A Skeptical Look at Containers

The "data center in a box" approach to container computing has been controversial from the start. The merits and drawbacks of packing servers into shipping containers have been vigorously debated from day one (see Sun's Blackbox: Game Changer or Niche Product? from October 2006). Some of the industry's largest players are embracing the concept, especially Microsoft (MSFT).

But the skeptics remain many, and their critiques are summarized by ComputerWorld, which outlines six reasons containers won't work. Eric Lai interviewed data center professionals and consultants, and reports that they "were individually impressed with some parts of Microsoft's plan, (but) also expressed skepticism that the idea will work in the long term."

Here are the weaknesses in the container model cited in the ComputerWorld article:

None of these issues are new, and Microsoft says it is aware of the challenges that accompany the "container farm" approach. "Half of the people say this is the greatest thing they'd ever heard. The other half say this will never work inside a data center," Manos told ComputerWorld. "But the fact of the matter is that this does work."