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Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
| Time | Event |
| 1:25p | Live in Lulea: Facebook Goes Global and Gets Greener  Some of the racks of Open Compute servers inside the new Facebook data center in Lulea, Sweden. The facility is Facebook’s first data center outside the U.S. (Photo: Facebook). Facebook has gone live in Lulea. The company’s huge new data center in Sweden is now handling traffic from around the world, marking the first expansion of Facebook’s infrastructure beyond the United States. The international presence reflects the changing nature of Facebook’s users base. About 79 percent of the company’s 1.11 billion users are outside the U.S. and Canada. The location of the new data center takes advantage of the cool climate in Lulea, a seaside town of 45,000 on the edge of the Arctic Circle, at approximately the same latitude as Fairbanks, Alaska. That cool weather will allow Facebook to use outside air to cool the tens of thousands of servers that will occupy the new campus. “As our systems come online for the first time, we are proud to say that this is likely to be one of the most efficient and sustainable data centers in the world,” Facebook said. “All the equipment inside is powered by locally generated hydro-electric energy. Not only is it 100% renewable, but the supply is also so reliable that we have been able to reduce the number of backup generators required at the site by more than 70 percent. In addition to harnessing the power of water, we are using the chilly Nordic air to cool the thousands of servers that store your photos, videos, comments, and Likes. Any excess heat that is produced is used to keep our office warm.” Shift From Coal to HydroThe use of hydro electricity is a change from the social network’s first two company-built data centers in Oregon and North Carolina, which each relied upon utility power that originated primarily from coal. Facebook’s power sourcing had been highlighted by the environmental group Greenpeace, which launched a lengthy campaign urging Facebook to “Unfriend Dirty Coal.” Inside the building, Facebook is using server and data center designs outlined in the Open Compute Project, which the company launched in February to release its custom designs for servers, power supplies and UPS units. That custom equipment helps Facebook maintain extremely high levels of energy efficiency, as measured by Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), the leading measure of “green” data center operations. “In early tests, Facebook’s Luleå data centre is averaging a PUE in the region of 1.07,” the company said. “As with our other data centres, we will soon be adding a real-time PUE monitor so everyone can see how we are performing on a minute-by-minute basis.” The new 27,000 square meter (290,000 square foot) data center will be the first on a multi-building campus in Luela, consistent with the company’s practice at its previous sites in Prineville, Oregon and Forest City, North Carolina. The nearby Lule River produces about 13.6 million megawatt hours of hydro-electric power, equal to 10 percent of Sweden’s total demand for electricity. Officials in Lulea say the area has some of the cheapest power rates in all of Europe. Fewer GeneratorsOne novel feature of the new data center is that Facebook has reduced the number of backup generators by 70 percent. Facebook says the extraordinary reliability of the regional power grid serving the town of Lulea allows the company to use far fewer generators than in its U.S. facilities. Local officials in Lulea say there has not been a single disruption in the area’s high voltage lines since 1979. The city lies along the Lulea River, which hosts several of Sweden’s largest hydro-electric power stations. The power plants along the river generate twice as much electric power as the Hoover Dam. “There are so many hydro plants connected to the regional grid that generators are unneeded,” said Jay Park, Facebook’s Director of Datacenter Engineering. “One of the regional grids has multiple hydro power plants.” Park says Facebook has configured its utility substations as a redundant “2N” system, with feeds from independent grids using different routes to the data center. One feed travels underground, while the other uses overhead utility poles.  An aerial view of the new Facebook data center in Lulea, Sweden, which is the company’s first expansion of its infrastructure outside the U.S. |
| 3:55p | Intel Rolls Out SSD Drives For Cloud, Hosting  A look at the Intel Solid-State Drive DC S3500 Series. (Photo: Intel) Intel (INTC) has introduced the Solid-State Drive DC S3500 Series, its latest solid-state drive (SSD) for data centers and cloud computing. Designed for read-intensive applications such as web hosting, cloud computing and data center virtualization, Intel says the DC S3500 Series is an ideal replacement for traditional hard disk drives (HDD), allowing data centers to save significant costs by moving toward an all-SSD storage model. “The Intel SSD DC S3500 Series breaks through barriers – like the need for high throughput/low latency storage with a low total cost of ownership – to deliver the storage solution that meets the needs of the cloud, and its demand for storage, which