August 28, 2006 at 17:26CNet filmed a video tour of the largest data center
The company Equinix - one of the world's leading data centers and Internet exchange points. They work under the motto “The Home of the Internet” and serve customers from among the largest Internet companies, including Akamai, AOL, Google, Paypal, IBM and many others.
Equinix data centers are located throughout America (six on the continent and one in Honolulu), as well as in Asia - in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney. They connect to the most important communication channels, including large IP backbones. The company serves not only content providers from the Internet, but also telecommunications companies that exchange traffic with each other through these centers.
CNet reporters entered a data center with a video camera, filmed everything on video(6 min. 14 p.) And interviewed Margie Backhaus, Commercial Director of Equinix.
The video captured a lot of interesting things. For example, Margie Backhouse talks about security. To enter the center, you need to overcome five levels of biometric protection. Directly in the server room, on the walls with a gap of several meters, surveillance cameras are installed aimed at racks with servers. Margie says internet companies need to be confident in the physical security of their servers. Indeed, in such a data center, the intellectual property of competing Internet companies is literally a stone's throw from each other. It is possible that customers can monitor their own servers 24 hours a day.
Another problem that Equinix engineers solve is providing uninterrupted power supply. In one such data center, equipment with an aggregate capacity of just over 10 megawatts is installed. This can be compared with a whole residential area in the suburbs of a metropolis or with the capacity of a small hydroelectric power station.
The data center has several of its own diesel generators of a rather severe appearance, with dirty yellow paint. Two generators fell into the frame. It is possible that there are even more of them, because to give out power of 10 megawatts is not a joke to you.
Diesel fuel is stored in special containers near the generators in the same room. The stock of diesel fuel, according to Margie Backhouse, is 28 thousand gallons (about 127 thousand liters). On the street there are additional fuel tanks, such white tanks of a rather neat appearance. They are enough to provide energy to a 10-megawatt data center for two days.
On the remote control of the data center’s own power station, you can see what voltage the internal line is under: 20.6 kV.
The data center has a whole room with large batteries (two rows of 240 pieces), which are connected to uninterruptible power supplies. This infrastructure is activated instantly as soon as the external voltage disappears, and works until the diesel generator is started. (The generator starts within a few seconds, the battery lasts for seven and a half minutes).
Equinix data centers are located throughout America (six on the continent and one in Honolulu), as well as in Asia - in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney. They connect to the most important communication channels, including large IP backbones. The company serves not only content providers from the Internet, but also telecommunications companies that exchange traffic with each other through these centers.
CNet reporters entered a data center with a video camera, filmed everything on video(6 min. 14 p.) And interviewed Margie Backhaus, Commercial Director of Equinix.
The video captured a lot of interesting things. For example, Margie Backhouse talks about security. To enter the center, you need to overcome five levels of biometric protection. Directly in the server room, on the walls with a gap of several meters, surveillance cameras are installed aimed at racks with servers. Margie says internet companies need to be confident in the physical security of their servers. Indeed, in such a data center, the intellectual property of competing Internet companies is literally a stone's throw from each other. It is possible that customers can monitor their own servers 24 hours a day.
Another problem that Equinix engineers solve is providing uninterrupted power supply. In one such data center, equipment with an aggregate capacity of just over 10 megawatts is installed. This can be compared with a whole residential area in the suburbs of a metropolis or with the capacity of a small hydroelectric power station.
The data center has several of its own diesel generators of a rather severe appearance, with dirty yellow paint. Two generators fell into the frame. It is possible that there are even more of them, because to give out power of 10 megawatts is not a joke to you.
Diesel fuel is stored in special containers near the generators in the same room. The stock of diesel fuel, according to Margie Backhouse, is 28 thousand gallons (about 127 thousand liters). On the street there are additional fuel tanks, such white tanks of a rather neat appearance. They are enough to provide energy to a 10-megawatt data center for two days.
On the remote control of the data center’s own power station, you can see what voltage the internal line is under: 20.6 kV.
The data center has a whole room with large batteries (two rows of 240 pieces), which are connected to uninterruptible power supplies. This infrastructure is activated instantly as soon as the external voltage disappears, and works until the diesel generator is started. (The generator starts within a few seconds, the battery lasts for seven and a half minutes).