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back to article Dell airdrops military-grade data-centre-in-a-crate

You need to compute everywhere and anywhere in this world these days, and thankfully you can always get some iron on the end of a cable to crunch the numbers. Unfortunately, connecting into a central data centre is sometimes not only difficult but undesirable for security reasons. That's when you go for what Dell is calling …

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  1. Uncle Siggy
    Mushroom

    A total Dell solution

    At last Dell are shipping their gear with honesty in advertising in mind: a dumpster.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A total Dell solution

      True, military target practice does seem to be a good use for Dell's plastic boxes.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A total Dell solution

      Actually to me, it looked more like a port-a-loo.

      Probably not far from the truth either.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing new here

    I've seen short message service centres and voice mail systems deployed to Iraq in a similar manner (this was soon after the US and it's Coalition of The Willing had "won"). Get it to site (never bothered to ask if site was in the Green Zone), supply power, IP and telecoms network connectivity (back before telecoms was all done over IP) and you're pretty much up and running (subject to various bits and bobs that could be hard before telecoms went all IP).

    Still, it's a good idea for high risk environments and military isn't the only application for something like this.

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    1. Jim Carter
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Re: Nothing new here

      Something like this would work brilliantly for music festivals. You could run all the financials through it, update the website whilst in the middle of a field, everything.

      /Memories of smartphone, laptop and a small petrol genny...

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    2. Uncle Siggy
      Reply Icon

      Re: Nothing new here

      When I was in the US Army back around 1985, I was deployed to Germany on a small radio station. We would move our entire gig on the back of a truck with generator in a small hitched trailer to different location. As much a data center as anything else. Fairly mobile too.

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  3. Anomalous Cowturd
    Stop

    @ Jim Carter.

    Music festivals are for enjoying the music and atmosphere, not updating your website from a field.

    /Memories of being at quite a few festivals. Vague, drug and drink related, mostly.

    Eeee, when I were a lad. etc. etc

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    1. Jim Carter
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: @ Jim Carter.

      Nah mate, I was the IT guy for the festival. Well, I was until I was too drunk to see the keyboard.

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  4. Craig Vaughton
    Black Helicopters

    Not for UK Forces

    No good for any of the UK armed forces, doesn't fit in the back of a Land Rover. We might have one of those spare, if we can find a driver who's not been seconded to somewhere G4S haven't screwed up!

    Black helicopters - we've probably scrapped those too!

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  5. Liam O'Hagan

    ...data centre that "blended in" ... would not be a target)

    Surely some thermal imaging optics would let you target the one that glows in the dark?

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    1. Quinch
      Reply Icon
      Mushroom

      Re: ...data centre that "blended in" ... would not be a target)

      I think the merkins have a standing policy of not fighting anyone who can afford post-cold-war equipment.

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    2. Dave 62
      Reply Icon

      Re: ...data centre that "blended in" ... would not be a target)

      Won't all the refrigerated ones give off heat (stick your hand at the back of your fridge) so that'll include the beer and food containers. I'd aim for the one with fibre plugged into it.

      As for you "hurr dell suxx" lot, grow up.

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  6. Alan Brown Silver badge

    seriously old idea.

    I was deploying cellular stations in shipping containers 25 years ago and _they_ were an adaptation of rapid deployment data centres being used around 1980-81 in varous parts of the world.

    Admittedly they were 50 foot containers, not the stubbies in the story, but they had a lot more racks in 'em.

    (Not to mention the logistics of planting 50 foot containers on hilltops, camoulflaging them enough that casual twonks wouldn't notice/poke at them and providing power/network connectivity to 'em.)

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who are the Dell fanbois (if that exists)?

    Dellapart jokes are run of the mill stuff. You know, because they have never produce a single seminal or innovative product in the history of their company. They started as an IBM knock off manufacturer, nothing has changed. From the down votes, some people really hate to see Dell's reputation besmirched. What is the argument in favor of Dell as anything more than a bootleg manufacturer? Down vote away, Dell Streak fans.

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