Data processing center. The most complete information about what a data center is when processing personal data and its main functions Where they can be applied

Today, no one is surprised by the fact that a company has its own data center. What it is, only a few employees of this organization know, but in reality, such equipment is required by any business that wants to achieve real stability. In other words, if there is a real need to ensure uninterrupted, scalable and manageable operation of the company, when the stability of the business directly depends on the IT infrastructure, the data center is used.

What's this?

Thus, over time and the development of information technology, almost any organization that is somehow connected with information has its own data center. What it is? Data center, which in the professional literature is often referred to as a data center. From the name it can be understood that various operations are carried out in such equipment that are directly related to the processing of any information, that is, the creation or generation of data, the subsequent archiving and storage of files, as well as their subsequent provision at the request of the user. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the fact that in addition to the above functions, there is also secure data destruction, for which the data center is responsible. What it is? Elimination of certain files without harming the rest of the data and, possibly, without the possibility of recovery, if really important information is deleted that should not fall into third parties.

Where can they be applied?

To date, there are a fairly large number of funds, including land cadastres, the Pension Fund and various libraries that are directly involved in the collection and storage of various information. At the same time, it is worth noting that there is also such information that generates business by itself, for example, that which is used by various help desks. There is also information that does not take any part in business processes, but is necessary for their implementation. This data includes HR files, as well as databases of user accounts in various information systems Oh.

Industrial holdings create specialized electronic archives to perform settlement tasks, store documents, and automate business processes. Thus, different organizations use different types of information, as well as tasks that relate to its processing. It is for the solution of such problems that the DPC is created. What it is, only the system administrator knows, on whose shoulders the equipment falls.

When is a data center used?

The tasks associated with at different times were solved with the help of various technical means. In the twentieth century, electronic computing devices became the basis of modern business, as they took on the majority of computing tasks, and the emergence of devices that store information in themselves made it possible to completely get rid of paper archives, replacing them with more compact, and at the same time affordable electronic ones. and tape media. Already in order to accommodate the first electronic computers, it was necessary to allocate specialized computer rooms in which the required climatic conditions were maintained so that the equipment would not overheat during operation and at the same time work stably.

Server rooms and their features

With the beginning of the era of development personal computers and small servers, the computing equipment of almost any company began to be contained in special server rooms. In the majority of cases, under such a room, a certain room is provided in which a household air conditioner is installed, as well as an uninterruptible power supply in order to ensure the continuous operation of the equipment in normal condition. However, today this option is only suitable for those enterprises in which business processes are very dependent on the information used and the available computing resources.

What is the difference between a data center and a server room?

By and large, a modern data center is an extended copy of a traditional server room, because in fact they have a lot in common - this is the use of engineering systems that support the continuous operation of equipment, the need to ensure the required microclimate, as well as an appropriate level of security. But at the same time there are a number of differences that are decisive.

The data processing center is equipped with a complete set of various engineering systems, as well as specialized components that ensure the normal and stable operation of the company's information infrastructure in the mode required for the business.

Where is this equipment used?

In Russia, data processing with the help of such centers has become in demand since 2000, when such equipment began to be ordered by various banking structures, government agencies, as well as enterprises in the oil industry. It is worth noting that for the first time the data center appeared back in 1999, when it began to be used to process declarations and income statements for all residents of Moscow and the region.

Also, one of the first large data centers was the equipment that was used in the center of Sberbank. In 2003, with the support of Rostelecom, the first republican data processing center was organized in Chuvashia, which is used to systematize archived data. Such devices were provided by various local authorities, and in 2006 a center was also opened, in which the processing of data from the Kurchatov Institute center was carried out. The following year, VTB-24 and Yandex also began using their own data center. Moscow, therefore, quite quickly came to the use of such equipment, as well as other large cities of Russia.

Where should a data center be installed?

Today, almost every large geographically distributed company uses its own data center, especially if the business is very dependent on the IT organization. Examples include telecom operators, retailers, travel and transport companies, medical institutions, industrial holdings, and much more.

The data center can be dedicated to the operation of a particular enterprise or used as multi-user equipment. The multi-user data center provides a wide range of services, including business continuity, as well as hosting, server rental and hosting, and many other elements. Data center services are the most relevant for small and medium-sized businesses, as it can help eliminate the need for IT infrastructure upgrades, and ultimately get a guarantee of reliability and service of the highest quality.

The key to the success of a data center is competent design

Proper design of the data center allows you to eliminate the occurrence of serious problems during the operation of the equipment, as well as reduce costs during operation. In general, the structure of such a center is divided into four main elements - engineering infrastructure, building, software and specialized equipment. At the same time, the construction of buildings and premises for the installation of such equipment is carried out in a variety of standards, the main purpose of which is to ensure safety and reliability. In Western countries, extremely serious and sometimes very peculiar requirements for a data center are often set - in particular, it is worth highlighting that the building must be located at least 90 meters from the highest point reached by water during a flood over the past 100 years, which achieving is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.