has exploded in recent years,” said Rob Crooke, Intel corporate vice president and general manager for the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. “Intel’s data center family of SSDs helps make cloud computing faster and more reliable, enabling more transactions and richer experiences.” Sequential read speeds of up to 500 MB per second and sequential write speeds of up to 450 MB per second are reached with the combination of 20nm Intel NAND Flash Memory technology and SATA 6 GB per second interface support. This is coupled with a tight distribution of input/output per second and low maximum latencies. Random read performance can go up to 75,000 input-output operations per second. The new SSDs will be offered in capacities ranging from 80 gigabyte (GB) to 800GB and both 2.5 and 1.8 inch form factors. The drives use 256-bit AES encryption for data protection, and feature built-in capacitors for a short period of backup power if needed. “Intel SSDs have enabled our chip designers to gain up to 27 percent performance throughput in our massive design distributed computing environment,” said Kim Stevenson, chief information officer at Intel. “In fact, we are increasing our deployment of Intel SSDs in our data centers from 10,000 units to 40,000 by the end of this year to enable our global design team to help bring products to market faster.” |
| 6:17p | Cyan Launches Blue Orbit SDN Ecosystem Cyan (CYNI) has unveiled Blue Orbit, an ecosystem of software and hardware solutions focused on providing multi-vendor software-defined network (SDN) applications. Blue Orbit, by testing and demonstrating interoperability among SDN solutions from an array of partners, lessens the risk network operators would otherwise face and accelerates the deployability of production SDN infrastructure. Cyan’s Blue Planet SDN software was launched late last year as an orchestration platform that enables an array of Cyan and third-party apps to interrogate and control underlying network infrastructure. “SDN and NFV holds great promise for network operators, whether they’re carriers, data center operators, or even large enterprises,” said Cyan president Michael Hatfield. ”However, we’re at a critical juncture in the development of SDN—unless suppliers step forward and undertake the interoperability testing necessary for smooth SDN rollouts, the promise of SDN may fail to materialize. Blue Orbit fulfills this requirement. Our ability as an ecosystem to prove real, multi-vendor SDN today has already resulted in multiple commitments by customers to deploy this technology.” Showcasing SDN applications for real-world deployment Blue Orbit boasts a number of initial partners, such as Accedian Networks, Arista Networks, Boundary, Canonical, Embrane, Overture Networks, and RYU (part of NTT Laboratories Open Source Software Computing Group). Blue Orbit partners provide applicable solution elements to Cyan’s California-based Blue Orbit Lab. From this facility, Cyan, Blue Orbit partners, and customers are able to test and demonstrate the deployability of SDN solutions in production networks. “This is a necessary undertaking if the benefits of SDN – namely faster new service creation and greater service profitability – are to be realized,” said Dr. Jim Metzler, founder and vice president at Ashton, Metzler and Associates. ”Virtually all significant new technologies require vendors to work together in order to ensure multi-vendor networks can be easily deployed. Cyan’s Blue Orbit is the first such effort within the SDN community.” |
| 7:32p | HP Advances Converged Architecture  The StoreServ 7450, a solid-state optimized all-flash HP 3PAR solution that’s part of part of HP’s Converged Storage portfolio. (Photo: HP) HP Discover 2013, the ultimate showcase technology event for Hewlett Packard (HPQ), is under way this week in Las Vegas. With over 12,000 in attendance the conference features a variety of technical sessions, engaging speakers and a focus on converged cloud, big data, mobility and security. The event conversation can be followed on Twitter hashtag #HPDiscover. HAVEn Big Data Analytics PlatformHP announced HAVEn, a set of core technologies that form a Big Data analytics platform, enabling organizations to create next-generation applications and solutions to accelerate the adoption and monetization of Big Data. Available immediately, the new platform combines industry initiatives such as Hadoop with HP products Autonomy, Vertica, ArcSight, and HP Operations Management. “The value of Big Data comes from the ability to analyze all information in real time, so decisions that accelerate growth or improve services to customers and citizens, can be made quickly,” said Colin Mahony, senior vice president and general manager, HP Vertica. “Only HP has the intellectual property in technology, services and partnerships to truly make data matter.” New ProLiant ServersHP announced new ProLiant servers for small and midsized businesses (SMB). The new ProLiant MicroServer Generation 8 is an ideal first server that provides simplified setup, management and maintenance with HP Smart Technologies. New ProLiant DL320e Gn8 v2 and ML310e Gen8 v2 servers are targeted as cost-optimized solutions for micro and SMB clients. Utilizing the HP MicroServer Gen8 innovations, SMB