December 17, 2007 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web hosting provider SoftLayer (softlayer.com) announced on Monday that it had opened its new Seattle data center, adding new cross-data center capabilities to its hosting solutions.

SoftLayer customers will be able to choose the geographical location of their server deployment in real time, which SoftLayer calls "an industry first."

"You can choose whether you server is installed in Dallas, Seattle, or first available, right as you're ordering it. And the ability to choose your location is free of charge," says Steven Canale, SoftLayer vice president of sales. "It's part of our strategy to give customers more control."

The company says it has also created the first cross-datacenter virtualization solution, letting customers place servers from different geographic locations into a "Virtual Dedicated Rack." Servers installed in the VDR can pool bandwidth and share local services via a private 10G connection between datacenters.

The Seattle facility is opening with 1,000 servers ready for delivery. The company's inventory system manages inventory in real time across locations. The servers available are the same as those offered in the company's Dallas location, including the new Intel Harpertown processor servers.

Last week, SoftLayer announced that it had introduced a new IP tool.

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