In the modern sense, a data center (data center), or data processing center (DPC), is a complex organizational and technical solution designed to create a high-performance and fault-tolerant information infrastructure. In a narrower sense, a data center is a room designed to house equipment for processing and storing data and providing a connection to fast communication channels. In order to more fully reveal the essence of the concept of DPC, let's start with the history of its occurrence.

In principle, computer centers, familiar to many from EU-machines, which became widespread in our country 30 years ago, are in a certain sense the progenitors of modern data centers. Common to current data centers and old data centers is the idea of ​​resource consolidation. At the same time, computer centers had rather complex subsystems for providing the environment necessary for computing technology, which consisted of subsystems for cooling, power supply, security, etc., many of which are also used in modern data centers.

With the spread of the PC in the mid-1980s, there was a tendency to disperse computing resources - desktop computers did not require special conditions, and therefore, less and less attention was paid to the issues of providing a special environment for computing. However, with the development of client-server architecture in the late 90s, it became necessary to install servers in special rooms - server rooms. It often happened that the servers were placed on the square of the old VC. Around this time, the term "data center" was coined, applied to specially designed computer rooms.

The heyday of data centers came during the dot-com boom. Companies that needed fast Internet access and business continuity began to design special premises that provide increased security for processing and transmitting data - Internet Data Centers. Since all modern data centers provide access to the Internet, the first word in the name has been eliminated. Over time, a separate scientific direction appeared, which deals with the issues of optimizing the construction and operation of data centers.

At the beginning of the 21st century, many large companies both abroad and in our country came to the need to implement a data center - for some, business continuity became paramount, for others, data center solutions turned out to be very effective due to savings in operating costs. Many large companies have found that a centralized computing model provides the best TCO.

Over the past decade, many large IT companies have acquired an entire data center network. For example, the oldest global operator Cable & Wireless in 2002 bought the American company Digital Island - the owner of 40 data centers around the world, and the European operator Interoute in 2005 acquired the operator and hosting provider PSINet, connecting 24 data centers to its pan-European network.

The practice of applying risk-based business approaches stimulates the use of data centers. Companies have begun to realize that the investment in keeping mission-critical IT systems up and running is far less expensive for many businesses than the potential loss of data due to a failure. The adoption of data centers is also facilitated by the adoption of laws requiring mandatory redundancy of IT systems, the emergence of recommendations on the use of an IT infrastructure outsourcing model, and the need to protect businesses from natural and man-made disasters.

Separate data centers began to occupy all used about larger territories. For example, recently there was information that Google intends to build a large data center in Iowa with an area of ​​22.3 hectares, having spent 600 million dollars on it, which will start working in the spring of 2009.

In Russia, the construction of a data center (in the modern sense of the term) began at the end of the past - the beginning of a new century. One of the first large Russian data centers was the Sberbank Center. Today, many commercial structures (primarily financial organizations and large telecom operators) have their own data centers.

At the same time, reputable Russian Internet companies already have several data centers. For example, in September of this year, a message appeared that Yandex opened a new (fourth in a row) data center for 3,000 servers (occupied area - 2,000 sq.m, supplied power - 2 MW). The new complex is equipped with precision cooling systems that allow you to remove up to 10 kW from the rack, uninterruptible power supplies and diesel generators. The data center is connected to Yandex's Moscow optical ring, which connects other data centers and Yandex offices, as well as to M9 and M10 - traditional traffic exchange points with providers.

At the same time, the Russian operator Synterra announced the start of one of the largest projects (not only by Russian, but also by European standards) - the construction of a national network of its own data centers. The project was named "40x40". Having created large data centers at the nodes of the broadband network in most regions of Russia, the operator intends to turn them into points of customer localization and sales of the entire range of services.

Until mid-2009, newly created data centers will be opened in 44 centers of the subjects of the Federation. The first will be Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Samara and Chelyabinsk. The operator plans that by the end of 2008 the first 20 sites will be put into operation, the rest - by the middle of 2009. The project integrators are Croc, Technoserv A/S and Integrated Service Group (ISG).

The area of ​​each data center, depending on the needs of the region, will vary from 500 to 1000 sq.m on a raised floor and accommodate 200-300 technological racks. Two network rings should be connected to the data center with a total bandwidth of 4x10 Gbps, which will provide customers with a high level of redundancy and service availability.

The 40x40 project is aimed at a wide range of clients who need to outsource IT infrastructure throughout the country - telecom operators, "network" corporate clients, content and application developers, IP-TV operators and television companies, as well as government agencies, responsible for the implementation of national ICT programs.

