Okay...

someone please explain what that is


I buy a server from someone else and they administer it for me?

or I telnet into it and do everything myself and admin it all myself, they just provide IPs bandwidth and stuff like that? Or what...


I'm really confused.

Here was what i was PLANNING on doing. Buying a server, buying ensim control panel, loading linux, loading ensim, buying a DSL or T1 line, a router, IPs - crap like that, and doing everything myself.

What happens if I go with someplace like RackShack? Whats the difference? What do I get out of it..

Can someone just explain in detail what colocation is.

You purchase, configure, and send them the server. You then pay them for the amount of rack space you use , power (which is usually included in the rack space costs), and bandwidth. Everything else is up to you to administer remotely.

Some companies have an included level of support but you usually have to pay them any time they have to touch your server. Colocation is cheaper than dedicated servers but is best for more experienced system administrators.

I use Ventures Online (dedicated, not colo though) but they will actually install all of the software and do all the initial setup for you at no charge. Any support from that point on is paid though ( http://www.venturesonline.com/hosting/colocation.html )

I've been looking at rackshack.com and they seem like they build you the server, install a control panel and OS for you... and they're pretty cheap


Question - how is colocation best for more experienced system administrators? it seems like the exact opposite. If you're experienced, wouldn't you do it yourself?

It's mainly a matter of network quality and bandwidth. Hosting the server at your house or business on a single T-1 will not have the uptime and throughput of having a server hosted by a colocation provider with multiple fiber conenctions and will not convey much professionalism. Especially if you use a DSL connection...

Actually.. Just think of it this way,

Would you rather tell your customers that your servers are connected via redundant OC-12 connections to multiple backbone providers...

Or that your servers are hosted by a single DSL connection to your garage :)

Greetings:

Co-location is where you purchase or otherwise finance the equipment you want; then you place (ship or otherwise bring in person) the equipment to the data center for installation within their network.

Co-location terminology

Burstable - Is your bandwidth (data traffic) per second or month fixed (capped) or can you burst (go higher)?
Burstable will allow you to go higher (have more than what you've contracted to purchase) which means no lag of network speed. Non-burstable generally means you connection is slower during the time where bursting would be nice to have available.

Managed Co-location - you provide the equipment as in regular co-location; however, the provider manages the equipment you provide for you in terms of hardware repairs, system administration, and more.

MBps (Megabytes per second) and KBps (Kilobytes per second) - a measure of bandwidth (data traffic) per second.
Below is a cheat sheet for converting KBps into GB per month of bandwidth (data traffic):

KBps ________ Approximate GB per month

64 =========> 20
128 ========> 40
256 ========> 80
384 ========> 120

Ping, Power, and Pipe (the three P's) - often used to describe the meat and potatoes of co- location. Ping means network connectivity to the Internet. Power means electricity to the devices. Pipe means how much bandwidth (data traffic) is being provided.

Rack - A cabinet (can be open or locked; opened means anything from no door to just no key) which holds rack mountable servers. A standard rack can hold 42 rack units.

Rack Unit (RU) - A unit of rack space measured as being 1.75 inches high

Hidden costs of co-location

If you remember that the equipment you are placing at the co-location facility is YOUR equipment, then most of the hidden costs should make sense to you.

You are responsible for maintaining your equipment.
This not only means the software on the machine, but it also means the hardware.

So if the hard drive fails, do not expect the co- location provider to have a spare in stock unless you've made arrangements before the failure took place.

You are responsible for insuring your equipment.
Generally the insurance runs 1% on the dollar; so don't let the statement frighten you.

If you ask for burstable bandwidth, be prepared to pay hefty overage charges if you do burst.

Let's say you are paying approximately $2.00 to $2.50 per GB of data traffic; and, that you've contracted for 64 KBps (which is 20 GB per month).

Now you burst to 25 GB one month; then you can expect to pay as high as $5 (sometimes more) per GB of overage.

Whether you decide to physically visit the data center to make repairs or updates, or you have the data center staff do the work for you, expect to pay the data center.

That's correct, even if you are doing the work, you may have to pay the data center a fee for their staff to watch you for security reasons as it relates to the data center itself and other customers housed in the data center.

Co-location cost savings

Co-location, when done correctly, can save you thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in hosting fees.

How is this possible?

Well when you contract for a dedicated server, you are basically doing the equivalent of renting an apartment instead of buying a house.

Under normal circumstances when you rent an apartment, the apartment is never paid off. You keep making the same monthly payment (or more over time), and there is never a time when the payments stop.

The same is true for dedicated servers. While a part of your monthly fee goes to paying off the equipment you are using, you will never own the equipment.

And because you are not the owner of the equipment, and the provider is renting you the equipment as part of the over all services, your payments will never go down.

Depending on the type of hardware you need for your solution, the hardware portion you are paying to the provider to rent their hardware can range anywhere from a hundred and change per month to several thousand per month. That adds up over time.

Thank you.