Re: an over-the-top data center

[Lyndon Nerenberg <lyndon () orthanc ca>]

On 1-Dec-08, at 10:27 AM, Danny McPherson wrote:

> On a related noted, some have professed that adapting old
> ships into data centers would provide eco-friendly secure
> data center solutions.

Your data connection to shore is going to be tenuous at best. One good  
blow strong enough to make you drag anchor and you kiss goodbye your  
fibre trunk connection. Putting that back in service is a bit more  
than a four hour splice job.

An alternative would be to run a microwave link to shore, but I'm not  
sure I would want to bet the farm on the mechanics necessary to keep  
the dish aligned.

And what do you do when it's time to haul out and paint the bottom?!?

Then there is the matter of power. It wouldn't be very hard to DOS the  
entire operation by taking out the fuel barges.

I suppose you could permanently tie up to a pier, but at that point  
you're just a building with a leaky basement. I don't see how anyone  
could claim this is more secure than a purpose-built data centre. (And  
even at anchor, how do you stop someone from taking you out with  
something as simple as a drill?)

--lyndon (mailing via Wimax from S/V Bandido I, at the dock in  
Vancouver :-)