Not only commercial, but also government agencies, such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Federal Tax Service, have their own data centers in our country.

According to IDC, the number of data centers in the US will reach 7,000 by 2009 as companies move from distributed computing systems to centralized ones.

Along with the construction of new data centers, the problem of modernizing old ones is on the agenda. According to Gartner, by 2009, 70% of data center equipment will no longer meet operational and performance requirements unless appropriate upgrades are made. The average time for updating computer equipment in a data center is approximately three years. The data center infrastructure is designed taking into account the service life of about 15 years.

Purpose and structure of the data center

Depending on the purpose, modern data centers can be divided into corporate ones that operate within a particular company, and data centers that provide services to third-party users.

For example, a bank may have a data center where information on transactions of its users is stored - usually it does not provide services to third-party users. Even if the data center does not provide such services, it can be separated into a separate organizational structure of the company and provide services for access to information services based on SLA. Many large companies have data centers of one kind or another, and international companies can have dozens of data centers.

The data center can also be used to provide professional IT outsourcing services for IT solutions on a commercial basis.

All data center systems consist of the actual IT infrastructure and engineering infrastructure, which is responsible for maintaining optimal conditions for the operation of the system.

IT infrastructure

A modern data processing center (DPC) includes a server complex, a data storage system, an operation system, and an information security system that are integrated with each other and connected by a high-performance LAN (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. IT infrastructure of a modern data center

Consider the organization of the server complex and data storage systems.

Data center server complex

The most promising model of a server complex is a model with a multi-level architecture, in which several groups of servers are distinguished (see Fig. 1):

• resource servers, or information resource servers, are responsible for storing and providing data to application servers; for example, file servers;
• application servers perform data processing in accordance with the business logic of the system; for example, servers running SAP R/3 modules;
• presentation servers provide an interface between users and application servers; for example, web servers;
• service servers ensure the operation of other subsystems of the data center; e.g. system management servers Reserve copy.

Servers of different groups have different requirements depending on the conditions of their operation. In particular, presentation servers are characterized by a large stream of short requests from users, so they must scale well (increase in the number of servers) to ensure load distribution.

For application servers, the requirement for horizontal scalability remains, but it is not critical. They require sufficient vertical scalability (the ability to increase the number of processors, random access memory and input-output channels) for processing multiplexed requests from users and executing the business logic of the tasks being solved.

Storage systems

The most promising solution for organizing a storage system (SAN) is SAN (Storage Area Network) technology, which provides fault-tolerant access of servers to storage resources and reduces the total cost of ownership of an IT infrastructure due to the possibility of optimal online management of server access to storage resources.

The storage system consists of information storage devices, servers, a management system and a communication infrastructure that provides physical communication between the elements of a storage network (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Storage system based on SAN technology

This architecture allows for uninterrupted and secure data storage and data exchange between SAN elements.

The concept of SAN is based on the ability to connect any of the servers to any storage device operating on the Fiber Channel (FC) protocol. The technical backbone of the storage area network is fiber optic connections, FC-HBAs, and FC switches, which currently provide transfer rates of 200 MB/s.

The use of SAN as the transport basis of the storage system enables dynamic reconfiguration (adding new devices, changing the configurations of existing ones and their maintenance) without stopping the system, and also provides a quick regrouping of devices in accordance with changing requirements and rational use of production space.

The high data transfer rate over the SAN (200 MB/s) allows real-time replication of changing data to a backup center or remote storage. Convenient SAN administration tools make it possible to reduce the number of maintenance personnel, which reduces the cost of maintaining a storage subsystem.

Adaptive engineering infrastructure of the data center

In addition to the actual hardware and software complex, the data center must provide external conditions for its operation. The equipment located in the data center must operate around the clock under certain environmental parameters, which require a number of reliable support systems to maintain.

A modern data center has more than a dozen different subsystems, including main and backup power, low-voltage, power and other types of wiring, climate control systems, fire safety, physical security, etc.

It is quite difficult to ensure the optimal climatic conditions of the equipment. A large amount of heat generated by computer equipment must be removed, and its volume increases as the power of the systems increases and the density of their layout. All this requires optimization of air flows, as well as the use of cooling equipment. According to IDC, already this year, the cost of supplying data centers with electricity and providing cooling will exceed the cost of the actual computer equipment.

These systems are interconnected, so optimal solution can be found only if, when building it, not individual components are considered, but the infrastructure as a whole.

Designing, building and operating a data center is a very complex and time-consuming process. There are many companies offering the necessary equipment - both computer and auxiliary, but to build an individual solution without the help of integrators, one cannot do here. The creation of data centers in Russia is carried out by a number of large domestic system integrators, such as IBS Croc OpenTechnologies, as well as specialized companies: DataDome, IntelinePro, etc.

