Here at The Planet, I think a lot about our data centers since it’s my job to ensure that our servers are up and running 24×7x365. What keeps me up at night is the continuous power and cooling required to keep your servers and systems up and the preventive maintenance that’s required to run six world-class data centers. You could say I live and breathe data center maintenance. And with more than 44,000 dedicated servers depending on our infrastructure systems, it keeps me and my team hopping.
One of things we focus on is N+1 redundancy. It’s really a math equation that ultimately boils down to having backup systems in place so that we’re able to deliver a seamless experience for customers. We’re always working to improve the processes and equipment we have in place to maintain continuous uptime which is why we have redundant UPS (uninterrupted power supply), generator and HVAC systems in place.
Customer experience is important to all of us. That’s why we take N+1 redundancy so seriously. Preventive maintenance helps us ensure uptime. Maintenance and redundancy really go hand-in-hand. At The Planet, we offer N +1 redundancy of critical infrastructure components. This ensures that in case of a component failure, another system is in place and will automatically take over for the failed component. This provides a seamless transition from one component to another, and it’s completely invisible to customers and their servers.
Redundancy is also necessary to properly test and maintain these critical systems. There’s no way to fully and properly test and maintain them without redundancies, since we would run the risk of leaving customers exposed. During maintenance and testing we have to take these critical systems/components completely offline. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an HVAC unit or a UPS module or a generator. When a system is down without a redundant system in place, customers are exposed to the possibility of the in-use system failing with no back-up available. Now that’s a scary thought.
If you haven’t seen the data center tour on our Web site, I invite you to see what my team does. Click on the “Take the Tour” button at: http://www.theplanet.com/. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
- Jeff
