Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » data center

Seriously, What is the Cloud?

Tolga BALCI — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:40:09 +0000

The formal definition is, well “formal” and we’re inclined to think it like a definition that has been made specifically to confuse rather than explain, but we will start with it and further explain everything one by one.

Let’s see how American National Institute of Standards and Technology answers “what is the cloud” question. Here is the cloud computing definition:

“Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

This definition gives us the five characteristics of cloud computing:

Ubiquitous, convenient access,
On-demand access,
Shared pool of computing resources,
Rapid provisioning,
Measurable

Let’s make the answer to our “what is the cloud” question clearer by defining the characteristics as follows:

We have a pool of computing resources: the processor, memory, network, storage etc.,
Users of these resources can conveniently access them,
Users of these resources can access them whenever they want, and deploy them on their own,
The IT personnel can quickly deploy these resources, whether automatically as in item no. 3 or with minimal effort,
Both the IT personnel and the users can meter their usage.

The underlying concept of all these is the abstraction of the applications from the underlying hardware.

Let’s stop and think for a moment: everyday we access tens or maybe hundreds of websites on the Internet. We just type an address and hit Enter, and we’re done. We do not, just for once, think about whether the website is hosted on an IBM/HP/Dell server, or whether the website is hosted on a physical/virtual server, or whether the website is hosted on a Windows/Linux/BSD platform, or whether the server uses an SAN/DAS/NAS as its storage. It’s just this point that the website – or the application – that matters. It is abstracted from the underlying hardware: we don’t care about anything as long as we can reach the the website.

Let’s dig a little bit more with the website: the underlying hardware is a pool of computing resources: the network that you access the hosting company, the webhost’s switches, network cables, servers (which are made up of CPUs, memories, ethernet adapters, mainboards), load-balancers are pooled, provisioned, deployed and managed by the IT staff. And that website we just visited? It is running on just a portion of these resources. It’s not uncommon for the webhosts to host tens of thousands of websites in a datacenter. And what do we do as the users? We access them whenever we want from our desktops/notebooks/tablets/mobile phones.

From the users’ perspective, the application is there -no matter if the application is a website, an e-mail application, a photo editor or an online radio and he does not care how and where it runs as long as he accesses it whenever he wants from whichever device he chooses.

Just take this idea and extend it further in your company: now you can provision a server for your department in a couple of minutes, ready with the software of your choice:

Things getting slow? Need one more server? Up and running in a couple of minutes!
How does the IT guy do it so fast? Basically, he just approves your request, the system provisions the server in the background and returns you the IP address and the hostname.
How will your department be charged? The usage metering and reporting is transparent and already there: no surprise expenses in your department budget!

Yes, this is the cloud.

This is the transformed IT infrastructure that enables you to receive it as a service and you do not care what is running in the background. You do not care about the IT staff’s downtime, you do not have to think about the server upgrade budget, you do not have to bother about the peaking demand for your servers in certain times of the year. You just want to come to work, sit down at your desk and mind your own business, not IT’s confusing, tecchy business.

What is the cloud? Welcome to the cloud.

References:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf
Featured Image, Wikimedia, Creative Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cloud_applications.jpg

Common Web Hosting Terms And What They Mean

Art — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:08:27 +0000

If you’re new to the world of web hosting, you may find yourself swamped with endless lists of terminology that sound like Greek to your fresh ears. Website hosting, like any other tech industry, comes with its own unique retinue of words, many of which aren’t necessarily self-explanatory. However, that doesn’t mean most of them can’t be explained in a few short sentences.

To help ease you into the modern trends of web hosting, we’ve compiled a handy list of the most common terms in the business. We’ll do our best to explain them, but if you find yourself befuddled after we’ve done our best, don’t hesitate to hit up Google: There are plenty of more complex definitions out there, and we won’t blame you for skipping our more generalized information.

We’re ready if you are, Astronaut, so buckle up and get ready for blast-off! Here we go, Major Tom:

Domain Namee: A domain name is the exact URL title of the site you’re looking to host. For example, Google’s domain name is www.Google.com. There are two parts to the domain name, that being the name itself, as well as the .com address. This doesn’t have to be .com (There are lots of other options, including .us, .org, .edu, etc.) but you need both to have a domain name.

Nameserver: If a domain is your address on the Web, nameservers are the phonebooks. Once you’ve registered a domain name, it’s these server banks that log your registration and “agree” that you’ve locked down that space. This usually takes a while, but once it’s done, it’s like your domain has been etched into the pavement concrete of the World Wide Web.

