out the dusty keyboard and getting a replacement that’s fresh and new. (It amazes me how many dense people actually take it seriously when I joke about that) 

 

Doesn’t it get really hot in the summer with all the heat output from the systems?

Yes. Cooling during hot summers is quite a challenge and while I’ve managed to balance it all, really hot days are laptop-days… which means, using a laptop in a cool environment instead of the home office. During cold days, however, the heat output is enough that no additional heating is required.
 

What happens in case of a power failure? Do you have a very powerful UPS for backing up the whole system or just parts of it?

I have a few Smart-UPS SC1500i units for the most critical systems. These sustain the main servers and the modems and routers that are needed to keep things up and running for a while or provide the systems with a controlled shutdown. A bigger APC Smart-UPS 5000VA ensures power for Argon and it will start its shutdown when only 10 minutes remain (Argon needs more time to shut down because each VM needs to shut down or go into stasis).
 

Are you the same Stefan Didak from back in the 3D Studio days, did you work on that?

Yes, that is me. I got involved with 3D Studio, at that time a product by Autodesk, back in the early days and when the capabilities were added to write custom IPAS routines (plugins) I did a lot of work in that area. During the development of 3ds max I wrote plugins and after the acquisition of Discreet by Autodesk I contracted for Discreet on the 3ds max SDK. I helped other developers launch their plugins, wrote and published tutorials, some which you may even still find online in various translations even though they are very outdated by now.
 

What type, model, brand are those benches/desks?

The desks I use are from a company called Projecta. Though I have to say, these models I have date back to the late 80′s (I’ve had them that long and they’ve held out great!). The new models look a bit different but still come in the same sizes (and still just as heavy!). Hm… ok, seems they don’t do desks at all any longer these days
 

Why not get a good host and colo (colocate) all that stuff?

Because these systems aren’t your average web servers, don’t run processes like your average web servers, and because the network as a whole generate a lot of network traffic (just the daily backups are in the order of 1.8 TB) so in order to have any kind of remotely useful network connection it would require the kind of gigabit connections that run, conservatively speaking, between US$ 120.000,00 and US$ 280.000,00 PER MONTH!

 

Edited March 25, 2014 by E.Beadle

[Jamdude]

I don't understand what you'd use them all for.  Looks amazing though.

[sand0oski]

This makes me afraid to check my utility bill lol!

[Loe]

I don't understand what you'd use them all for.  Looks amazing though.

http://www.stefandidak.com/office/faq/

[YouRezz]

uff, thats a lot of money.. id rather buy an aston martin for that amount of cash

[AndyCapets]

Not sure about the use of all this, but ok..

Looks awesome though, some of us won't admit it, but secretly we are all jealous haha.

[GunnAthax]

Holy balls this is awesome

[E.Beadle]

Added in just a few of teh questions from the Faqs page of this website. I found this setup off of Pinterest of all places.

This will be Linus home in the future... lol.. 

[JokuTyyppi]

This is just.. too... sick! Sorry if you already said it somewhere but how many watts does that beast office use?

[MrTomnus]

The only way this setup would be any cooler is if you had to pull a book on the shelf to open a spiralling staircase to the basement where this rig is

[Almercenary]

Looks pretty cool, all dem monitors tho....You would certainly have a cosy little room in the winter

 

Also, can you please not write in black???