Apparatus, architecture, and method for integrated modular server system providing dynamically power-managed and work-load managed network devices

A dynamically adaptable integrated server system unit comprising:

• a plurality of configurable and dynamically reconfigurable network devices;
• said configurable and dynamically reconfigurable network devices including at least one network device operating as a computer node, at least one of said network devices operating as a monitor node, and at least one network device operating as a switching node;
• said switching node being configured to selectively couple two or more of said plurality of network devices together for communication therebetween;
• said at least one network device operating as a computer node, said at least one network device operating as a monitor node, and said at least one network device operating as a switching node being dynamically and adaptably reconfigurable at any time so that said system has a number of computer node network devices in an active mode of operation sufficient to satisfy a current demand for network devices of that type;
• and
• further wherein one of said plurality of configurable and dynamically reconfigurable network devices is configured to control the reconfiguration of said at least one network device operating as a computer node, said at least one network device operating as a monitor node, and said at least one network device operating as a switching node.

In a system having a plurality of physical network devices configurable to perform a plurality of tasks when in an active mode of operation, a method for managing the workload of said system comprising:

• providing one of said plurality of physical network devices that is configured to control the configuration or reconfiguration of another of said physical network devices;
• monitoring a level of activity of a network to which said system is connected;
• determining, based on said network level of activity, a demand for a first task of said plurality of tasks;
• based on said demand, configuring or dynamically reconfiguring, by said one of said physical network devices, certain other of said physical network devices in said active mode of operation from a configuration to perform a second task of said plurality of tasks to a configuration to perform said first task while remaining in said active mode.