New Data Center Modeled After a Space Station

1sockchuck writes "Jon Karlung believes that data centers shouldn't just be cool – they should look cool, too. His latest approach to futuristic IT is a modular data center designed to look like a space station. Karlung, the CEO of Sweden's Bahnhof, previously built a stylish data center in a former nuclear bunker beneath Stockholm featuring a waterfall, which has been compared to the lair of a James Bond villain. Karlung's new design features IT modules built from bullet-proof steel that attach to an inflatable dome for staff. 'Containers are ugly,' Karlung says. 'I think design is too often neglected in our field of business.'"

Comments

No, Mr. Bond

[Anonymous Coward]

I expect you to... REBOOT!

Why is anyone there to see it

[Paul Carver]

Except for a handful of people, who's going to see it? If there are more than a couple people in a datacenter you're doing it wrong. Rack the equipment (preconfigured), plug in the cables and switch it on. From that point on no one should touch it until it breaks and needs to be RMA'd or scrapped.

How much money are you going to invest in beautifying a space that very few people will see?

Re:Why is anyone there to see it

[Anonymous Coward]

For those rare and momentous events when a VIP or CEO drops by. I jest you not, I worked in a center where they spent days aligining all the screw heads to the same direction in every rack. The one thing Thinking Machines got right was "blinkin lights." Give the CEO/VIP something to comment on, and they will be happy.

Re:Why is anyone there to see it

[icebike]

From that point on no one should touch it until it breaks and needs to be RMA'd or scrapped.

Reminds me of the old joke about the best Server Admin being a German Shepard and a sysop. The sysop is there to feed the German Shepard, and the German Shepard is there to make sure the sysop never gets near the server.

Oddly, the linked article goes gaga about the inflatable tent next to the steel enclosed portable data center. So put a few rounds thru the inflatable tent to get rid of those pesky sysops, and then do what you will with the data center. Why make it out of bullet proof steel?

Money

[girlintraining]

Aesthetically pleasing design isn't a priority: Very few people will ever see the data center(s) they use, let alone care what they look like. This is like saying "My neighborhood has the best looking sewers!" Well, that's cool... but nobody is going to crawl down a manhole to check them out. So props for being all creative and stuff, but why don't you work on something the general public might actually see?

Re:Money

[icebike]

Well in the linked story they say:

Bahnhof joins a growing number of providers seeking to provide faster and cheaper deployment of IT capacity through the use of factory-build modules that can be installed quickly and expanded as needed based on the customer’s needs.

So these are likely to be short term deployments of data centers for special events (olympics, Military operations, Disasters, etc) or short term expansion centers for companies waiting for their new headquarters to be built. They roll in on trucks set up operate without looking too ugly, then roll out again some time later.

Movie quotes

[Dexter Herbivore]

If we're going with modified movie quotes, I would've thought the obvious one was: "That's no data center!"

Re:Easy answer...

[Silicon-Surfer]

Seems like by styling it to look like a space station, this data centre will be seen by far more people (at least virtually) than your run of the mill one. Of course being Swedish, the whole thing will probably be assembled with an allen key...

Re:Datacenter Modeled After a Space Station?

[The Wild Norseman]

Just don't make the pod bay doors voice-activated.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Re:Make it look cool?

[dkf]

No one is going to see the real thing anyway (apart from your own staff).

You must be a CEO to consider each and every last customer to be a no one.

No, he would be a CEO if he considered the customers AND the employees to be a no one.

No, he would be a CEO if he considered the customers AND the employees AND the investors AND all relevant regulators to be a no one.

There's no point in assuming a limited level of psychopathy here...

Security staff in an inflatable bubble?

[Bearhouse]

FTA

The design features a spacious double-wide module built with bullet-proof steel that will house servers, which attaches to “The Dome,” an inflatable central vestibule that houses security staff.

So the servers get bullet-proof steel, while the human security staff are protected by 'inflatable' walls?
Don't think I would fancy my chances in a physical attack...

EPIC FAIL

[Lumpy]

The inflatable building crap again? These things are a major Fail.

Use shipping containers. works better, you can do more with them and easily modular. Oh and they are cheaper to transport to the site and set up.

Re:Has this guy ever worked at a datacenter?

[RevDisk]

I've worked in secret and TS rated US government datacenters. Giant concrete cube, surrounded by blast shields and folks with lots of guns. As in, a security false alarm usually involves Bradley APCs or Abrams tanks sitting outside the datacenter.

The main staff worked in the "fish bowl". Yep. The lighting was kept low, we had a large number of giant screens with moving data, we had overhead monitors, etc. 95% of it was not useful. The clock with a dozen time zones was useful for quick glances. The giant screen with the node map was pretty AND functional. The list of COBOL program end codes (for the mainframes) was very rarely useful, but was VERY useful when it was needed. Rest was meh. The low light sucked and messed with your mind if you're working 12 hour shifts for weeks on end. Concrete cube, no windows. It was like living on a submarine, only worse. Subs try to vary the light to reflect day/night schedule. The side by side bench style arrangement "desks" sucked if you were on the phone.

It was kept there in case the brass came by. Which they rarely did, unless things were hopping.