dabystru
01-30-2002, 05:08 PM
Last week I visited RackShack datacenter in Houston, Texas. Rober Marsh (Headsurfer) was kind enough to give me a tour of the facility. I also had a chance to speak to a couple of techs who press 'reset' buttons when we submit our support tickets.;)
What can I say? In 3 words, I was impressed. Everything Headsurfer claimed in the forums or on the site turned to be true. I saw those 2,500 servers by my own eyes.
I will not be describing all those features which are there (ATS system, UPS power, etc.) I just say they are present indeed as it should be in any modern hosting facility. You can see the photos posted on RackShack's website (rackshack.net/colo)
If I got it correctly, the datacenter itself has a space for 13,000 servers on the floor where the current servers are located. Robert has a very aggressive plan to fill that space with the servers by the end of 2002, and I believe him. RackShack is the fastest growing dedicated server provider I know of.
The main room with the servers is divided 50/50 into two areas: rack-mounted servers (Cobalts, Intel based servers) and mini-towers (WBLs - White Box Linux, as RackShack calls them). The idea to host WBLs was brilliant, and most new servers RackShack sells are WBLs. I can say more: as RS reseller I did not manage to sell a single Cobalt since Nov 2001!
On the downside, I believe RackShack is and will be experiencing growth pains. The most challenging problem will be to hire and train the right staff. Current techs are not bad, but not easiliy accessible. There are also 30 people in the calling center, which are very nice and polite, but, let's face it, can't always suggest the best solution to your problem. With such growth rate it will be difficult to acquire and train the right staff at the right level. We will see how it goes.
What can I say? In 3 words, I was impressed. Everything Headsurfer claimed in the forums or on the site turned to be true. I saw those 2,500 servers by my own eyes.
I will not be describing all those features which are there (ATS system, UPS power, etc.) I just say they are present indeed as it should be in any modern hosting facility. You can see the photos posted on RackShack's website (rackshack.net/colo)
If I got it correctly, the datacenter itself has a space for 13,000 servers on the floor where the current servers are located. Robert has a very aggressive plan to fill that space with the servers by the end of 2002, and I believe him. RackShack is the fastest growing dedicated server provider I know of.
The main room with the servers is divided 50/50 into two areas: rack-mounted servers (Cobalts, Intel based servers) and mini-towers (WBLs - White Box Linux, as RackShack calls them). The idea to host WBLs was brilliant, and most new servers RackShack sells are WBLs. I can say more: as RS reseller I did not manage to sell a single Cobalt since Nov 2001!
On the downside, I believe RackShack is and will be experiencing growth pains. The most challenging problem will be to hire and train the right staff. Current techs are not bad, but not easiliy accessible. There are also 30 people in the calling center, which are very nice and polite, but, let's face it, can't always suggest the best solution to your problem. With such growth rate it will be difficult to acquire and train the right staff at the right level. We will see how it goes.