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It's not every day something dramatic happens on the data center scene.  Today, though, something did, and I'm going to hop on the bandwagon and go into some detail on this new "3-2-1" networking architecture.

As t; target="_new">the Register puts it in their article, Juniper took a major step today towards achieving the Holy Grail of data center network architecture: the mythical single-tier model. An array of hardware, software and services unveiled today make a two-layer system possible, and that one-layer concept put in action is rumoured to be on its way.

A lot of work has gone into verifying and maximizing the efficiency of this dual-tier model and Juniper holds that it is considerably more effective than Cisco's three-tier network architecture, against which they are lashing out in a seriously competitive way.  The new system cuts out one layer in favour of a different approach to the other two, and in a 500-server comparison boasts a 20% decrease in set-up costs as well as a 30% decrease in power usage over Cisco's model, thanks to a reduced requirement for managed devices.

Juniper's advances in data center technology are very interesting technologically and very exciting in their potential.  I'm sure I'm not alone in eagerly awaiting the results of today's developments.

-Elizabeth English

photo by bottomdollar99730 under flickr creative commons license

P.S. Did you know the juniper berry is the main ingredient used to flavour gin?  Unrelated, sure, but it's good trivia to have on hand.

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Because we were there... as seen here:

It's the closest I've come to being published... uncredited and without my permission... so hopefully the taste of power won't go to my head.

Mission Critical Magazine is as ubiqitous as it gets in the data center industry and we're proud our blog is a part of this issue!

-Elizabeth English

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As I am sure everyone has seen on various news programs, websites and social media, the flooding in Tennessee is horrible. What most people don't think about is the effect this flood has on technology.

An e-mail with 10 "FW:" in the subject line landed in my inbox this morning with some tragic pictures (below) of the Opryland Hotel. More frightening than the pictures, was a comment from a friend of mine...

"The pictures were taken on May 11th. They were in the middle of preparing a Disaster Recovery program. Most of their infrastructure has been destroyed, as well as their PBX and IT equipment as well as their Call Center for several of their properties."

...the worst part of that quote is the "...in the middle of preparing a Disaster Recovery program..."

SilverBack Migration Solutions is pledging support to the victims of the Tennessee flood. 5% of all projects signed between today and June 15, 2010 will be donated to charities directly coordinating relief efforts in Tennessee.

More pictures of the OpryLand Hotel Flood can be found on our Flickr Page...

Do you have a DR plan in place? SilverBack can help you design and build your DR plan and site(s). Contact us today.

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Several exciting things caught my attention today in data center and green IT news.

First was a re-hash of something I missed last month but which sounds awesome - that Dell announced the y might never need to build another data center.  The idea is that instead of adding more data center space, they can just increase the efficiency of space they've already created.  Although this plan, which will involve staying very up-to-date with new technology and replacing equipment a lot, will still require a lot of money to maintain, it's much more environmentally friendly than it would be to build new facilities which will use more power and other resources.  All they save on energy goes a long way towards covering the cost of new equipment, anyway.  I suppose it's not as good for the job market, but it's definitely better for the environment.

Something else interesting is this piece outlining the importance of data center power-usage management.  Besides the obvious need to keep hardware up-to-date and as efficient as possible, it's also important to keep it all running as it should be and make sure all the parts of the system are working together as harmoniously as they can.  Despite the spamminess of the site, the article makes a good point about taking a holistic approach to data center power management.

Also worth mentioning is that there's word on new EPA standards. The standards for Energy Star certification for data centers are still in the works, but the EPA is also introducing efforts to create a certification for data center storage devices.  Doing so will be complicated, but an important step towards maximizing energy efficiency.

-Elizabeth English

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Don't forget to call your mother today.

For those of us who live in our mothers' basements, I don't just mean yell upstairs.

According to Wikipedia, Mother's Day in South Africa is the second Sunday of May ju st as it is here in the US, and I wanted to remind any South African readers to consider carrier pigeon if you were thinking of sending an e-card!

-Elizabeth English

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