Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Colocation and Data Centers : Co-Location N00B

[hsbsitez]

I have some idea of what it is, I make contract with a data center and have my server located on their place.
What I need to know about is, how does all of the fees work, and what does some of this stuff means?
- 1u vs. Full rack vs. cabinet vs. tower
- BGP network
- what is Bandwidth billed on port speed or on 95th percentile.
- Tier 1 and Tier 2, and the Level 3 label
- Amp Needed
- Installation (Is this the process of connecting the server with wires and power, or is this also software installation?)
- What other costs are there?

Thank you anyone who can help. If you have an article with this kind of info, I be happy.
I will try to find this info on my own, but I might not find everything I need to know so I am also asking it from here.

Regards,
Hsb.

[avythe]

- 1u vs. Full rack vs. cabinet vs. tower

That refers to the size of what you're sending - 1U is 1 rack unit (you can google the exact dimensions). A cabinet/full rack is usually about 42U. A tower would be the PC you have at home - they usually take up 3-4U.

- BGP network

BGP is for exchanging routing information between internet carriers. This is basically so that you can have two different providers giving you bandwidth. I'd be more concerned with other things if you're first starting out

- what is Bandwidth billed on port speed or on 95th percentile.

95th percentile means that the top 5% of the bandwidth you use is thrown out. If you use 1Mbps constant and then burst to 10Mbps for a little while (within 5%), you won't get charged for that. (A rather basic example)

- Tier 1 and Tier 2, and the Level 3 label

Wikipedia has a good description on Tiers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_1_carrier

- Amp Needed

This is power. It depends on your server specifications and what you're doing with the server.

- Installation (Is this the process of connecting the server with wires and power, or is this also software installation?)

Installation with colocation usually refers to putting the server in the rack and connecting everything to it. You're generally expected to put your own operating system/software on the server prior to sending it in. Installation will usually also include binding an IP address to the box.

- What other costs are there?

At the most basic level, your costs are power, bandwidth, and the space (how many rack units you take up).

Hope that's helpful

[RobM]

- What other costs are there?

Also remember you need to have spare parts ready and another thing is support, when your colo you do repairs to the server, you could have the datacenter do them, but remember they are going to bill you for the labor.

Also make sure to read there policy about reboots as some even charge for them.

[HostTitan]

Pay a lot of attention to power when buying or building your server. You'll probably not come close to filling your cabinet because of the power restrictions imposed by most DCs. You'll want a PDU that can do remote reboot and a kvm/ip otherwise you'll end up living at your DC when things go wrong.

A lot of colo companies are not very welcoming to beginners as it usually will cost them a lot more in time and money. Therefore, you should avoid long term contracts at first and see how they work with you.

[cyberdog]

Support and spare parts is a major thing to consider. Also, you really do need KVM and remote power cycle features. Most 1u racks come with 45AMP power which will usually power a dual core server fine. I'd go for burstable BW, just keep in mind overage charges. If you go to dell.com you can get a good diea of what the differnet "U" sizes look like vs. desktop.

A few data centers are now offering unsecure 1u space which is cheap and good for beginners. The unsecure part just means the servers are not in a locked cabinet (where your cabinet neighbors also have access anyway) but are out in the open. This is fine since most data centers only allow one client in at a time and watch them via cameras and/or a window.

Most data center sales departments can answer logistical questions for you since they are interested in you doing business with them. Getting a tour is also a good idea.