Sun's Project Blackbox -- datacenter in a container
By Ryan Block 
posted October 18th 2006 12:33AM
posted October 18th 2006 12:33AM
We're typically not of the ilk to bust out a post on a Sun datacenter solution or yet another clustered supercomputer, but technically Sun's Project Blackbox is portable -- if you consider a shipping container portable. We wouldn't believe it if it were anyone else, but the gimmick here is Project Blackbox is a shock mounted transportable datacenter capable of accommodating up to 250 Sun Fire T1000s or x64 servers, with up to 7 terabytes of memory and as many as 1.5 petabytes of disk or 2 petabytes of tape storage -- just supply water and power, and the thing will run on its own. (Whether or not you actually plug it into your network is another matter entirely.) Their big sales pitch here is that the cash-flush "Web 2.0" company which wants to go green probably needs a simple way of shipping around or deploying an entirely pre-constructed IT infrastructure; see, apparently Project Blackbox is recyclable and is designed to run independently on wind or even Martian solar power (we kid you not, pictures after the break), though our favorite deployment scenario is definitely the datacenter in the parking garage. We never thought getting your megacorp's server farm jacked by a valet was going to redefine corporate data security, but hey, this industry changes daily, and when you're Sun and your competition's ten thousand gutted Linux desktops at a fraction of the price, the publicity stunts you've got to pull start taking bizarre new shapes. That said, we're planning on deploying at least one or two to the next Jobsnote so the F5-trigger happy in the house don't spoil all the fun.
[Thanks, Reese]
>In any case, anything to alleviate the surplus of shipping containers is nice.
Sun probably isn't going to use USED shipping containers for a flagship datacenter product. I'm sure they'll all be brand-spanking new.
Considering the glut of low-end datacenter space, it's a interesting, expensive proof-of-concept idea...But Sun seems to be reaching as far as practical deployment goes.
Hey Sounds cool...Looks like APC InfrastuXure in a boxof course there are pro's and con's...Does this thing come with LoJack?
So are you limited to SUN serers?
This seems cool....Looks very much like an APC InfrastruXure in a container with a bunch of sun servers...I suppose there are pro's and con's though...
First thought...Does this thing come with LoJack?
...One more thing...How do you manage 10000 end users (PC, MAC, MF or UNIX) without any admins at all??? I'd like to see that. I must be missing something.
Other computers can be racked other than Sun servers... you can get square-hole racks so HP gear or whatever can be put in.
The Blackbox does not come with its own UPS, you have to put them in.
With a standard height over 8', the typical shipping container would not fit in the typical parking garage. Even if it did, how would you get a semi-truck up/down the ramps?