Re: [cobalt-users] Need advice on Colocating or Self Location

["E.B. Dreger" <eddy+public+spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 20:48:19 -0400
> From: Grant Stern <grantstern@xxxxxxx>

[ snipping throughout ]


> When the routing GOD feels like routing things, he calls Kendall (a
> congested suburb of Miami) and speaks with his network engineer friends.  I
> have a buddy doing it for Telephonica SA and the other manages the data
> center that I'm currently working for, but is a past employee of Uunet.
> Between the two of them (if I so desire) I can (and do on occasion for other
> things) get expert advice from people who really know how to route.  I can't

This helps... and note that routing was just one example.  I
probably should have said "network infrastructure" instead of
focusing so much on routing.

Definitely stay in touch with clueful friends; they'll save you
many headaches and hassles.  (And with any luck, an occasional
tidbit of wisdom will float by on the mailing lists to which you
subscribe.)


> learn every last thing about it, but I know which way is up and down, and
> how to call them.  Also, I don't do silly things like spamming and porn
> hosting, my sites aren't really very attractive hacker targets thus far.

Others have addressed this, so I'll not repeat.


> I'm not worried about building a co-lo today.  I'm more concerned with
> hosting individual sites.  Should I continue to grow at my initial pace.  I
> will have a few boxes next year, and will start to have full redundant

Multiple boxes is the exact reason that you want to segment your
network.  Even if they're all yours, it's not unreasonable to
partition things.

Also, management effort increases with number of boxes.  Plus the
laws of statistics dictate that more equipment will fail...


> backup as of two weeks (I think) when raq number two arrives.  Not sure bout
> that right now though.

Full redundant backup... redundant pipes, redundant routers,
redundant power, redundant locations, redundant ....

You can have a warm/hot standby system, but full redundancy gets
ugly if you have databases involved.


> > Ever had a bad support experience?
> 
> Interland specializes in them, I had three sites there when their bloody
> death as a company (read merger with host pro) completed.  Their sucking
> helped me into hosting my own.
> 
> > Now, how will you provide better for your clients?  You need the
> >infrastructure clue.
> 
> For the time being, I have a great strategy for providing better.  Grow over
> time and keep pace with what I can actually handle.  That means, I'm going
> to give time for the business to grow, not go for silicon valley style
> overnight company (zing!).

Okay, good.  At first it looked [to me] like you were gung ho
about building a colo because the building space was cheap.  But
the building is probably the least of your concerns.


> I am really dreaming about a yipes fiber pipe with realtime bandwidth on
> demand, but whatever pipe you like . . . . .

My intention was to throw out some more things to keep in mind.
As speeds become faster, latency becomes more of an issue.  Miami
is a decent location, but multiple pipes still help reduce
latency -- a big issue on hosting.  Add reliability, flexibility,
and the ability to shut down one pipe if needed, and that's why a
single big pipe just doesn't excite me.

Then again, maybe I'm pedantic.

Don't get me wrong... I'm no Avi, SMD, Paul, Randy, et cetera.
Not by a long shot.  And I don't have the perfect network.  But
one improves by finding the flaws and thinking how to improve
things.

Finally, I'm not saying that you _can't_ run a colo.  Nobody is
born knowing any of this.  But running into a minefield with
klunky boots is a bad idea.


--
Eddy

Brotsman & Dreger, Inc. - EverQuick Internet Division
Phone: +1 (316) 794-8922 Wichita/(Inter)national
Phone: +1 (785) 865-5885 Lawrence

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