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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →LinkedIn reported that its Open19 infrastructure was already deployed in company data centers in September 2018. In March 2019, LinkedIn contributed the Open19 specifications to the Open Compute Project (OCP). Those were related but separate milestones: Open19 was LinkedIn’s modular 19-inch rack design, while OCP became the community where the specifications were shared. The available announcements do not establish how extensively LinkedIn uses Open19 today.
What LinkedIn announced, and when
- September 2018: LinkedIn described Open19 as deployed in its data centers and explained the system’s modular hardware approach.
- March 2019: LinkedIn announced that it had contributed the Open19 technology specifications to OCP, making them available to the broader community.
Contributing specifications to OCP did not mean that Open19 and OCP were the same standard. It placed LinkedIn’s work within a wider open-hardware community and expanded the infrastructure choices available to OCP participants.
What Open19 was designed to do
Open19 was a modular infrastructure approach for servers, storage and networking in standard 19-inch rack environments. It was designed around building blocks that could be added in increments rather than requiring a single, fixed server configuration.
Rack and power structure
- Passive cages were described in 8U and 12U sizes.
- A 12-volt power shelf supplied rack-level power.
- Snap-on power and data cables simplified connections between the infrastructure and server modules.
- An optimized top-of-rack switch handled network connectivity.
These details describe LinkedIn’s 2018 design account. They should not be treated as universal specifications for every later Open19 implementation.
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Server modules, not one server model
Open19 defined a physical and infrastructure framework rather than a single branded server. Server suppliers built the server “bricks” that fit the system. As LinkedIn’s 2018 post put it: “The Open19 open source standard does not define the servers.” That distinction matters when comparing Open19 with a conventional server product: Open19 specified how compatible equipment could fit, connect and receive power, while suppliers remained responsible for the server designs.
What performance did LinkedIn report?
LinkedIn reported improvements in rack integration and server density, but the two company announcements use different figures:
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| Announcement | Rack-integration claim | Server-density claim | Evidence qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn, September 2018 | 7× improvement | 4× as many servers per rack | Company-reported result from LinkedIn’s deployment post; measurement method was not provided. |
| LinkedIn, March 2019 | Up to 6× improvement | 4× the number of servers per rack | Company-reported summary of deployment experience; measurement method was not provided. |
The 7× and “up to 6×” rack-integration figures should not be merged into one number. The sources do not explain why they differ, and no independent audit is supplied. The server-density statement is four times in both accounts, but it remains a LinkedIn claim rather than an independently verified benchmark.
How Open19 relates to OCP
Open19 was LinkedIn’s project and specification set. OCP is the open-hardware community to which LinkedIn contributed those specifications in 2019. OCP therefore became a venue for sharing and developing the work; it did not rename Open19 or turn it into one universal OCP rack standard.
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Relationship with Project Olympus
LinkedIn also said Open19 supported Microsoft’s Project Olympus, which Microsoft had contributed to OCP in 2017. This is a compatibility point in LinkedIn’s description. It does not mean Project Olympus and Open19 were identical designs.
How Open19 compares with broader OCP rack work
| Comparison point | Open19 as described by LinkedIn | OCP Rack & Power scope checked September 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rack compatibility | Designed for standard 19-inch rack environments. | Includes 19-inch EIA-compatible architectures and 21-inch Open Rack architectures. |
| Power and data | Used a 12-volt power shelf with snap-on power and data cables. | Covers rack-level power systems, including ongoing 19-inch power-shelf work. |
| Modularity and suppliers | Used modular cages and server bricks supplied by server vendors; no single server model was defined. | Represents a broader set of rack and power projects rather than one Open19 implementation. |
| Evidence about LinkedIn’s current use | Deployment was reported in 2018. | OCP’s continuing project activity does not establish that LinkedIn still deploys Open19. |
This is a scope comparison, not a head-to-head performance test. The available material does not provide comparable independent measurements for Open19 and current OCP rack systems.
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What the announcements establish today
- LinkedIn reported Open19 deployment in its data centers in 2018.
- LinkedIn contributed the Open19 specifications to OCP in 2019.
- Open19 was a modular infrastructure framework for 19-inch racks, not a single server product.
- LinkedIn reported four-times server density and either a seven-times or up-to-six-times rack-integration improvement, depending on the announcement.
- OCP’s rack and power work remains broader than Open19 and includes both 19-inch EIA-compatible and 21-inch Open Rack architectures.
Neither the historical announcements nor the current OCP project pages establish LinkedIn’s present Open19 inventory, the project’s current adoption level, or a current deployment scale.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a rack buyer should understand
A standard 19-inch, four-post server rack is an enabling hardware category for an Open19-style deployment, because Open19 was designed around that rack format. Buying the rack alone does not implement Open19: compatible cages, power shelves, cabling, network equipment and server modules are also required. OCP’s marketplace lists enterprise rack and power products, but the available information does not verify any particular supplier’s affiliate program or commercial terms.
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