Operations of Colocation Hosting

Large companies are increasingly turning to colocation services for all of their hosting needs. In general, the core charges for this type of service is based on two elements, with the first one being the amount of space a company’s server will require at the colocation facility. The two terms most commonly used to refer to this amount of space are U’s (units) and cabinets. The second element is the actual equipment that will be stored in a facility.

Racks

Colocation providers standardize computer and networking equipment on a 19-inch rack design. The rack comes in the form of a stand or cabinet with horizontal mounted hardware spaced at 19-inches apart. This makes it possible for hardware manufacturers to design products that can be easily installed directly inside of a rack.

The height of items stored inside of a rack typically varies. However, a standard size is selected to determine the height of required components. A standard U height for a rack mount casing is an estimated 1.75 inches high. The components are assigned their height standards in regard to the number of U’s. The industry standard size for servers is usually 1U while the majority of networking hardware such as routers or switches is 2U.

The number of U’s needed to mount hardware into the colocation facility ultimately determines the base price of the computer server. A single 1U server is generally more affordable than a 2U system which tends to be much larger. In order to use full-sized expansion cards found in many desktop computer systems, a server needs to be inserted into a 4U case which is much more expensive. Because of this, you should also look into the price of components as well as the actual server.

Cabinets

A cabinet is the term most often used to describe full-sized server rack. Many of them contain additional security features such as the locking door panel which has resulted in the title of a cage or closed cabinet. Cabinets are normally used by larger companies that require a enormous amount of space for numerous servers and other equipment.

Most colocation providers also have partial cabinets available for their clients. In most cases, this describes a 12 (1/4) or 24U (½) cabinet. While not a full cabinet, this is still a decent amount of space to enable the installation of hardware. It is important to make yourself familiar with partial cabinets because many providers will give you quotes on a 1/4 cabinet if your hardware is not designed for rack mounting. It may be quite expensive for a single server to be transferred over to a dedicated rack server case, even those as large as a 4U size.

Amps

Aside from accommodating for the space a server may claim, a colocation provider must also supply power to the many systems they have installed. Most of them have some type of reliable power supply attached to all of their systems in case of outages. In order to ensure the presence of backup power, the company must know the level of usage by the systems installed on the site. This is where amps play a critical role.

Usually, a colocation provider will allocate a specific number of amps to support the amount of spaced leased throughout the facility. This is typically anywhere in between 1 to 2 amps per U. Most hardware easily falls within these specifications. However, if your system requires a lot of equipment, expect to pay extra fees for the additional allotment of power.

Conclusion

As you can see, the operations of a colocation service are rather complex. This is far from traditional web hosting and more expensive. However, it does provide numerous benefits for a company that isn’t designed to house their own equipment.

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