Data center and IT outsourcing

According to IDC, the global market for hosted data center services alone is growing very fast and will reach $22-23 billion by 2009.

The most comprehensive IT outsourcing service is information systems outsourcing. It is provided under a long-term agreement under which the service provider receives full control of the entire IT infrastructure of the client or a significant part of it, including equipment and software installed on it. These are projects with a wide involvement of the contractor, which assume responsibility for the systems, network and individual applications included in the IT infrastructure. Typically, outsourcing of IT infrastructure is formalized by long-term contracts that last more than a year.

To create their own IT infrastructure from scratch, companies need large funds and highly paid specialists. Renting data center infrastructure allows you to reduce TCO by sharing resources between clients, provides access to the latest technologies, and makes it possible to quickly deploy offices with the ability to increase resources. For many companies, the reliability of the uninterrupted operation of equipment and network infrastructure is now becoming a critical factor for the functioning of the business. IT infrastructure outsourcing allows you to provide a high level of data reliability at a limited cost, giving customers the opportunity to rent server racks and rack spaces to accommodate customer equipment (co-location), rent a dedicated server (dedicated server), licensed software, data transmission channels, and also get technical support.

The customer is freed from many procedures: technical support and administration of equipment, organization of round-the-clock security of premises, monitoring of network connections, data backup, anti-virus scanning of software, etc.

The data center can also provide an outsourced application management service. This allows customers to use certified professionals, which guarantees a high level of service. software products and provides an easy transition from one software to another at minimal financial cost.

In the application outsourcing mode, data center customers can receive outsourcing of mail systems, Internet resources, storage systems or databases.

By outsourcing their corporate systems for redundancy, customers reduce the risk of losing critical information through the use of professional systems for restoring the health of IT systems, and in the event of an accident, they get the opportunity to insure information risks.

Typically, data center customers are offered several levels of business continuity. In the simplest case, this is the placement of backup systems in a data center with proper protection. In addition, there may be an option in which the client is also provided with rental of software and hardware systems for redundancy. The most complete version of the service involves the development of a full-scale system recovery plan in the event of a disaster (Disaster Recovery Plan, DRP), which includes an audit of the customer's information systems, risk analysis, development of a disaster recovery plan, creation and maintenance backup systems, as well as the provision of equipped office space to continue working in the event of an accident in the main office.

Examples of commercial data centers

Data Centers Stack Data Network

The Stack Data Network unites three data centers built on the basis of foreign experience.

Two of them (the Stack data center and the M1 data center) with a total capacity of 700 racks are located in Moscow, and the third (PSN data center) with a capacity of 100 racks is located 100 km from the capital.

There are partnership agreements with a number of European data centers on the possibility of using their resources through the Stack Data Network.

Stack Data Network data centers provide a business continuity service - disaster recovery, as well as high-quality hosting: a collocation service - server placement (Fig. 3) and a dedicated server service - a dedicated server (Fig. 4).

Rice. 3. Stack Data Center: Server Placement
(server collocation)

Rice. 4. Data Center Stack: rent a dedicated server

Data centers have autonomous power supply systems with uninterruptible power supplies and powerful diesel generator sets (Fig. 5), climate control and air conditioning systems (Fig. 6), round-the-clock monitoring systems for the state of infrastructure elements and gas fire extinguishing systems. To ensure the reliability of life support systems, all systems are reserved according to the N + 1 scheme. A special security regime is achieved through several access perimeters using individual plastic magnetic cards, a biometric access control system, a video surveillance system and motion sensors.

Rice. 5. Stack data center: diesel generator

Rice. 6. Data Center Stack: Liebert Air Conditioner

A round-the-clock operation service (on-duty operators and specialists) is organized in the Stack Data Network data center network, including for life support systems. There are systems for round-the-clock monitoring of life support systems, telecommunications and server equipment, networks and the state of communication channels. The data centers are connected to the main telecommunications hubs of Moscow and interconnected by their own redundant fiber-optic communication lines.

Data center IBS DataFort

In 2001, IBS and Cable & Wireless announced the start of providing Russian and foreign companies with comprehensive services under the ASP scheme as part of the joint DATA FORT project based on a data center. A little later, DATA FORT began to live on its own, and in 2003 IBS announced the launch of its own DC, which belongs to an IBS subsidiary - IBS DataFort. The IBS DataFort data center is focused on serving clients with critical requirements for confidentiality and data protection, provides a high degree of data availability, modern hardware and software, reliable power supply, high-speed data transmission channels and a high level of technical support. The perimeter is heavily guarded (Fig. 7).

