Hosts Discuss Buying, Building, Cleaning

By Jay Lyman

March 31, 2005 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Information for those looking to lease, buy, build and deal with dust in data centers highlighted the latest hosting forums, as individuals posted their expectations and experience with the space necessary for larger operations.
 
A recent data center discussion on Web Hosting Talk (webhostingtalk.com)  began with a question about suburban business parks featuring fiber connectivity. The post was originally answered by someone advising a look at area overlays showing fiber routes and added the importance of considering power connectivity.

The discussion, which was centered on the Atlanta, Georgia data center market, also included some discussion of the advantage of being outside the city. But some recommended an urban data center, where overall connectivity and redundancy may be better.
 
Another respondent stressed the ability to purchase unbundled dark fiber or high-speed optical wave service to downtown carrier hotels in redundant fashion.

"This won't be the least expensive option from the start, but you can probably find a location with a range of carrier products available," the poster said. "There's no sense in paying steep fees for GE/OC48 SON service if you can lease some fiber and light it yourself."
 
"You don't necessarily need 'lots' of connectivity. You just need a facilities-based vendor in the building who is willing to sell you dark fiber as your needs grow," the same poster added later.
 
While another poster indicated rent and loop charges made a downtown location more attractive for his organization, another reiterated the point about proximity and access to dark fiber.
 
"Sounds like your situation is a perfect example of why you shouldn't build someplace where you can't lease dark fiber (or cheap high-speed waves) to a carrier hotel for a reasonable rate," the poster wrote. "Paying for SON / Ethernet transport products is often an alright way to start out, but it will get expensive as you continue to add capacity."
 
A similar debate broke out at HostingDiscussion (hostingdiscussion.com) over what should go into the building of a brand new data center. The original poster conceded he was not embarking on the large investment, but asked anyway what the basic components would be. The ensuing discussion included an informative post that ranked multiple power feeds from two different grids, easy access to multiple Internet backbones, low water table to go below ground level, fuel capacity, fire suppression, and security as among the most important factors. The post also called for contracts with power and generator providers and similar relationships on heating and cooling.
 
"Only after all the basic infrastructure is taken care of can you venture down to the bunker and equip it," the post said. "Raised floors, surplus cooling capacity including chilled water, secured racks and rooms for those clients needing it. And of course multiple and redundant fiber links to multiple carriers with load balancing/fail-over capabilities. Once you have those basic needs taken care of you can get to work on the rest of the stuff."
 
The poster added that the elaborate requirements are what drive many hosting and other businesses to lease space and colocate, despite the ability to sometimes "get a good deal on an existing facility."
 
In the same vain, other posts indicated a consultant who had been through the process might be the simplest and best way to go about building the perfect data center.
 
An interesting post at DataCenterTalk (datacentertalk.com), regarding the search for the best data center already standing, has been winning praise since it was made last year, with respondents saying the advice from SiteSouth proved to be a solid resource for those in the market.
 
The post, titled "How to Choose a Datacenter - Part I," highlighted building security -- stressing that tech personnel are not best suited to physically guard the data center -- as well as a power system feeding from two grids with multiple entry points. Other important items, according to SiteSouth: Automatic Transfer Switch such as Caterpillar, ASCO, MGE and Hubble; tested generators and fuel storage; individual PDUs for each cabinet, such as Liebert, MGE and Powerlink; and dedicated power monitoring system.
 
Once an organization is set up in a data center, one of its biggest issues can be dust, the topic of another discussion recently at HostHideout (hosthideout.com).
 
The talk was started by a question from a Chinese data center admin who was struggling with dust control, despite filtering. The poster sought help addressing the dust or hiring a cleaning service without impacting production servers, and Web hosts responded with a variety of digital Martha Stewart solutions.
 
The first advice was to take another look at the climate system and filtering, with one respondent indicating, "Nine times out of 10, there will be other filtering options rather than just replacing the filter in your AC unit. I'd suggest getting some sort of industrial air purifier."
 
Another poster called dust control a "heavy task," particularly in regions that may be dry or dusty. The post recommended isolation of production rooms to avoid dust from the outside world. "We don't take fresh air from the outside -- just simply cycle the air that is inside the rooms. We add some filters inside the data rooms to get any particle of dust."
 
The post also advised taking equipment to be cleaned out of the production environment and a clean-entry access for people and equipment. Lastly, the post said all new equipment has to pass an "environmental check" to ensure it is not carrying dust into the data center.
 
Another post expanded on the clean entry, indicating his organization uses filters and "some sort of sticky door mat" to prevent dirt from coming into the DC. Adding in vacuum cleaning every six months made the approach effective, according to the post. "So far, this works pretty good."
 
While another poster indicated positive air pressure in the machine room would help push away dust, the final thought of the thread is more simple: "Cans of air are your best friend," it said.