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A data center is a physical location dedicated to storing, processing, and transmitting information in digital format. It is the heart of any business that depends on technology.
- Functionality: A data center houses the IT infrastructure needed to build, run, and deliver applications and services. It also manages the storage and administration of data associated with those applications and services .
- Uptime: An essential parameter for a data center is uninterrupted uptime, relative to the duration of a calendar year. Ideally, the up time should be 100%, but in reality, providers of such services cannot ensure this parameter at 100%. Usually, a contract uptime of 99.99% is set.
- Security and reliability: The essential requirements for operating a data center include:
- The physical location is protected against the risks of floods, earthquakes, fires, etc.
- Security by means of burglary protection and automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems.
- High-performance air conditioning system.
- Power supply with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and electric generators ..
- Data center functions:
- Information storage and processing.
- Provision of network services, including network access, packet routing, DNS and DHCP services, mail services, cloud services, and virtualization.
- Costs related to operating a data center: At least 50% of the installed power is consumed by the air conditioning system. For this reason, many companies have relocated their data centers to cold climates such as subarctic areas in Norway, Finland and Canada.
Generally, there are four levels of data center classification, known as Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4. These levels are used to indicate the reliability of the data center infrastructure. In general, the higher the level, the higher the reliability.
- Tier 1: The data center has a single path for power supply and cooling, with no backup components. This level has a service availability of 99,671% per annum.
- Tier 2: The data center has only one path for power supply and cooling, with some redundant and backup components.
- Tier 3: The data center has double redundancy for power and cooling equipment.
- Tier 4: The data center has a completely redundant infrastructure.
Tier I
A Tier I data center is the basic capacity layer with infrastructure to support information technology for an office setting and beyond. The requirements for a facility of this level include:
- An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for drops, interruptions and peaks.
- An area for IT systems.
- Dedicated cooling equipment operating outside office hours.
- A motor generator for power outages.
- Level I protects against interruptions caused by human error, but not against unexpected failures or interruptions. Redundant equipment includes chillers, pumps, UPS modules and motor generators. The plant will have to shut down completely for preventive maintenance and repairs, and failure to do so increases the risk of unplanned outages and serious consequences due to system failure.
Tier II
Tier II installations cover redundant capacity components for power and cooling that provide better maintenance opportunities and safety against interruptions. These components include:
- Motor generators.
- Energy storage.
- Chillers.
- Cooling units.
- UPS modules.
- Pumps.
- Heat rejection equipment.
- Fuel tanks.
- Fuel cells.
- The Level II distribution path serves a critical environment, and components can be removed without turning it off. Just like a Level I facility, the unexpected shutdown of a Level II data center will affect the system.
Tier III
A Tier III data center is simultaneously maintained with redundant components as a key differentiator, with redundant distribution paths to serve the critical environment. Unlike Tier I and Tier II, these facilities do not require shutdowns when equipment needs maintenance or replacement. Tier III components are added to Tier II components so that any part can be shut down without affecting IT operation.
Tier IV
A Tier IV data center has several independent and physically isolated systems that act as redundant capacity components and distribution paths. Separation is necessary to prevent both systems from being compromised. The environment will not be affected by an interruption to planned and unplanned events. However, if redundant components or distribution paths are closed for maintenance, the environment may pose a greater risk of interruption if a failure occurs.
Tier IV facilities add fault tolerance to the Tier III topology. When equipment breaks down or there is a distribution path outage, IT operations will not be affected. All IT equipment must have a fault-tolerant power design to be compatible. Tier IV data centers also require continuous cooling to make the environment stable.
Reference: Uptime Institute – Tier certification and Training