Rice. 7. Protected area of ​​the IBS DataFort data center

Inside the building there is a technical module with an area of ​​more than 130 sq.m, a two-story reserve office with an area of ​​about 150 sq.m, as well as an operator's post. To prevent the risks of floods and fires, the technical module of the data center is built of steel sandwich panels and raised half a meter above the floor (Fig. 8).

Rice. 8. Technical module of the IBS DataFort data center

The technical module is a fireproof, earthquake-resistant structure, equipped with a high-strength raised floor, waterproofing and grounding systems. The module is designed for 1500 Rack servers placed in 19-inch APC industrial racks.

The data center has an automatic gas fire extinguishing complex, consisting of Fire Eater, Shrak and Inergen GOS equipment, light and sound alarms (which warn of the start of gas and require you to leave the premises of the data center), as well as an effective smoke removal system (Fig. . nine).

Rice. 9. Data center fire extinguishing systems
IBS DataFort

The climate control system (Fig. 10) consists of industrial air conditioners with automatic maintenance of the set temperature in the region of 22 ± 0.5 ° C and humidity at the level of 50 ± 5%, switched on according to the N + 1 scheme (in case of failure of one of the air conditioners, the calculated parameters of the entire system are not violated). The influx of fresh air from the street is carried out using a special installation that prevents the penetration of dust into the data center.

Rice. 10. Climate control system
data center IBS DataFort

IBS DataFort specializes in complex IT outsourcing services, taking over all the functions of the customer's IT departments, and offers the following types of services:

• outsourcing of IT infrastructure - placement of customer equipment or leasing of data center infrastructure, ensuring the operability of corporate information systems;
• application management - skilled administration and management of various applications;
• outsourcing of IT personnel - provision of qualified specialists to solve various IT tasks;
• ensuring business continuity - organizing fault-tolerant solutions for restoring information systems after accidents and failures;
• IT consulting and audit - audit and inventory services in the field of IT, as well as the construction of industrial technologies for the operation of IT systems;
• functional outsourcing - management of individual IT functions according to agreed standards and approved service levels.

International backbone telecom operator

One of the key providers of international data transfer services.
Provision of IP-transit services and dedicated communication channels to international and local Internet providers.
Organization of virtual private networks (VPN), Internet access and other communication services for large and medium enterprises from various industries; banking structures and financial institutions, as well as government organizations
Extensive network coverage - 28 countries, 3 continents - and a significant presence in Eastern Europe and Russia.
High bandwidth network through which large volumes of international traffic pass.
High connectivity due to direct connections to numerous data centers and international traffic exchange points.

The largest Internet provider in Moscow

Wide coverage area - about 70 areas for corporate clients and 27 areas for individuals.
Innovative technologies - constantly improves the quality of its services, increasing the capacity of servers and channel bandwidth, boldly introducing innovative technologies, providing its subscribers with new opportunities for work, leisure, communication and development.
Starlink takes care of its subscribers by providing them with a new generation of Internet. The company was the first in Russia to actively connect its users to the Internet using IPv6, a new generation protocol.

The rapid development of modern technologies leads to the inevitable growth of automation of most processes, not only at enterprises of various levels, but also in everyday life.

With the increase in the level of technology, the processes of data exchange between various subjects are accelerating. There is a need for special automated centers where all information will be stored and processed reliably and in an orderly manner.

The best solution in this matter are data centers (data processing centers), which are gradually becoming an integral part of the infrastructure of any enterprise.

Purpose and types of data centers

Data processing centers are a complex system that includes a whole range of IT solutions, high-tech equipment and engineering structures.

The main task of the data center is to quickly process any amount of data, store information and issue it in a standardized form to the user. In fact, the core of the center is powerful server stations equipped with the necessary software, cooling and security systems.

There are two main types of such centers:

• commercial type. These are entire complexes that are being built for the subsequent rental of computing power. They are characterized by high performance and maximum data transfer speed. The user, using this service, receives a virtual data center, which may actually be located in another city or even country. The advantages of this option are obvious - the user can independently configure the system according to certain parameters, the control takes place remotely, there is no need to spend money on building and maintaining their own data center;


• internal (corporate). Centers that are established within a particular enterprise. They are for internal corporate use only. Despite the costs associated with the creation and commissioning of such a center, its main advantage lies in the direct management of the entire system. The company does not depend on a third-party owner of the equipment (service provider) and will be able to more effectively ensure the security of data and the safety of trade secrets. In case of failure of certain systems, the process of their recovery will be much faster. Do not forget that an enterprise that owns its own data center can ensure autonomous operation of equipment in case of power outages and respond as quickly as possible to various emergency situations.

Mobile and modular data centers

Separately, it is worth considering a mobile data center, which is a turnkey solution for small companies. The advantages are obvious - there is no need to design a special room for a stationary data center, take into account the specifics of the equipment, temperature conditions and other factors. Several world-class manufacturers have taken up the development of such centers and achieved great success.

