Please scroll down the page for a tour of the data center,
including a description of key features and photos of the
facilities.
Network
Operations Center (NOC)
|
 The Data
Center uses a redundant model for its Network Operations
Center or NOC.
A primary NOC is located next to the data
center floor where monitoring takes place for the network,
servers, and environmental components.
A secondary, or back-up NOC, is a located in a secure area behind closed doors.
This
secondary NOC shares space with the upper tier technical
support and provisioning team. Tier 3 engineers provide 24x7
monitoring at all levels of our Network Operations Center
The NOC is located in
a secure, monitored, "class A" building with a
minimum number of approved personnel allowed access to highly
sensitive areas and equipment. A detailed record of employee
and visitor entry is maintained at all times.
Biometric palm scanners are at the entrance to the data
center. |
There is a 24/7 on-site security staff. The
Data Center sits on top of a 6 foot concrete slab which is
sloped to the center where a one-way drain is located. On top
of this concrete slab sits a 24 by 36 inch raised data floor.
Both cooling and electrical circuits routed underneath the
raised floor, with the power encased in waterproof galvanized
steel conduits. There are also moisture sensors located under
the floor to monitor condensation levels.
Industrial-Grade Leibert
Air Conditioners
(Cooling and Moisture Control)
| Environmental processing
systems include redundant Liebert Precision 22 ton up flow
air conditioning units. Temperature and humidity are
precisely regulated year round to ensure optimal equipment
reliability.
Each unit contains independent compressors and cooling
loops to further enhance fault tolerance and reliability.
Air filtration systems actively remove foreign
particulates from circulation and cycle the entire data
center air supply in a matter of minutes.
This
Datacenter has thirteen (Leibert) industrial-grade air-cooling
units.
Each with their own independent (lycol) feeds providing
cooling and moisture control which
condition our computer rooms and operations center.
Only five of these units, running at no more than 50
percent capacity, are required to cool the entire Data
Center.
In addition, the walls are lined with Thermolite which is an insulator
commonly found in larger refrigerated warehouses.
 With an
insulation value of R84, it provides thermal insulation
equivalent of 84 sheets of glass, keeping the Datacenter
at optimal temperature 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
The
Data Center sits on top of a 6 foot concrete slab
which is sloped to the center where a one-way drain is
located.
On top of this concrete slab sits a 24 by 36 inch raised
data floor.
Both
cooling and electrical circuits routed underneath the
raised floor, with the power encased in waterproof
galvanized steel conduits. There are also moisture sensors
located under the floor to monitor condensation levels. |
Uninterruptible
Power System (To
guard against local power failures)
Dual Power Grids With Generator and
Battery Backup
We have N+1
Reduncancy in all systems. AC Power plant with battery and
generator backup. Johnson controls Metasys Building Management
systems are used for monitoring of power and HVAC.
Our power systems feature extensive fault tolerance and
resilience at every layer. Incoming service is routed
underground to a dedicated on-site transformer.
|
This system routes to our automatic transfer
switch which monitors power quality, and automatically
transfers to our emergency generators in the event they
are needed.
Each facility is also protected by one or
more uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), featuring
redundant battery cabinets and full maintenance bypass
cabinets allowing for service and upgrades without
interruption of power to our servers.
Liebert Precision power distribution units
handle final power transformation and distribution to
racks, ensuring clean consistent power to data center
equipment.
The
Datacenter facility sits at the intersection of two separate
metropolitan power grids drawn from two distinct cities,
Boston and Cambridge, each supplying 13,800 volt service. This
attribute allows us to exceed 120 watts per square foot in
this Datacenter.
This facility has not had unplanned power
outage in over 25 years. In the extremely rare event that both
municipalities lose power concurrently, the facility is backed
up locally by dual (catolite) 1500 kilowatt generators, each
with their own fuel supply.
Only one generator is required to
run the Datacenter. These generators supply power within six
seconds and can run indefinitely because they can be refuelled
while operational.
|
 The
generators are tested weekly and are serviced on regularly
scheduled intervals. We maintain priority contracts with
multiple diesel delivery vendors. |
|
Plus Battery Backup
The
Datacenter offers two forms of uninterruptible power supplies,
local and centralized. While the majority of customer servers
utilize the centralized UPS system, optional localized units
are available for other applications. The UPS provides up to
30 minutes of conditioned power, more than adequate to cover
the 6 second interval before the generators power up.
|
 |
Standby
Servers
|
We keep spare servers on-line of all CPU configurations.
If a server were to experience a hardware failure, we would
turn a key, grab the handle on the drive, pull it out, and
insert it into an identical standby CPU. We would then reboot
the second machine and the server would be up and running
again in a matter of minutes.
|
|
|
