Sun Microsystems unveils data center – Project Blackbox
Server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. has a novel twist on the data center: a portable version of the hulking outposts that house nothing but computers and equipment needed to store and process raw data. The concept project dubbed Project Blackbox is a “data center in a box” with all the necessary servers, storage and networking equipment packed into a cushioned and cooled 20-foot-long cargo shipping container. Sun was unveiling the system Tuesday.
Only two prototypes have been produced so far, but the company hopes to begin full-scale production by next summer. The price hasn’t been determined. The idea eliminates several major hurdles facing data center customers: finding an appropriate site, arranging the servers and cooling mechanisms in the most efficient manner, and waiting for construction to be complete. Analysts briefed on the project said it has enormous marketing potential and marks another creative research-and-development milestone critical to the company’s slow but steady turnaround after its gutting in the dot-com collapse.
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