This is simply a doc/work-log of my setup for a Docker Swarm with load balancing using 4 single-board computers (SBCs): a Banana Pi M2 Zero W, Orange Pi Zero 2W, Raspberry Pi 3B, and Raspberry Pi Zero W.

All but the Raspberry Pi 3B are immersed in direct liquid cooling using mineral oil (I think it’s cool — I like it 😄).

The idea behind this is that I got a bit obsessed with power usage. I wanted to try different solutions that might perform well. I mean, it’s better to have an SBC as your always-on server than an old notebook running 24/7. Even if you put the notebook to sleep when idle, it still uses a fair amount of electricity.

In contrast, these SBCs consume very little power and can run a surprising number of things. Of course, many applications can’t run on ARM architecture, which is another topic — but what can I do? I already have the boards, so I want to test them 😅

The goal here is to set up a Docker Swarm cluster, enable load balancing (if possible), run some stress tests, and measure power usage and thermals. I’ll then compare all that to just using my old notebook as a server — maybe I can finally sell it after this experiment!