customers can simplify setup, remotely manage with Integrated Lights-Out Essentials, use HP Active Health for continuous monitoring, and add a stackable HP PS1810-8G managed switch for an integrated, converged server and networking infrastructure. “Small and midsized businesses require innovative server solutions that meet their specific business needs and price points to remain competitive,” said Mark Potter, senior vice president and general manager, Servers, HP. “These new HP ProLiant servers are easy to use, highly reliable and cost-effective to maintain, enabling our SMB customers to boost business performance, save time and cut costs.” Converged StorageHP announced an expanded Converged Storage portfolio with a solid-state optimized all-flash HP 3PAR StoreServ system that delivers performance and low latency without compromising enterprise resiliency or adding data-center complexity. With flash-specific caching algorithms dynamically adjust read/write granularity, the new 3PAR StoreServ 7450 Storage system has hardware-accelerated data compaction that reduces capacity needs by up to 50 percent without degrading performance. “It’s impossible for organizations to deal with unpredictable workloads cost effectively if they’re managing disparate storage silos,” said David Scott, senior vice president and general manager, Storage Division, HP. “With the new 3PAR StoreServ and StoreOnce innovations, customers get best-in-class, purpose-built solutions to address critical new requirements while retaining the simplicity that comes from an approach that can manage and serve a variety of needs without creating new storage silos.” New features added to HP 3PAR StoreServ strengthen enterprise security with advanced data encryption. A new StoreFabric 16-gigabit SAN infrastructure that eliminates bandwidth bottlenecks to maximize the performance of flash-based systems. HP StoreOnce VSA gets rid of the hardware and deploys as a virtual machine on existing servers. It enables backup-as-a-service offerings for hosting providers and lowers costs for enterprise remote office protection. The HP StoreEver MSL6480 Tape Library has enterprise-class features for long-term data protection at a midrange price. It starts small and expands easily to provide performance, scale and density—up to 60.4 TB/hour and 3.5 PB—in a single library. SMB IT in a BoxDuring her keynote address HP CEO Meg Whitman announced a partnership with Google. HP announced the first part of a SMB IT in a box style shopping solution, as HP entered the Google Apps Reseller program. HP SMB IT in a Box combines HP’s PCs, printers, management console, administration and customer support with the productivity, collaboration tools and security of Google Apps. Elaborating further, Whitman said, “we are going to continue to look for ways to partner with other like-minded technology companies to give customers what they want and what they need to make IT be a growth enabler.” |
| 8:30p | RagingWire to Invest $150 Million to Earn Virginia Tax Breaks  The exterior of the RagingWire data center in Ashburn, Virginia. The company has committed to investing $150 million in Virginia and hiring 50 workers in the state. (Photo: Rich Miller) RagingWire is making a commitment to invest $150 million and create 50 new jobs at its data center operations in Virginia, allowing the company to qualify for a coveted state sales tax exemption. The company said the sales tax exemption on data center equipment will attract new customers to its Ashburn campus and lower its total cost of ownership. RagingWire has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) committing to $150 million in capital investment and the creation of 50 jobs over the next five years. The Virginia incentive program for data centers offers a significant reward in the form of an exemption from the 5 percent sales tax for the purchase of IT equipment and other related infrastructure components. “We’ve started expanding our facility here in Ashburn,” said Annie George, Product Marketing Programs Manager at RagingWire. “We have to spend $150 million in five years (to qualify), and we were already on that track based on the growth we’ve seen so far. The investment is a big part of it, and it accelerates growth for our customers. It’s an investment in the state of Virginia. For us, 5 percent is not small when you’re being millions of dollars of equipment at a time.” A Financial Win For CustomersOne of the beneficiaries will be hosting provider DreamHost, which is the anchor tenant in RagingWire’s Ashburn facility. “The Virginia state sales tax exemption that RagingWire has secured for us is a great win for DreamHost, and for developers seeking an on-ramp to the cloud,” said Simon Anderson, CEO of DreamHost, which runs DreamCompute, the OpenStack-powered public cloud. “We now house over one-quarter of our global infrastructure in RagingWire’s Ashburn data center because of their patented power delivery system and 100 percent availability. The innovative and forward-thinking RagingWire team goes above and beyond in understanding what drives our business success and that of our customers, and engaging in a true partnership for our mutual success.” This announcement underscores RagingWire’s rapid acceleration in a national expansion