I posted earlier on the cloud container at PDC09. I wanted to add a few more pictures that I took of this awesome hardware.

The Front

Notice the slotted panels: this is where air comes in through the water-drip cooling filter.

The Back

Air is pushed out the top of the container. Not sure if these glass panels are just for the show piece or if they exist in all the containers.

Inside

In this version, you can actually walk inside the unit in order to do maintenance. You can see the filter panels (left). You can also see the environment monitoring units hanging from the racks.

Microsoft dropped a cloud container to the PDC. This thing is awesome in its size and scope. A couple cool facts:

1. It is designed to run outside … even in extreme heat. You drop it into a secured area next to a cheap power source and let it go. No need to house it in a building or data center.
2. It is water cooled. No air-conditioning … just a water drip.
3. You can walk inside it to change filters, drives, etc. I have a picture of me inside it (pulling a drive) that did not turn out (thanks Lars) … will try and shoot another one.
4. It takes one guy about 4 days to build out the container itself. Very nice process (need to find the video on that).

A picture of me next to the container (back side) … this thing was running (not too loud):