Technical Support: This one is a bit more explicit, but it might still need some clarification. Tech support is the organization you call when something within your server has gone wrong. The body you dial will be different depending on which operating system you’re using, but you’ll still have to ring these gurus, no matter who or where they are. Server tech support is no different than tech support for your credit card or computer: It’s just tailored specifically to your hosting experience.Some host companies offer professional US based technical support services.

Data Center: This is where the physical servers are actually stored. This is the building where all of your files are stored on a block of memory in a case. In essence, it’s the warehouse where your server is treated like a piece of cargo locked into a crate.

Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back

Art — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:44:48 +0000

Hurricane Irene didn’t quite wallop the NY area like a lot of people expected, although it certainly was no drizzle: there were a number of area deaths, and some extensive damage done in some lower-spotlight areas like Vermont. It appears that the web hosting world weathered the storm generally unscathed. While it’s usually the bad news that we learn most from, there are some things that we can take from this event as well.

Your best defense: preparation

You can’t be prepared for everything: as a reminder, a week before Irene the east coast was hit with a rare earthquake. But most events can be forecast, and that leaves the responsible web host with the time to prepare.

In this case, your best preparation is your people. Make sure that your data center work schedule is well covered, and also make sure that there are a few veterans in the mix. Not only will they have the best technical expertise to handle any sudden problems that surface, but they will be the best at keeping the younger employees focused and calm should things really get bad. You will also want to make sure that you have enough employees to stay in constant communication with concerned (or in some cases, far over-panicked) users.

Make sure as well that everyone is aware of the fact that the storm may force them to stay way longer than normal, and they should have food and other preparations set. An older worker is also good to have for these situations, to keep the office from turning too much into a slumber party.

Dual-location: taking advantage of the internet’s original strength

The internet was originally a military creation. The idea was to make an information and communications network that could survive a nuclear attack. It seems ironic, then, that the web hosting world is only now starting to take the best advantage of this strength through the use of multiple, spread out data centers.

If you are one of the hosts considering going this route, then now that you’re thinking along these lines, it’s important to consider something that you might have thought originally was irrelevant to the web: location. Some places are simply more geologically safe than others. Any second data center should take this into account, and should focus its construction on preparing for the most common types of harsh weather for that area.

For example, with InMotion Hosting you can choose your data center location. Moreover, InMotion Hosting’s exclusive Speed Zone technology helps keep your website and email fast by locating your data as close to you as possible. Check InMotion reviews if you’re thinking about switching web hosting providers, the company really stands out from the crowd.

Communication with customers

Lastly, communicate with your customers at all times, no matter how bad it gets. Start by issuing warnings ahead of time. You may scoff at this because of the early paranoid set that will send you end-of-the-world pleas about their web site. Deal with it: by paying this small price, you gain confidence with your entire customer base. They can see that you are working on problems before they start, and that you are not afraid to tell them the truth: that some things, like Mother Nature, are simply out of our control.

Hurricane Irene was a good test. It should be used by the responsible web host to reassess their procedures to make sure that they are ready for the next big one. To quote one famous sci-fi heroine: “If not boom today, boom tomorrow. There’s always boom tomorrow.”

Understanding Colocation Hosting

Art — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:00:06 +0000

Colocation hosting is a form of web hosting service with some unique features that differentiate it from the standard services found within a large variety of web hosting plans. Generally, a web hosting service provides you with all the necessary resources for setting up and maintaining your web sites. This includes a shared access account to the servers of the web host and the software applications they offer.

Shared web hosting plans are ideal for small websites and flourishing web businesses. However, things undergo a drastic change of scale when it comes to bigger and better companies and websites. These require their own dedicated servers to handle all the strain of the website. Normally, a web hosting service does not quite fit the bill for these companies. So what does? It is collocation hosting that comes to the rescue and here’s how.

The Definition

Colocation hosting is a modified web hosting service where the client uses its own server and lugs it down to the data center of a web host where all the care and maintenance activities are handled by the serving web host. The idea behind using such a service is to be able to use a self owned server custom configured according to the needs and supplement it with the rented resources of a sophisticated data center where all the environmental and Internet connection activities are carried out by the web hosting company.

