World Cloud Box: Data center processing plant

Xu Hongzhong is convinced that the new data centers, which have been used by traditional IT companies such as Microsoft and http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/3518.html "> Internet companies like Yahoo and Google", should also impress Chinese customers

15 years later, when Tian again to Xu Hongzhong issued an invitation to start a business, Xu Hongzhong did not hesitate to accept. It was a day in Hangzhou, May 2010, when it was raining heavily, and the Tian had begun to put a little bit of cloud computing into reality, and Xu Hongzhong had already known about cloud computing, and the SaaS-related business he was working on was closely related to cloud computing.

More touched Xu Hongzhong and Tian Passion, he also clearly remember 15 years ago in Shenzhen, the first meeting with Tian feeling, "at that time, see the field always feel he is full of passion, did not think 15 years later still so," it is this emotion deeply touched the Xu Hongzhong, soon he joined the "Weaving Cloud army", has become the Beijing Tiandi Cloud Box Technology Co., Ltd. 's number one employee.

In the planning of Tian, heaven and earth Cloud box was set up to solve the cloud computing one of the most important infrastructure data center problem, a one-time investment, long construction cycle, difficult to manage the traditional data center has long been inconsistent with the development trend of cloud computing, at the same time, foreign began to rise in the modular data center model, The greatest value of this pattern is the "project product", the customer design and deployment of the data center process will be easy.

"If the cloud computing data center needs to be done in a modular way, then we are the people who provide the module," Xu Hongzhong for its own positioning is very clear, and on the other hand, such a "tangible" product will be the cloud landing a better breakthrough. In the 4 months after Xu Hongzhong joined the world's cloud box, the first "cloud box" data center landed and put into use, although the company's business has not been carried out for a long time, but has received orders, "by the end, I think we will complete the revenue target of 80 million yuan." ”

Twists”

As one of the three software parks in Beijing, the North Industrial software Park looks no different from other High-tech parks, but the data center inside and out of the container can always attract many visitors ' eyes, and it is the first "cloud box" product of the world cloud box production. This is a data center consisting of two standard containers that are positioned side-by, one with high-density servers and the other with systems that provide energy and cooling capabilities.

The idea of using containers in previously large data centers to easily address the need for considerable imagination is still beyond the imagination of many, and the creation of such a data center was pioneered by software giants such as Microsoft. When the number of Microsoft Data center servers expanded to tens of thousands of, the data center became the burden of the company, and after the industry looked for a round, the company found that it did not satisfy their plans, and decided to develop their own. After spending a team, nearly 30 million dollars, and a considerable amount of time, the container-type modular datacenter was eventually built.

In fact, as early as 2009, Tian has begun to plan to introduce modular data center models into the country, but has not found the right people and the right way, the arrival of Xu Hongzhong to a large extent accelerated the process. Tian once had two plans, he first thought is the direct invitation of the modular Data center of the research and development personnel to return to business, after the obstruction is seeking to act as agent, but because of the high cost and time-consuming and give up, "under the force of the situation," Tian determined to do it himself.

With over 20 years of experience in the computer and communications industry, as well as entrepreneurial experience, Xu Hongzhong became the most appropriate candidate for "breaking the Board". As the CEO of Heaven and earth, Xu Hongzhong from a person, with less than a year of time gradually to shape the company, soon in Beijing and Nanjing set up a research and development center in Shenzhen set up a production base, "Now we have 8 models of" Cloud Box ', in addition to different sizes of containers in the form of products, can also be customized according to customer needs. "Cloud Box" is expected to be the first customers, in addition to such as the North Industrial park such as Software Park, some companies providing cloud computing services will also take it as a service node.

New mode

Although modular data centers are a novelty for the Chinese market, Xu Hongzhong is convinced that this new data center, which has been fully embraced by traditional IT companies such as Microsoft and by large Internet companies such as Yahoo and Google, should also impress Chinese customers. In fact, this can also be seen as a reincarnation, "the data center from the mainframe to the minicomputer, and then to the server cluster, and now back to the host." To a large extent, the ' cloud Box ' is the new embodiment of the host. ”

"Just like playing furniture," Xu Hongzhong often cite such examples, "in the house before the renovation of the scene to play furniture, now is in the customer orders to get back to the factory to produce, in the delivery time and quality will have a great upgrade." "The data center is similar, before construction, there will be a construction process, and it often takes 18 months to build a cycle," Heaven and earth Cloud box to do the work is to the early stage of the construction process is also taken to the factory to complete, "to the customer hand is a" plug and Play "Data Center," It takes only 1 months to get the order started, and the slowest 6 months are built. ”

The ultimate goal of cloud computing is to reduce the cost of computing, in Xu Hongzhong view, the "cloud box" design is to reflect this idea, in fact, a standard "cloud box" cost is about 20 million yuan, and the processing capacity of the traditional data center, usually need to invest billions of dollars, and "cloud box" There is no special requirement for the environment, just like the "cloud box" of the North Industrial Software Park is placed outdoors.

However, this kind of thinking has also brought a considerable challenge to research and development, when a large number of servers in a limited space of high-density aggregation, it means that the power consumption and generate a lot of heat, so the world cloud box in the use of water-cooled technology, based on the design of a container to provide energy consumption and cooling equipment. These are still technical issues, and the problems of production and transport cannot be overlooked, for example, when the customer customized data center size is large, how to put the factory-equipped "cloud box" transport to the customer station, "so we are thinking, is not the production in Shenzhen, the assembly can be placed in the local to carry out," Xu Hongzhong said, " In addition, industrial standards will be used as far as possible to produce. ”

In the solution of "trouble" at the same time, heaven and earth Cloud box on the "cloud box" product itself is also constantly in the process of improvement, the latest products will have a significant change-all server operations in front of the board to improve the data center operational comfort. In their view, these details about the user experience are very important. Of course, the "cloud box" in the server can also be free choice for customers, but select the cloud server, "can do from the motherboard on the temperature of the server to control, depending on the level of openness of the server manufacturers", and this is the cloud base in the "synergy effect" the best embodiment.

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)