Microsoft data centers: Beyond the container (images)
With the latest iteration of its data center design, Microsoft has created self-contained units that can be pre-built and shipped anywhere in the world.
Getting a gander
Microsoft showed a Windows Azure unit based on the fourth-generation design at November's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
This latest design expands on the notion of plugging in a containerful of servers by also integrating power and cooling into the unit.
A versatile design
The fourth-generation units are newer even than the containers found at Microsoft's recently opened Chicago data center, which CNET toured earlier this year. This one is about half as long as the containers in Chicago and holds hundreds rather than thousands of servers.
Inside the unit
It's the cloud, baby
Different sizes
The units could house anywhere from 400 to 2,500 servers and draw 200 kilowatts to 600 kilowatts of power, depending on the number of servers and the mix between compute and storage.