Re:Preparing Rackspace Data Centers for Hurricane Sandy
by confluence on Tuesday October 30, 2012 @12:29AM
(#4716070)
Makes sense - assuming supply lines are cut then you'll need to get in before the thundering herd clobbers access to fuel and jacks the price up to uneconomic short term levels. I'm surprised they don't keep large strategic oil reserves on site like the military does.
Re:Preparing Rackspace Data Centers for Hurricane Sandy
by ChuckMcM on Tuesday October 30, 2012 @01:07AM
(#4716188)
As it turns out I know the answer to that one. Its a question of hazardous materials. You need a permit to store fuel on site (and you have to get regular inspections to insure it isn't leaking into the groundwater) and the permits get more expensive the more fuel you keep. At some point the permitting authority would probably change your business classification from 'data center' to 'fuel depot' if you went overboard :-)
Seeing reports of data centers experiencing flooding I really wonder what best practices are for a data center in a flood zone. Not like you could float it or anything. It hasn't been on my list of worries (Santa Clara doesn't flood much, more likely to fall into a crack in the ground). Anyone here who has an action plan for flooding at their data center? I recall seeing a nuclear plant that had a levee wall, that was pretty impressive.