Benefits Of Colocation Hosting

Programmers and website developers prefer to have the standard activities of website hosting assigned to a service provider and like to have considerable breathing space in terms of the software and hardware capabilities of the server that powers the website. Colocaton hosting is the ideal service to achieve these ends. The control you have over the content and services you can render to your clients through your websites running on a collocation web hosting system is simply amazing.

You know your objectives of creating a website precisely, and might not find a hosting plan that caters to all your needs. A collocation hosting plan allows you to set the hardware and software configuration of your server and thus allows you to enjoy a great deal of flexibility in working with the server. As you concentrate on creating a website that serves your customers, your web hosting service provider takes care of the server’s environment and power supply needs. The responsibility of the upkeep of the server, however, rests with you.

Pioneering Cloud and Colocation Facility Opens

Art — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:45:09 +0000

Industry-leading cloud and colocation services company ScaleMatrix recently announced the opening of their pioneering flagship data center. The building was constructed specifically for the purpose of hosting services and boasts 50,000 sq. ft. The facility will house cutting-edge cloud hosting technology and highly efficient colocation space.

Statement from the CEO

In a recent statement by the CEO of ScaleMatrix, he said that the newly constructed facility leverages modern data center hardware to create a highly efficient location, whereas, most competitors operate from facilities that are at least a decade old. Therefore, ScaleMatrix creates a new industry standard with regards to density and overall efficiency.

Facility Characteristics

The facility features innovations in thermal management and cabinet design to create the most efficient, highest density data center location in the region. These attributes allow customers to maximize their hosting investment while minimizing their environmental impact.

Economic and Environmental Impact

The opening of this facility creates two impacts on the surrounding area. The first is from an economic point-of-view as San Diego’s technology sector will benefit from the several hundred new jobs created as well as the capacity requirements. Environmentally, ScaleMatrix’s data center will decrease the requirement for construction of corporate hosting facilities which tend to be much less efficient and have a much higher impact on the environment.

San Diego a Prime Location

The decision to select San Diego as the location for the data center can be attributed to the thriving information technology community and three native San Diegans in high places within the organization. This allows the company to feature best-in-class efficiency while creating new jobs for the region.

Preparing for Future Growth

Cloud computing is currently the fastest growing technology sector. Therefore, ScaleMatrix is positioning itself to rapidly grow through the customization of cost-effective and efficient solutions for a fast marketplace. These data centers are engineered to support scalability and expansion requirements which are the basis of cloud computing technology.

ScaleMatrix Company Information

As an industry-leading Private Cloud Solutions Provider (PCSP), ScaleMatrix has expertise with colocation and dedicated server hosting. Founded as an effort to design, deploy and manage the best private cloud and dedicated hosting technology, ScaleMatrix services a variety of customers from small start-up companies to Fortune 500 organizations.

The new data center confirms their position as one of the leading cloud hosting providers in the industry. The new facility was built to optimize all equipment from an environmental and storage aspect. Hopefully this will entice many new customers to the hosting provider.

Data Centers Still Running Following East Coast Earthquake

Art — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:41:00 +0000

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake began in Virginia and shook the entire east coast on Tuesday, August 23^rd around 2pm. Despite the shaking and aftershocks, most data centers have reported to be operational according to Twitter. Most web hosting providers and data center operators post status updates via the social networking service.

Data Center Preparedness

Buildings in Boston, Washington, New York City and Philadelphia were evacuated immediately following the earthquake. Also, a Virginia-based nuclear power plant initially lost power but continues to operate on reserves. This large quake (by east coast standards) has brought an interesting question to the table, how should data centers equip themselves to manage natural disasters?

HostGator Slow Speeds

Earthquakes can occur at any time in almost any region regardless of the location of a data center facility. Therefore it is critical for data centers to be prepared for every natural disaster imaginable. Following the quake, it was reported that the data center for HostGator experienced disruptions which resulted in slower-than-normal connection speeds.

Other Data Center Reports

Also, Hosting.com reported that it felt the earthquake at its location in D.C. but all equipment is online and functional. Additionally, another hosting provider, PEER 1, tweeted that the data center had not been affected by the earthquake. Furthermore, ServInt, Carpathia Hosting and ICANN tweeted that their services were functioning the same as prior to the quake and all employees are unharmed and accounted for.

In another tweet from Windows and Android phone development community XDA Developers, they stated that their systems could be slow for several hours as a result of the earthquake but several data centers would be shut down. However, the company did not specify which data centers went offline. Additionally, PAETEC, Contact Solutions, Razor Serves and Amazon Virginia also announced that they continue to be operational.