plan that includes the launch of its 150,000 square foot data center in Ashburn, Virginia in 2012, the acquisition of 78 additional acres of land in Ashburn for development starting in 2014, and continued expansion of its massive data center campus in Sacramento, California. RagingWire’s Ashburn data center customers can benefit from this expansion by applying for the Virginia sales tax exemption with RagingWire. “Our agreement with the VEDP strengthens our commitment to the local business community and encourages companies looking for data centers and colocation in Virginia to consider the many benefits of choosing RagingWire,” said Mark Morrow, chief financial officer at RagingWire. “Equally as important are the tangible financial benefits that our customers gain from this agreement, as it promotes their growth from within our facility.” Virginia: Friendly to Data CentersVirginia Governor Bob McDonnell helped cut the ribbon on RagingWire’s Ashburn data center and was a strong advocate for the sales tax exemption. “Virginia has earned a reputation as one of the most business friendly states in the country and our Sales and Use Tax Exemption Program for Data Centers enhances that position,” said McDonnell. “We commend RagingWire and its customers for ‘putting Virginia to work’ by utilizing this important incentive that creates good jobs for our citizens.” In addition to tax incentives in Virginia, RagingWire’s California data center facilities in Sacramento are located in an Enterprise Tax Zone, as defined by the California Trade and Commerce agency. The Sacramento Enterprise Tax Zone designation allows RagingWire and its tenants to take advantage of a variety of incentives: hiring credits, sales/use tax credits, business expense deductions for depreciable equipment, 15-year net loss carryovers, net interest deductions for lenders, and state contract bid preferences. |
| 9:00p | Telx Scales Out in NJ With First Greenfield Project  The new Telx NJR3 data center in Clifton, N.J. is the first facility that Telx has built from the ground up. (Photo: Rich Miller) CLIFTON, N.J. - If you’ve lived in a lot of houses, you know what you like when you’re ready for a new home. Telx has spent the last 13 years deploying colocation space in many of the nation’s most prominent data center hubs. But it’s never had the opportunity to build a new facility totally customized to its own needs. Until now. Telx has just completed the NJ3 data center, a $200 million greenfield project that marks a major expansion of its footprint in the greater New York market, where the company got its start. Building from the ground up allowed Telx to customize the 215,000 square foot building to the needs of the New York market, where demand is driven by financial services customers with exacting requirements. As it designed and built NJR3, Telx was able to incorporate its experience as a tenant with feedback from existing customers. “Because we operate in carrier hotels and buy from wholesale providers, we can observe what works and what doesn’t and implement the best practices,” said Michael Terlizzi, Executive Vice President of Operations for Telx, who oversaw the Clifton project. “As part of our customer survey, we asked what they’d like us to do, and where they’d like to be. That guided us to what we’ve built here. This is all based on our customer demand and requests.” Leading With SecurityWhat customers are demanding, clearly, is security. In January Telx purchased its NJR2 data center building at 100 Delawanna in Clifton from Mountain Development Corp., along with the adjacent land that houses NJR3. Now that it controls the property, Telx has built perimeter fencing equipped with an anti-climb design and fiber optic intrusion detection system. Infrared cameras monitor the grounds and parking lots, while a vehicle barrier and multiple guard houses restrict entry to the site. Once inside the building, access is managed with biometric systems based on fingerprint or iris recognition. The three-story design places mechanical and electrical infrastructure on the first floor, with data halls on the second and third floors. Each customer floor will house three data halls and one “CRAH gallery” to house air handlers. One of the key advantages of the new building is that it will support higher power densities and larger customer footprints than previous Telx data centers, many of which were constrained by the limitations of multi-tenant skyscrapers in central business districts. Telx has completed the first of six planned data halls, each encompassing 15,000 square feet of technical space and supported by 2.7 megawatts of power capacity. Air handlers for cooling reside in a separate “CRAH gallery” on each floor rather than within the data halls, allowing more space for cabinets. Each of the customer floors will feature three data halls and one CRAH gallery. |
| 9:10p | Inside Facebook’s New Lulea Data Center
Facebook says its new data center in Lulea, Sweden is the most efficient and sustainable server farm it has yet built. For a closer look at the infrastructure and environment of the new 27,000 square meter (290,000 square foot) data center, check out our photo gallery, Inside Facebook’s Lulea Data Center. |
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