Structurally, the system is a certain number of unified modules that can be easily combined into a full-fledged autonomous complex and quickly configured.

A modular data center is the most rational and simple way for many mid-sized companies. Another advantage of such a center is that it takes significantly less time to create and put into operation than a stationary structure.

Such integrated solutions are widely used in enterprises of various fields of activity. First of all, we are talking about organizations and companies for which fast data exchange is a key field of activity. These are various banking systems, government and commercial telecommunications organizations, IT companies, call centers, emergency dispatch services.

Properly processed information, which is promptly submitted, plays a paramount role in the work of such companies. An important criterion is also the possible loss of profit in case of incorrect or too slow data processing. Therefore, for large organizations, such centers are supplied with the latest technological equipment and software.

What is important to know when choosing a data center?

The reliability and speed of information processing in many companies depends on the construction of the workflow and the level of services provided to customers.

The key requirements for the data center are as follows:

• offline work;


• high level of reliability;


• data protection;


• reliability;


• high performance, regardless of whether it is a cloud data center (virtual) or an internal corporate option;
• a large amount of information storage;


• the possibility of expansion and modernization (planned for the next 5-7 years, taking into account the projected growth of the company and the development of technologies).

Data centers in Russia that meet these criteria are – the best solution for domestic companies in the core business. For most customers, the cumulative ratio of requirements to cost is very important.

Today Data Centers in the Russian Federation due to the crisis in the economy are no longer as in demand as they were 10 years ago, and this trend can be traced all over the world.

Large companies understand the importance of such centers, but when choosing equipment they are guided primarily by cost, and not by the latest technologies and advanced features.

Key elements of data centers

The structure of data processing centers includes a number of components and subsystems, without which the operational processing of information and data storage is impossible.

The system includes the following blocks:

• IT infrastructure of the CD;


• engineering systems of various levels of complexity;


• an integrated approach to security;


• management and monitoring.

To understand the structure in more detail, you should consider the main blocks more closely.

IT component of the data center;

The first block is a complex of high-tech equipment, which is integrated into a common system.

This is a kind of core of any modern data center, which consists of:

• server hardware;


• transmission, processing and storage systems.

In order to increase the efficiency of the server, many well-known companies are developing new products: software, virtual reality technologies and turnkey solutions based on the use of blade servers. This is one of the most demanded areas in the specialized IT field.

New developments can significantly increase equipment productivity, improve energy efficiency, reduce maintenance costs and optimize work processes to the maximum.

Engineering solutions in the data center

To ensure the smooth operation of powerful high-tech equipment, it is necessary to create an effective engineering system.

The main engineering systems of the data center fall into two categories:

• power supply. Special equipment should ensure not only an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the equipment, but also, in case of accidents on power lines, switch to autonomous power supply. To accomplish this, various uninterruptible power supplies and additional generators are used. It is very important that the voltage and frequency of the current correspond to the necessary parameters and that there are no interruptions and sharp jumps in the network. Such fluctuations adversely affect server hardware and can lead to its failure;


• cooling. Powerful servers emit a huge amount of heat during operation, which is removed with the help of special built-in radiators. This does not completely solve the problem, since the server stations are located in separate closed rooms. To ensure reliable cooling, various air conditioning systems are used that operate automatically, ensuring the optimum temperature in the room and preventing equipment from overheating. Using new technologies in the field of air conditioning (inverter compressors, high-precision thermal sensors), it is possible to achieve a reduction in the cost of consumed electricity by 10-15%.

Data center security

One of the most important components of the health of any data center is a properly designed security system. Companies use the latest anti-virus software and other data protection programs to keep data safe and prevent third parties from accessing it over the Internet.

In order to prevent the entry of unauthorized persons, a system for the admission of a certain category of employees, methods to counter hacking and physical entry to equipment, video surveillance, and a fire system are being developed and implemented. An integrated approach to security ensures the safety of important information.

Data center monitoring

An integrated approach to management and monitoring is an important component of any modern data center. Such systems automatically monitor the performance of all equipment and environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, voltage and frequency).

An integral part of monitoring are systems for predicting the probable failure of equipment and early warning.

A separate place is occupied by dispatching - this is an important component of the workflow, which allows you to organize informing staff about an emergency using modern communication technologies (sending data to an email address, the ability to automatically dial subscribers of a certain group or short SMS messages).

An integrated approach significantly reduces the risk of emergencies, and in the event of force majeure, provides the most effective method of dealing with and restoring damaged parts of the system.

Data centers at the show

An important event will be held on the territory of the Expocentre Fairgrounds - exhibition "Communication". A large exposition will be devoted to the issues of operational data processing and secure storage of information. This is an international event where the world's leading manufacturers of specialized equipment and software will demonstrate their latest developments in this area.

