Oracle Launches 'Private Cloud' Box

aesoteric writes "Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison has used the keynote of Oracle OpenWorld to launch the 'Exalogic Elastic Compute Cloud' — an appliance combining server and storage hardware with a pre-tuned web server, hypervisor and other middleware. Introducing the product as 'a honking big cloud in a box,' Ellison shifted from his previous criticism of the terms 'cloud computing' and 'private cloud' by using the exact same terms to sell a physical appliance." Oracle also took the wraps off Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Oracle Linux, which is based on the 2.6.32 Linux kernel.

Huh?

[iONiUM]

A big cloud in a box? Like, a mainframe? From the 70s/80s?

I think I misunderstand this whole cloud thing, because to me it just seems like going back to what we had years ago..

Re:Huh?

[qwertphobia]

But it's buzzword compliant, that's the hook. Just like virtual desktops (thin clients, dumb terminals?) virtual servers (LPARs?) the list goes on. If it's not reinvented and packaged in a new marketing term it won't make the big boys any money.

"private cloud" box is kind of an oxymoron

[viking80]

a "private cloud" in a box is kind of an oxymoron. Not that I am a particular fan of marketspeak like "cloud computing". But the idea at least is that you can access computer resources without really knowing where they are, and scale your needs many orders of magnitude without worrying about floor space, air conditioners and lightbulbs.

Re:Huh?

[ducomputergeek]

I've said the same thing. As far as I can tell, all this "cloud" computing is really just timeshare 2.0. The only major difference is that instead of having 1 big box, you have a bunch of smaller boxes mounted in a cabinet.

Re:Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

"A big cloud in a box? Like, a mainframe? From the 70s/80s?"

You're absolutely right. This is vendors abusing technical terms. This is not a "cloud" in any meaningful sense of the word -- it doesn't automatically groaw and shrink capacity to meet your needs. It's not distributed. It's not *anything* that is "cloud".

Pure marketing drivel, nothing more. I've seen several tech sites complaining about how vendors are trying to sell a "cloud in a box", and how that has nothing to do with the definition of cloud computing. Never let your vendor re-define terms that everone else is already using. Especially, not Oracle.

Re:"private cloud" box is kind of an oxymoron

[Anonymous Coward]

a "private cloud" in a box is kind of an oxymoron. Not that I am a particular fan of marketspeak like "cloud computing". But the idea at least is that you can access computer resources without really knowing where they are, and scale your needs many orders of magnitude without worrying about floor space, air conditioners and lightbulbs.

I work as an enterprise architect in a company that has a very large IT setup and I know that its exactly terms like "private cloud in a box" that sells to the CIO/CxOs. They are usually oblivious to the effort taken to implement such products on the floor.