Microsoft Mulling Portable Data Centers

1sockchuck writes "An architect of the Windows Live team has published a presentation advocating portable container-based data centers as the future of data center infrastructure. James Hamilton, who previously was GM of Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services, contends that a distributed network of unmanned modular units 'transforms data centers from static and costly behemoths into inexpensive and portable lightweights. ... Multiple smaller data centers, regionally located, could prove to be a competitive advantage.' Both Sun and Rackable have rolled out prototypes of container-based 'data center in a box' products, and Hamilton notes that large generators are also available in trailers."

Re:Google?

[HomelessInLaJolla]

I recall reading something about enormous Borg like Google cubes requiring cities to build nuclear fusion reactors to power them, competing with Fermilab and LLNL for Most Brownouts Caused by Powerup, and being airlifted into remote regions of the world to hide classified data.

Borg

[jeevesbond]

This takes Microsoft one step closer to becoming the Borg. Just wait until one of these mobile data-centre 'cubes' appears outside a rival software company, the voice of Ballmer comes booming out of a loudspeaker: 'We are Microsoft. Open your doors and surrender your intellectual property. We will take your technological innovation and call it our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours. Resistance is futile.'

In fact, didn't I see one parked-up outside Novell HQ recently?

whoa, slow down there!

[hxnwix]

Portable data centers? They can't even get portable music players right!

Imagine a...

[greg_barton]

....nnnnggggg....nngGGGGGg....GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Re:Imagine a...

[Penguinisto]

...Grendel Cluster? Thor Cluster? Loki Cluster? What? C'mon man, throw us a line here!

(stop staring at me like that).

/P

Re:MS clueless about large-scale installations

[Penguinisto]

"Maybe they don't trust MCSE's with screwdrivers..."

Be honest now... would you?

/P

Unmanned?

[cxreg]

Who's going to reboot the machines every other day?

Re:Borg

[MillionthMonkey]

Mobile data centers are nothing new for Microsoft. I know a guy who drove a Luxury Car (forget what kind) and this car was sooooo wonderful it needed an operating system: Windows CE.

It didn't broadcast Bill Gates speeches on the road, but it had the same problem as all Microsoft software- features you didn't ask for, that don't work, that can't easily be removed or disabled. He would park this thing in his garage, and once a month some process would turn on at 3 AM to condition the battery or something silly. It would crash midway through and he kept waking up in the morning to a BSOD and a dead battery powering the dim blue glow of the pixels with its last gasp.

He kept having to take his car to the shop for patches. We loved hearing about this stuff at work, because the car always crashed for something different, but he was getting sick of it, like everyone else at the dealership. Finally one day it screwed something up again- left his windshield washer pump going all night or something- and he took it in for the last patch. The ride home was Linux powered and the fun stories came to an end.

Re:It's one thing...

[cthulhu11]

Right now I work from home, remote into my machine at work using WiFi You're within WiFi range of your office and you don't simply walk there?

Re:What about maintenance and fixes?

[tinkertim]

What about Sarbanes-Oxley requirements for data security and integrity? Call me crazy, but being portable is somewhat at odds with the text of this law.

I got the same weird vision of a bunch of sea containers on wheels, too. So , the 'meet-me' room would be in the back of the Semi's cab where the driver sleeps? or will that be put in the passenger seat, instead?

# ping domain.com
PING domain.com (x.x.x.x) 56(84) bytes of data.
Reply From y.y.y.y : datacenter got a flat tire en route
Reply From z.z.z.z : driver alcohol content exceeded