Data Centers Operational

Like all earthquakes this was an unexpected hit against the Eastern portion of the United States. Luckily no major damage or injuries were reported. The ground simply rumbled for several seconds and then stopped. Once evacuations were cleared, business continued in major cities and remained operational.

This natural disaster proves that data center across the east coast are ready for anything Mother Nature throws at them. With upcoming Hurricane Irene in the next several days, the data centers across the east coast will certainly have another chance to prove their durability and preparedness.

Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin

Art — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:42:43 +0000

Colocation web hosting provider Data Foundry recently opened its newest data center in Austin, Texas. The company claims the facility is the first “purpose-built, carrier-neutral data center in the Central Texas region.” Preparations for the opening of the new data center began in May 2011 when the company held a large job fair in Austin to hire talented employees for the new location.

Location of the Data Center

The data center is located on a 40-acre data ranch campus in Austin. The opening is the initial phase of the 250,000 square foot facility which is fully functional. Despite the recent opening, the first customers have already begun to move in. Data Foundry currently operates two other carrier-neutral data centers in the state. The first is the ADC which is also located in Austin. The second is the HDC in Houston.

Texas 1 Specifications

Aptly named, “Texas 1”, the infrastructure boasts a diversity of independent power sources, water and network connections with no single points of failure in its cool, power and network systems. The location’s power system is maintained by two independent substations. Also, there is an unground power connection that is enclosed in a concrete duct. This is an extremely rare feature at colocation facilities.

Cooling Solutions

The water system is chilled allowing for flexible cooling solutions which include high-density configurations and single cabinet deployments. Therefore, the most complicated, high performing computing environments can be effectively cooled by the Texas 1 data center. Furthermore, the location boasts over 17 network carriers so customers have a choice between providers.

Announcement from Data Foundry

According to representatives from the Data Foundry implementation team, Texas 1 is the result of 17 years of experience in the operation of data centers. Throughout those years, the team has toured many facilities across the globe which has led to the creation of the Texas 1 data center. These visions will allow the company to compete on a global level. The facility provides an innovative design with flexibility which will benefit customers for many years.

The amount of planning that went into the design, development and opening of the data center is incredible. The company is even offering a full online tour of Texas 1 so customers can view the incredibleness of the location. No detail was missed so customers have complete security and control over their equipment in this high-tech colocation facility.

Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers

Art — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:51:41 +0000

Based out of Ecuador, telecommunications company Telconet recently announced its plan to build two new data centers for technology services. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in September 2011. The company currently boasts one data center in Quito and one in Guayaquil, both are in Ecuador. There is currently a growing demand for available sites for business hosting services and the housing of services.

Three Options

The new location will be a colocation facility with low, medium and high-density options. The facility will also play host to physical servers, server virtualization, networking, virtual storage and processing. The company is attempting to cater to clients attempting to post applications in a private or public cloud. Due to the popularity of cloud hosting, Telconet must offering the service to remain competitive with other hosting providers.

Basics Specifications of the New Data Centers

Additionally, the new data centers will be specifically designed to meet Standard 942-2 TIA. Also, the Uptime Institute will provide Tier ratings of the facilities. Tier ratings are an industry measurement of different aspects of the center. Furthermore, each location will feature 1500 square meters of floor space, all of which will be dedicated to computing. The Quito location will be a Tier III with 180 racks. The Guayaquil facility will be Tier IV and feature 400 racks.

Equipment Providers

GE, Schneider Electric APC and Cisco will be a few of the many providers of equipment which will all be interconnected by a fiber optic network with a maximum transfer rate of 20 Gbps. This speed will certainly enhance available backup options.

External Connections to the World

Each data center will be externally connected to Ecuador and the rest of the world through NAP of the Americas high speed connections which is based out of Miami, Florida. Additional connections will be made through Cloud Latin or Cloud Latin American Internet Peering Group which connects Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

The Growing Demand for Internet Services

With more individuals accessing the Internet on a daily basis, the demand for web hosting services continues to grow. In emerging markets such as South America and China, Internet connectivity is growing a rapid pace. Therefore, website creation and access to websites is also expanding. With the construction of these two new data centers in Ecuador, all South American customers will benefit from the technology.

Ascent to Partner with Comcast

Art — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:37:22 +0000

Colocation web hosting provider recently announced it has partnered with industry-leading telecommunications company Comcast Business Services. The partnership will allow both companies to have access to Ascent’s data center in Pittsburgh through Comcast’s fiber optic network. The partnership will grant customers access to colocation, virtualization and managed hosting as well as disaster recovery and business continuity.

