Comments on: Mechanical Analogies To Web Stuff, Part 1.

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By: Jay Straw

Jay Straw — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:30:06 +0000

I was looking for the possibility a mechanical model I’ve devised for some functions I’m writing had a name already. I found this, and enjoyed it I think, computers are advancements, simply because the knee from the stress-strain diagram has been moved past the operational parameters of the system.

I must have done a little of this in school too (for QA at least), but my electrical engineering background makes me wonder if you are familiar with BH diagrams? Very similiar, and–let’s be frank here–very cool.

Not long winded at all, btw!

By: Rob Fleischmann

Rob Fleischmann — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:23:37 +0000

I’m no engineer, but I totally agree with the analogy. Perhaps (dumbed-down for my benefit), a web server *farm* could be compared – simply – with the weight bearing axles on any 18-wheeler. I just implemented Network Load Balancing in my makeshift web server farm to accommodate my website traffic as well as the web services traffic for our Web 2.0 beta.

Whether the balancing model cascades, round-robins or drops new sessions to the least-used box, the (long-term) results are similar to adding axles on the trailer to allow additional weight.

New questions arise if this comparison is worth its weight (sorry):
What about weight shifts? (overbearing multi-threaded sessions sitting on one server?)
What if the trailer grows unmanageable? (session timeouts to keep farm load overhead down?)
How to manage flats? (seamless transfer of running sessions from one server to another?)
And if the tractor fails? (seamless fail over of NLB server to another?)

When I designed databases in a prior life, I used to LOVE to “visualize” the relational models and figure out the weakest links in a design by running the (imagined) simulation through to final reports… I can think of no better way to address computing issues than to draw direct comparisons to nature (i.e. physics, biology, anthropology).

By: Mechanical Analogies To Web Stuff, Part 2.

Mechanical Analogies To Web Stuff, Part 2. — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:58:22 +0000

[...] is a ramble continued from before, which means it’s mostly a blog post for me, but maybe others might find it [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:45:44 +0000

Running engines is a very good analogy. Especially, when considering the amount of engineering required when comparing a high-performance motorcycle engine to a lawn mower engine. Internal IT web applications can be built like a lawn mower engine, while large internet sites require more serious engineering effort devoted to non-functional/infrastructure requirements because the tolerances for error are very slim. High load will test the correctness of your currency and graceful degradation similarly to how high rpms will test the precision of your engine components.

By: Jason K-VD

Jason K-VD — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:18:50 +0000

And I bet at the fundamental level, the same set of differential equations could be used to describe that functionality! I had an E.E. prof that used to teach a class with M.E.’s in it, because he proved that mechanical & electrical systems behaved similarly enough at the diff.EQ level that conceptually the systems were identical (springs & masses versus coils of wire & voltage).