hi all
as the subject states i need to know what is required to build a teleco class data center. please be indepth with your answers, give equipment list, and any other relevant info. would like to offer dsl, co-lo, dedicated and other hosting services. also please tell of your experiences and pitfalls so i might avoid them ;) and tell about any short cuts you took that WORKED. how was your budget, tight or was money no object! did you meet or beat your budget, or did you blow it out of the water :). in other words how about a mini-howto on building a data center
thanks in advance
deeboy

Now, will the people responding be asked to build it for you as well or are you going to handle that part at least? :D

You've asked a whole bunch and I'm not sure it is even possible to answer it all in one post on a forum. If you don't get the response you were looking for, I'd try breaking the question down into smaller chuncks, rather than a tell me everything you know. Maybe asking for step 1 in the project. Then once you've discussed that, move on to step 2.

People may answer this fully, I'm just saying it is a whole lot to cover, and suggesting things in case this thread doesn't turn out quite as you hoped...

don't mean to sound mean or anything...

but if you gotta ask US for help on starting a datacenter... i don't think you could.

It takes a team of people and a lot of backing to build one. Far more than any forum could cover.

nah i'll build it myself-unless there's someone out there who wants to do it! out of the kindness of their heart ;)

guess what i'm looking for is a good starting point, and maybe a chance to learn from some of the learned people of this forum:D
deeboy

Will you be building your own building or leasing part of one already in place? Either way was it built with protection for your local hazards? (e.g. floods, hurricanes, lightening magnets etc...). How much room will you need? "Co-lo, Dedicated, Community" etc etc varies greatly in respect to space needed. How many are you building for? Power is a big deal. Be sure to take a crash course on how much power you will need (which goes back to deciding how much equipment you will be housing) and what the costs for said power are going to be. Will your building already contain what's needed or are you going to have to bring more in? Who will you use to perform the task? Do _not_ forget backup power. Floors...raised? not raised? Cabinets? Racks? Security? Fire suppression? Air Conditioning? The list of questions _you_ will need to answer first is endless and you will need to answer quite a few that define your goal before the questions you have asked can be answered.... However.... you may find this link a tiny bit helpful in at least giving you something to 'chew on' a bit

http://www.intel.com/eBusiness/technology/plan/2/hi20014.htm

Will you be building your own building or leasing part of one already in place? Either way was it built with protection for your local hazards? (e.g. floods, hurricanes, lightening magnets etc...).
we will be using an existing structure. also our biggest hazard, is snow and ice(lots of it)brrrr:)

Be sure to take a crash course on how much power you will need (which goes back to deciding how much equipment you will be housing) and what the costs for said power are going to be

in my other life i worked in a high pressure steam power generation plant, therefore i'm ok in this area.


Racks? Security? Fire suppression? Air Conditioning?

the job above is a Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refirgeration(HVAC) related job. i add this info to say that i'm pretty well versed in the phyisical plant areas, so what i really was looking for was something like what the above link provides, the equipment part of the data center setup. hope this narrows the responces to that area. thanks for all replies though :D
deeboy