Data Center Specifications

The data center is a 20,000 square foot, SAS Type II certified facility located in RIDC Park, O’Hara Township; approximately 12 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The combination of services between the two companies is a response to the growing demand for cloud hosting services. Both companies are hoping the partnership will offer small and mid-sized businesses with the resources to improve data security and information technology through a point-to-point connection.

Growing Success of Both Companies

Comcast is excited about the collaboration as it will help to continue driving success for both companies through a dedicated Metro Ethernet bandwidth that provides a secure and scalable solution to meet customer’s expanding bandwidth demands. The pairing of services also bring Comcast’s fiber-optic based network together with Ascent’s secure data center to provide customers with quality, performance, robust solutions and exceptional value.

Ascent Company Information

As the leading provider of data center services in the Pittsburgh area, Ascent offers a variety of services including managed, colocation, server virtualization, data security, cloud hosting and business continuity. All customer information and applications are protected by their state-of-the-art data center. Applications and infrastructure is outsources to third-parties which significantly improves operational efficiencies and decreases business risk.

Comcast Business Services Company Information

Comcast Business Services is the leading provider of business-grade Ethernet, video solutions, phone and internet for all types of customers. The voice and data plans come packed with features developed to assist the continued growth of businesses. Comcast’s Metro Ethernet features a 40 gigabit fiber-optic backbone, the largest in the nation. Packaged with the Ethernet is reliable, around the clock support resulting in a robust, scalable solution for organizations of all types.

Ascent Data and Comcast Business Services are leading service providers in their respective industries and regions. Therefore, the partnership between the two organizations should result in a major increase in new customers for both parties. As Comcast continues to expand its services into other industries, the company is continually improving its products and services provide for to a wider audience.

Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million

Art — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:00:31 +0000

Latisys is the leasing provider of colocation, managed hosting and services and disaster recovery solutions in the United States. The company recently announced a major expansion effort to its credit facility from $110 million to $125 million. The expansion was reflected by strong support for future company growth and the implementation of state-of-the-art data center locations across the United States.

Expanding Efforts with the Extra Credit

The new funds will be utilized for supporting customer growth and expanding capacity at Latisys’ 123,000 square foot data center campus in Northern Virginia. At the beginning of 2011, the firm added 14 megawatts of power and expanding the floor space at the facility by 26,000 square feet. At the same time, Latisys announced a new data center that was optimized to meet the growing demand for high-density space, power and cooling.

Other Recent Expansions

Since then, Latisys has strategically improved its overall operations by acquiring and expanding current facilities while investing in resources toward improving the managed hosting arm of the company. Additionally, the enterprise has expanded its cloud computing capabilities. By increasing the credit facility, Latisys is able to take advantage of the many business opportunities in the Greater Washington, D.C. area and other large markets.

Source of the Credit Facility

The $125 million credit facility is primarily funded by an existing group of eight financial institutions including, RBC Capital Markets, Bank of America, CapitalSource, GE Capital, Caterpillar Financial Services, TD Securities, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Madison Capital Funding.

Current Facilities

Latisys currently boasts state-of-the-art data centers in Northern Virginia, Denver, Chicago and Irvine, California resulting in coverage across all U.S. time zones. This allows for unmatched scalability and multi-site redundancy for all information technology infrastructure demands, setting them far ahead of the competition.

Information about Latisys

Latisys provides managed hosting and services, colocation hosting and disaster recovery solutions to government agencies, enterprises and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 1994, Latisys has been serving customers utilizing multiple high-density SAS70 Type II data centers across the United States. The company continues to offer its popular scalable outsourced IT infrastructure management solutions providing everything a customer could need.

Latisys is a major player in the web hosting industry boasting some of the most hi-tech facilities and best managed solutions. With this credit facility expansion, the company will be able to further its presence and continue to have a commanding edge over the competition.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » data center

Seriously, What is the Cloud?

Related posts:

Common Web Hosting Terms And What They Mean

Related posts:

Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back

Related posts:

Understanding Colocation Hosting

Related posts:

Pioneering Cloud and Colocation Facility Opens

Related posts:

Data Centers Still Running Following East Coast Earthquake

Related posts:

Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin

Related posts:

Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers

Related posts:

Ascent to Partner with Comcast

Related posts:

Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million

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