The magic of Google

[theweaselking]

The numbers alone are enough to make your eyes water.

# Over four billion Web pages, each an average of 10KB, all fully indexed.
# Up to 2,000 PCs in a cluster.
# Over 30 clusters.
# 104 interface languages including Klingon and Tagalog.
# One petabyte of data in a cluster -- so much that hard disk error rates of 1 in 10^15 begin to be a real issue.
# Sustained transfer rates of 2Gbps in a cluster.
# An expectation that two machines will fail every day in each of the larger clusters.
# No complete system failure since February 2000.

It is one of the largest computing projects on the planet, arguably employing more computers than any other single, fully managed system (we're not counting distributed computing projects here), some 200 computer science PhDs, and 600 other computer scientists.

And it is all hidden behind a deceptively simple, white, Web page that contains a single one-line text box and a button that says Google Search.

Comments

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

You might want to change that 10-15 to "10 to the power of 15" or 10^15. I kept going "10 to 15 what? An error rate is not a dimensionless entity people!" until I came to that bit and saw the "millionth of a billionth" comment.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Better?

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

Actually, it is of course 10 to the power of minus 15, not positive 15.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

Holy shit you're quick.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

One in 10^15, 10^-15, same difference.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I'm online. I'm at work. I've got this and Jardinains to keep me occupied for another 5 hours.