The Data Center: Alive and Well
May 24, 2007 by The Planet Staff in Data Centers
Managing operations in a data center can be pretty stressful, so one of my favorite ways to relax is reading scientific literature. I know it doesn’t sound like a very riveting hobby, but I’m rarely happier than when I have a copy of New Scientist or Scientific American in my hands. I consume the material with a voraciousness that might cause some to question my sanity. Mental health aside, I was reading an interesting article in Discover this month that provided one of those really great “ah ha” moments that related to The Planet’s data centers. Or more intimately, the place where your server lives.
The article covered some math that had been performed to determine the true, actual weight of the data that makes up the Internet. Starting with the weight of a single electron (2 x 10^-30 pound), the author broke down the number of electrons required to charge a single capacitor (the charge equaling a “1” in binary) in a computer’s memory (40,000), assuming a roughly 50 – 50 split on 1’s and 0’s in a typical 50 kilobyte e-mail. The resulting sum can then be used to determine an electron count per message (8 billion), landing us at a weight for a single e-mail of two ten-thousandths of a quadrillionth of an ounce. Now extrapolate that math across the whole of all Internet traffic; all the e-mail, Web pages, music, videos, instant messages and everything else we all contribute to the Internet. Data-wise you arrive at a mind-blowing 40 Petabyte number. However, that 40 Petabytes only equates to a weight of 1.3 x 10^-8 pound. That’s right … in real-world terms, all that data equals the weight of the smallest possible grain of sand, one measuring only two-thousandths of an inch across.
It’s pretty bewildering to think that all the effort and energy we contribute to this industry equates to such an infinitesimal true weight. Pondering that breakdown about the Internet, my thoughts drifted to another possible dissection: the data center. However, I wasn’t thinking in terms of the sub-atomic, but rather of the cellular. Let’s move from physics to biology.
Data centers are huge installations with myriad of moving parts that work to keep your server online and operational. So much so that you could liken the whole amalgamation to a living, breathing entity. Breaking down those parts to a cellular level proves to be an interesting exercise.
All organisms need sustenance, just as the data center needs AC power to survive. Think of the servers as cells in a body, varied infinitely, and specialized in both form and function. Striated muscle or peptidergic neural cells … MySQL database back-end or Battlefield 1942 server, the variations are vast. Communication is achieved via neurons arranged in a systemic network, just as the data center’s network interconnects dedicated servers to each other and to the outside world. Organelles that give metabolic function to a cell are comparable to RAM, hard drives and RAID cards, all of which are vital working parts of your server. You can even think of The Planet’s network security technicians as white blood cells fighting infection, and our DC technicians like powerful enzymes performing repairs on the cells. I guess you could refer to a RAM change out as an “organelle swap.”
But as anyone knows, the most important piece of any entity is its DNA: the core code that provides instruction, design and ultimately life to the organism. Paralleling that vital piece of the organism, a data center has DNA as well, which comes in the form of our customers. Without customers providing pattern and direction, the data center remains a nebulous blob of power, wiring and equipment without purpose or consciousness. But infused with our customers’ DNA, the data center springs to life, demonstrating utility and structure, ambition and organization.
So the next time that you are sweating a data migration or pushing code changes, stop to think about the part you play in this grand scheme and the amazing interrelation you have with this “data center organism.” But if that proves to be a bit too mind-expanding, then you can revert that tiny grain of sand that makes up all the information on the Internet. Large or small, we all have a part to play.
May 26th, 2007 at 3:04 am
reading scientific books & journals to relieve from stress?
great way!=D
May 30th, 2007 at 2:18 am
anyway, is theplanet.com the biggest data center in the world?
May 31st, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Har,
Biggest data center in the world? That’s actually not a very easy question to answer. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) The Planet does not operate the largest data center in the world; our operation is spread out between 6 different facilities (in two different cities), so that would put us out of the running for the largest single data center, since we don’t consolidate our operations like that.
At one time, I believe that CERN claimed to have the largest data center, although I don’t believe they’ve made that claim in a while. They are, however, still the largest physics lab in the world, which is something, I suppose.
IBM currently claims to operate world’s largest commercial technology infrastructure, with more than eight million square feet of data centers in six continents. We’re second only to them, and they’re publicly held. So, I think that puts us in that “really big” category, for sure.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Biggest Datacenter? Depends on how you measure.
According to your site, ThePlanet has 155,000 square feet of data center space in six facilities. Though sizable, that is peanuts compared to some other datacenters.
Google for example leases 300,000 sqft in the 111 8th Avenue facility alone. Lifetime Television also has a 50,000 square foot data center there. That leaves another 2.5 million sqft. 111 8th Ave is a massive 2.9 million sq. ft facility. Sure many companies use it, but there are some huge single company datacenters inside. I only use about 12 sq ft of it.
Digital Reality Trust owns millions of square fee of data center space around he world. Switch and Data also have large amounts of space. There are some truly large facilities out there owned by both public and private companies. Rackspace purchased a 750,000+ sqft mall to put in a datacenter (not sure how much is in use). Banks also have sizable operations.
If server count is your thing, Facebook has 10,000 servers:
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/Apr/23/facebook_now_running_10000_web_servers.html
I’ve seen some installations with very high server densities. With blades, you can pack as many as 100+ servers into a standard rack.
So while ThePlanet is one of the major providers in the SMB/budget dedicated server space, there are plenty of facilities out that are larger, denser and have higher server counts.
If you want the scoop on datacenter news check out:
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/
June 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
The Planet does not have the biggest data center in the world. We are the largest privately held dedicated server provider, but as some of the other commenters noted, that does not mean we have the largest data center. Our infrastructure includes ~50,000 servers in 6 data centers. Many public companies choose to operate their own data center installations, but these installations are often not positioned to provided dedicated server services to their customers.
June 7th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Which datacenter has the huge generators shown in your power entrance photos?
Do ALL datacenters have equivalent generators and reserve oiwer equipment?
June 17th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Harry, I think you’re referring to the generators in the Data Center Tour video, so those would be at our H2 data centers. All of our data centers have equivalent generators/UPS rooms for reserve power.
I see that one of your servers was affected by our H1 power outage, so you are likely seeking some kind of explanation that the data center was not prepared with the backup systems in place, but that’s not the case. As Doug explained in several of his updates, the outage was caused by an explosion in the conduit linking our electrical room to the transformer outside. The initial explosion resulted in explosions at both the transformer and the transfer switch in the power room. Because the transfer switch controlled which type of power Phase 1 received, we could not power Phase 1 from our N+1 permanent generators (which is why we brought in temporary generators).
Phase 2’s distribution equipment was not affected by the initial explosion, so we were able to route power from our permanent generators to the data center floor as soon as we were cleared to resume power from the fire department.