Data Center
software load balancing
Nov 29th
load balancing is a common technique for distributing a workload, such as handling a web site, across multiple servers. a pool of several smaller servers can be more efficient than a single large server, since the size and capability of the “server” can be changed just by adding or eliminating servers from the pool. a pool of servers can also be more responsive than a single server, and more fault-tolerant.
one of the simplest forms of load balancing is round-robin DNS, where a single hostname is pointed at multiple IP addresses, each of an individual server. this is very easy to set up, but changes to the pool are limited by DNS caching and TTL. on the other end of the spectrum are dedicated hardware load balancers, such as the F5 Big-IP we use, which monitor the status of each server in the pool and intelligently route incoming requests. these are awesome machines, but come with equally awesome price tags. between these two extremes lie some network firewalls with load balancing, and software load balancers, which run on a front-end server.
i’ve been looking at a few software load balancers for a small virtual server project; Balance, Crossroads, and Pen.
Colocation is so 1990s…
Oct 11th
Yep, I said it.
Today, organizations need more agility and elasticity in their computing services. Sounds cloudy, huh?
I’m not a fan of the term ‘cloud’, with the vague meanings and weird marketing tricks. We banter around at the office and come up with silly & new terms like ‘fog’ (because it isn’t clear) or ‘to the clown!’ (a play on words in reference to the Microsoft advertisements).
What I am a fan of is the change in operation for how we (all of us) use computing facilities.
Not long ago we were all buying servers for either a single use (front-end web server, a database server, etc) or a larger edition to combine services onto (perhaps a web/database server with email services planned). This is great from the hardware manufacturer point of view but isn’t the best use of the business’ cash flow, creates inflexible hardware configurations, and isn’t very green.
Enter the concept of the virtual data center (or VDC), something we rolled out on October 1st, 2011 after months of testing.
Electric
Mar 16th
Lots of folks don’t think much about where the power they use comes from, but I do. We can’t do any of the things we do here at all without it and we take it seriously. In this post, I’ll cover the basic parts of how electrical power is delivered to the datacenter without getting too serious.
These parts are: electrical service, backup generator, uninterruptible power supply, automatic transfer switch, power distribution units, power monitoring, and power consumers, such as servers, routers, and switches.
The main difference between power for devices in the datacenter and other types of power service is that a power loss in this situation can be a really big deal. These devices need power that is always on, even in a storm, to function properly. Making the datacenter stay on when the power from the electric company falters takes some special design considerations.
ITs time to move out of your parents house
Mar 16th
A few years back you had an idea for a business so you made a website that had a shopping cart with a few mailboxes… all was good.
Fast forward to present day –
- Your website has tons of extra space added onto it to support the files needed to run the site.
- Your mailbox is continually reaching the upper echelons of storage capacities and frequently needs space upgrades.
- At least one of your thirty plus domains are always up for renewal.
Your bill is starting to resemble a waistline during the holiday season, growing exponentially. There has to be another option, a more cost effective option. More >
