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Military Data Center In a Suitcase To Get Commercial Release

Posted by samzenpus on from the for-the-center-on-the-go dept.

judgecorp writes: The Mobyl Data Center, designed for the US Department of Defense, puts a data center in a rugged suitcase-sized box, and it will shortly be available commercially. The box includes up to 88 Xeon cores a maximum of 176 GB of RAM, and 2.8 TB of SSD storage with 12TB of hard disk as an option. The system uses credit-card sized MobylPC server units, sealed in epoxy, and rated to survive 300g of shock, but apparently proprietary to the vendor, Arnouse Digital Devices Corp.

10 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Atoms....not Xeons. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Correction. The article got it wrong too. [E3845]

  2. Bunker-buster? by iamacat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Powering on these 88 Xeons sealed in Epoxy will take care of those pesky underground bunkers better than a nuke.

    1. Re:Bunker-buster? by Rei · · Score: 4, Informative

      The chips themselves (E3845, a very low power-consuming model) only consume 10W each, and it's 88 cores (not processors), each processor having 4 cores, so 22 processors consuming 220W. Assumedly these boards are designed for minimal power consumption and provide only a bare minimum of capabilities. The hard drives are SSD, so minimal power consumption there. There doesn't appear to be any sort of graphics, so no power consumption needed for that. RAM isn't usually a big power consumer. So I don't see any reason to think that the system is going to be consuming vast amounts of power. Maybe about the same total as a high-end gaming PC (but with a *lot* more computing power).

      On the other hand, with epoxy-encased hardware, I am quite curious as to how they're handling cooling. I'm guessing that while the boards are embedded in epoxy that the surfaces of the processors aren't? And I'd wager that the processors are linked up to a common heat sink, as it'd make no sense to give each one its own fan. Hmm, if they're all connected to the same big chunk of aluminum or copper running all the way through, then it could double as a structural element. Neat. :)

      Beyond all of this, the system is battery powered, so we're not looking at any "surge" at all. It's designed for 8 hours of usage at full power or a week of standby. The difference between the two says to me that they do a lot to power down hardware when it's not in use. Also, that battery alone probably weighs about 10-20kg** - although size-wise it's probably only 5-10 liters**, so it should fit fine.

      You know, the more I look at these numbers, the more I think it all pans out. You're talking a big, heavy suitcase, but nonetheless, a suitcase.

      ** - assuming 8h@250-500W@200Wh/kg@400Wh/L or comparable.

      --
      I'll never forget the last thing grandma said to me before she died: "What are you doing in here with that knife?!?"
    2. Re:Bunker-buster? by boomer_rehfield · · Score: 2

      > I am quite curious as to how they're handling cooling

      Open the suitcase lid?

      I'll see myself out.

      --
      Carpe Canem - Seize the Dog
  3. Intel E3845 Xeon processor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    What is a Intel E3845 Xeon processor?

    the closest thing I found is Intel® Atom Processor E3845 (Bay Trail)
    http://ark.intel.com/products/78475/Intel-Atom-Processor-E3845-2M-Cache-1_91-GHz

  4. I understand why they need all that power by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    they are running the latest version of systemd!

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    1. Re:I understand why they need all that power by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      they are running the latest version of systemd!

      psst. The systemd comments are getting to be right up there with the golden girls, the hostfile guy, and the cows go moo critter.

      If ya gotta do that, you should post it AC, ya know?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  5. Business in a box by unixcorn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can see many uses for this. Here in the midwest, where tornadoes are common, insurance companies often provide a business a discount if they physically harden their data centers. If one was to rebuild their infrastructure on one of these devices, and store it securely, I wonder if that would qualify?

  6. Re:How heavy? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 3, Funny

    Depends on what your definition of a "normal person" is.

  7. Re:Why would you need a mobile data center? by xtal · · Score: 2

    No reliable connectivity in many parts of the world; if you need to do processing there, you need an option, and this is it.

    Mineral extraction companies, survey companies, military operations, all sorts of industries could make use of something like this.

    --
    ..don't panic