Service Provider Builds National Network of Unmanned Data Centers (datacenterfrontier.com) 33
1sockchuck writes: Colocation and content delivery specialist EdgeConneX is operating unmanned "lights out" data centers in 20 markets across the United States, marking the most ambitious use to date of automation to streamline data center operations. While some companies have operated prototypes of "lights out" unmanned facilities (including AOL) or deployed unmanned containers with server gear, EdgeConneX built its broader deployment strategy around a lean operations model. The company uses software to remotely control the generators and UPS systems at each data center, and can dispatch techs when on-site maintenance is needed.
Nothing revolutionary (Score:3)
Dispatch a tech when something breaks is nothing new. I know a while back some boys were experimenting with bots to replace HDD's but with people moving to more reliable SSD implementing such a system wouldn't be worth the bother for most
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FedEx FTW!
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The real challenge is achieving the equivalent of an engineer's "rounds" in an unmanned facility. It takes a lot of instrumentation to tell what could be going bad in an air handler or chiller, and beyond just the instrumentation, it is an insane amount of effort to get the system to simply report exceptions from all that data.
Simple example: pump seal is degrading and instead of leaking 0.1 gallon/day it is leaking 0.15/day. The engineering doing rounds says "there seems to be more water on the floor" af
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Amazon is getting killed having to deal with multiple generations of very cookie cu
Well not completely unmanned (Score:3)
I mean, I'd hope they would have security guards at least. Otherwise it makes a pretty tasty target.
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wouldn't the security guards be tastier? at least they are made of meat.
Not really. They dispatch robots as security guards.
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I mean, I'd hope they would have security guards at least. Otherwise it makes a pretty tasty target.
Don't worry. Unmanned is just the latest buzzword for CTOs who want a smaller head count.
can dispatch techs when on-site maintenance is needed
Yes, there will still be technicians, security guards, and janitors that have physical access to the data center if needed.
So this Press Release slash-advertisement really doesn't mean anything that hasn't already been done. Call me when they put their data centers thousands of feet underwater, or when they put their data centers in space, or on the moon.
Re: Well not completely unmanned (Score:1)
Plus the NSA technicians to hook up the sniffers.
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I'll bet they're using a bunch of these [duckduckgo.com]. Always works for me! Just don't hook a terminal up to them if player characters are a threat....
(I always keep trying to figure out where they get the gas and seemingly infinite ammo to keep operating.)
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It won't be lights out either, unless they put tape over all those thousands of blinkenlights.
Seriously though, I've toured Panasonic's TV factory that is lights out. Parts of it are unlit until a human goes there and a PIR sensor detects them. You would think with LED lighting it wouldn't be worth it, but apparently the cost savings are significant enough to bother. It's actually a little bit spooky at first.
slashvertisement (Score:2)
slashvertisement? this is nothing amazing.
Humans, get used to enter only when invited, (Score:2)
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I'll bring you a bucket of water, you quasi-sentient clod!
Don't make us shut down your public water supply.. (Score:2)
Slashvertisement (Score:2)
This article is about par for PR-WEB... but pretty out-of-place here (or at least it would have been, pre-Dice).
I can't see how it's different than any other datacenter... You still need a couple security guards so someone is always on-site. Hardware repairs can be contracted out to Dell/HP/etc. And then your own techs only very occasionally need to stop by.
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You still need a couple security guards so someone is always on-site. Hardware repairs can be contracted out to Dell/HP/etc. And then your own techs only very occasionally need to stop by.
I have been to a lot of data centers with key card entry and no guard. Equinox always has a guard, but that's more security theater than anything else.
You've Got Fail (Score:5, Funny)
Can the editors please do their jobs?
I consider myself to be pretty tech-savvy, but we can't all be expected to know every acronym for every open source project and kickstarted company.
Can someone please tell me what the fuck AOL is?
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So they are like AWS with their on demand or reserve instances.
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AOL is the company that nicely sent out free floppy disks containing the entire internet to everyone back when the internet was small enough to fit on floppy disks. They later upgraded to CD's as the internet grew in size.
now that the internet has been upgraded to a series of tubes [youtube.com] i am not sure what AOL is doing any longer.
Re: You've Got Fail (Score:2)
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now that the internet has been upgraded to a series of tubes [youtube.com] i am not sure what AOL is doing any longer.
From all accounts, neither are they.
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Really (Score:2)
I have been in plenty of data centers and they are generally unmanned, especially after hours. Generally, if there is a person there, they are either a security guard, site manager or a local sales rep (i.e, they may be physically there, but they are not techs). Even if you have some sort of "warm hands" service (i.e., a guy you can call and get to push a button to restart your server), they will generally be offsite and will have to drive to your location. If there are techs around, it is likely to be beca