Everyone can find out the latest news about the data center, get acquainted with design systems, new mobile and stationary complexes.

Special attention will be paid to security and the necessary equipment to ensure cooling, ventilation and uninterrupted power supply of data centers. This is an important event for all industry professionals and business leaders who want to modernize their enterprise using modern technologies and the latest equipment for data storage, transmission and processing.

The era of computers is already more than 50 years old, respectively, the infrastructure of their life support is the same. The first computer systems were very complex to use and maintain, requiring a special integrated infrastructure to function.

An incredible variety of cables connected the various subsystems, and many technical solutions were developed to organize them, which are still used today: equipment racks, raised floors, cable trays, etc. In addition, cooling systems were required to prevent overheating. And since the first computers were military, security issues and restrictions were at the forefront. In the future, computers have become smaller, cheaper, more unpretentious and have penetrated a wide variety of industries. At the same time, the need for infrastructure disappeared, and computers began to be placed anywhere.

The revolution took place in the 90s, after the spread of the client-server model. Those computers that began to be considered servers began to be placed in separate rooms with prepared infrastructure. The names of these rooms in English sounded like Computer room, Server room, Data Center, while in the Soviet Union we called them "Machine Rooms" or "Computer Centers". After the collapse of the USSR and the popularization of English terminology, our CC turned into "server" and "Data Processing Centers" (DPC). Are there fundamental differences between these concepts, or is it just a matter of terminology?

The first thing that comes to mind is the scale: if it’s small, then it’s a server room, and if it’s large, then it’s a data center. Or: if there are only own servers inside, then this is a server room; and if server hosting services are provided to third-party companies, then the data center. Is it so? Let's look at the standards for the answer.

Standards and Criteria

The most common standard currently describing the design of data centers is the American TIA 942. Unfortunately, there is no Russian analogue, the Soviet CH 512-78 is long and hopelessly outdated (although there was a revision from 2000), it can only be considered in terms of general approaches.

The TIA 942 standard itself says that the purpose of its creation is to formulate requirements and guidelines for the design and installation of a data center or computer room. We will assume that the data center is something that meets the requirements of TIA 942, and the server room is just a kind of room with servers.

So, the TIA 942 standard classifies 4 levels (TIERs) of the data center and names a number of parameters by which this classification can be carried out. As an example, I decided to check whether my server room, built along with the factory three years ago, is a real data center.

As a small digression, I will point out that the plant is engaged in the manufacture of stamped parts for the automotive industry. We produce body parts for companies such as Ford and GM. The enterprise itself is small (the total staff is about 150 people), but with a very high level of automation: the number of robots is comparable to the number of workers in the shop. The main difference of our production can be called the Just-In-Time rhythm, that is, we cannot afford a delay, including due to the fault of IT systems. IT is business critical.

The server room was designed to meet the needs of the plant, it was not supposed to provide services to third-party companies, respectively, and certification for compliance with any standards was not required. However, since our plant is a member of a large international holding, the design and construction proceeded in accordance with internal corporate standards. And these standards, at least in part, are built on the basis of international ones.

The TIA 942 standard is very extensive and describes in detail the approaches to designing and building a data center. In addition, in the annex to it there is a large table with more than two hundred parameters for compliance with the four levels of the data center. Naturally, it is inappropriate to consider them all in the context of this topic, and some of them, such as “Separate parking for visitors and employees”, “Concrete slab thickness at ground level” and “Proximity to airports” are not very directly related to the classification DPCs and even more so their difference from the server. Therefore, we will consider only the most important, in my opinion, parameters.

Main parameters of data center classification

The standard establishes two categories of criteria - mandatory and recommended. Mandatory are denoted by the word "should" (shall), recommended - by the words "should", "may", "desirable" (should, may, desirable).
The first and most important criterion is the level of availability. According to TIA 942, the data center of the highest - fourth - level must have 99.995% availability (ie no more than 15 minutes of downtime per year). Further, in descending order, 99.982%, 99.749% and 99.671% for the first level, which corresponds to 28 hours of downtime per year. The criteria is pretty strict, but what is data center availability? Here, only the downtime of the entire data center is considered due to the fault of one of the life support systems, and the downtime of individual servers does not affect the availability of the data center. And if so, then it is fair to consider interruptions in the power supply system as the most likely reason for the failure.

Our server room has a powerful APC UPS with N + 1 redundancy and an additional battery cabinet that can support not only servers, but also all computers in the enterprise for up to 7 hours (and why do we need working servers if there is no one to connect to them). Over the three years of operation, there have never been any failures, so by this parameter we can claim the highest TIER 4.

