This is an idea I've been playing around with for a while. Remember the stacked architecture diagram you are used to seeing on powerpoint presentations? What if you could make that diagram come alive - make a physical model that ties into the actual software to depict/describe, the flow of data, whether processes are operating or deficient?
Here is a lego prototype for these modules that could be hooked up to LEDs, an Arduino, and a network.
Server Monitor Network