Speaking of power supply, the third and fourth classes of data centers require a second power input. We don't have one, so the maximum is second class. Another standard classifies power consumption per square meter. Strange setting, never thought about it. I measured: I have 6 kW per 20 square meters, that is, 300 watts per square meter (only the first level). Although it is possible that I think wrong: the standard states that a good data center should have free space for scaling. That is, it turns out that the larger the “scaling margin”, the lower the level of the data center, but it should be the other way around. Here we have the lowest rating, but still meet the standard.

For me, an important parameter is the connection point for external telecommunication systems. We carry out online interaction with customers to receive orders and ship components, respectively, the lack of communication can lead to a stop of the conveyor of our customers. And this will not only negatively affect our reputation, but also lead to serious fines. It is interesting that the standard itself talks about duplication of connection entry points, but there is nothing about this in the application (although it is indicated that in levels above the first all subsystems should be redundant). We use two connection channels with automatic routing in case of failure in one of them, plus a backup GPRS router with manual connection. Here again we meet the highest requirements.

A significant part of the standard is devoted to cable networks and systems. These are distribution points for the main and vertical subsystems of the overall data center cabling system and the cabling infrastructure. After reading several parts of this section, I realized that it must either be memorized, or humble and concentrate on more important things. Although at a superficial glance (category 6 twisted pair, separation of active equipment from passive), we still comply with the standard. Although I'm not sure about such parameters as the distance between cabinets, the angles of the trays and the correct spacing of traces for low-current cables, optics and power. We assume that here we partially meet the requirements.

Air conditioning systems: there are air conditioners, there is redundancy, we can even say that there is even a cold and hot corridor (albeit one, due to the size of the room.) But the cooling is not distributed under the raised floor, as recommended, but directly in the working area. Well, we do not control humidity, but according to the standard, this is an omission. We put a partial match.

A separate part is devoted to raised floors. The standard regulates both the height and the load on them. Moreover, the higher the class of the data center, the higher and more powerful the raised floors should be. We have them, and in terms of height and loads they correspond to the second class of the data center. But my opinion is that the presence of raised floors should not be a criterion, and even more so a characteristic of a data center. I was in the data center of the WestCall company, where they initially abandoned the raised floors, placing all the trays under the ceiling. Air conditioning is done with cold and hot aisles. The building is detached, the premises are large, they provide specific services. That is, a good, “real” data center, but it turns out that without raised floors it formally does not meet the standard.
The next important point is the security system. Large data centers are guarded almost like safe deposit boxes in a bank, and getting there is a whole procedure, from coordination at different levels to changing clothes and shoe covers. We have it easier with this, but everything is present: physical security is provided by the private security company, which also guards the plant itself, and the access control system ensures that only authorized employees enter the premises. We put a plus.

And finally, the gas fire extinguishing system. The main and backup cylinders, sensors in the room itself, under the floor and above the ceiling, and the control system - everything is there. By the way, an interesting point. When companies want to show off their data center, the first thing they show is the fire suppression system. Probably because this is the most unusual element of the data center, which is not found almost anywhere except for data centers, and the rest of the equipment just looks like cabinets of different colors and sizes.

The main difference, in my opinion, between the two upper levels of the data center and the lower ones is that they should be located in a separate building. It would seem that this is the sacred meaning of the difference between a server room and a data center: if it is allocated to a separate building, then this is a data center. But no, the standard says that the first two levels are also data centers.

I found the same parameter, according to which my server room does not pull at the data center: the size of the front door. According to the standard, there should be at least 1.0 × 2.13 m, and preferably 1.2 × 2.13 m. And we have an ordinary door: 0.9 × 2.0 m. This is a minus, but consider it a criterion for distinguishing a data center from a server room the size of the front door is not serious.

Almost a real data center!

So what did we get? A small server room at the plant meets almost all the requirements of the standard for organizing a data center, albeit with minor reservations. The only major discrepancy is the size of the front door. The absence of a separate building for the server room does not leave any chances for higher places. This means that the assumption that the data center is necessarily large, and the server room, on the contrary, is always small, is incorrect. As well as the second assumption that the data center serves many client companies. It follows from everything that the server room is just a synonym for the data processing center.

The concept of a data center appeared when they started selling hosting services, renting racks and hosting servers. At that time, the concept of a server room was devalued by neglect of the infrastructure due to the unpretentiousness of the PC and the low cost of downtime. And, in order to show that the provider has everything built for convenient and trouble-free operation, and they are able to guarantee the quality of the service, they introduced the concept of data centers, and then the standards for their construction. Given the trends of centralization, globalization and virtualization, I think that the concept of a server room will soon disappear or turn into a designation for a telecommunications hub.

I believe that our President is counting on the same thing with the law on the police. The concept of "police" has devalued, and it is too late to create new rules for them. Whether it will be possible to build competent standards for the new structure - we'll see in the near future.