Recently, the term “data center” is used as a universal definition for any more or less organized computing environment. Nevertheless, there are several types of data centers. Each IT network has its own characteristics that must be considered when one architect the data center so that, it best meets the ever-increasing demands of end-users.

We give a brief description of the different types of data centers, their architecture, and a variety of tasks. Also, consider how these problems affect the criteria of choice in network equipment and technologies.

Types of data centers

Depending on the destination there are four different types of data centers, each designed for a specific business model and has its own operational problems and issues:

• Corporate data centers
• Web hosting data centers, providing computer infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Data centers that provide TurnKey Solutions
• Data centers that use the technology to Web 2.0.

Below are the options which may vary significantly in different types of data centers:

• Bandwidth type (internal, external, or mixed)
• The use of Layer 2 (L2) and/or Layer 3 (L3) for traffic control at the center or the periphery (Top of Rack)
• Data Storage Technology
• Level of server virtualization
• The overall size of the data center (number of servers).

The correspondence of form and function

Depending on the type of data center, it uses different network technologies and equipment. Corporate data centers tend to serve many applications. They can be either 200 (small companies), or 1000 servers (large companies). Part of corporate data centers has a closed structure, designed to optimize the IT applications and services. Only a few vertical structures (oil and gas exploration, biotechnology, or any other areas in which IT infrastructure is crucial for the competitiveness of companies) may also include high-performance computing clusters (HPCC) at its data centers, designed for thorough scientific analysis. Many corporate data centers also have an open structure, designed for customer service. They maintained internal and external bandwidth, depending on the type of application.

Virtualization and the development of mixed networks

In the development of corporate data centers, there are two major trends: the growing use of server virtualization technologies that make more efficient use of hardware resources, and the transition to mixed networks that combine LAN Technology-based Ethernet, and fiber-optic network storage or SAN. Traditionally, corporate data centers use mixed network service levels (L2 and L3), and the combination of virtual and physical servers.

Turn-Key data center space helps the customers to rapidly move ahead with data center projects by utilizing wholesale data center space that helps to skip the time-wasting and expensive process of identifying suitable real estate and developing it into usable data center space. There are demand-driven speculative investments in “plug-in ready” data center space for clients with immediate requirements.

Turn-Key data center services provide state-of-the-art environments for supporting IT infrastructure, advanced cooling, power, redundancy, and sustainability features to ensure that critical applications are available while optimizing energy efficiency.

Portals, or companies that use Web 2.0 technology (data centers are usually open structures, designed to provide interactive services such as search, games, or social networks), have very different needs. Portal data centers mainly serve their own domestic bandwidth that users access applications and information from many sources, and try to keep it within the switch (ToR) whenever possible, a cluster or a given data center. Being a predominantly physical environment, portals use the services of L2 on the periphery (ToR) and service level L3 in the center, and, as a rule, they use local data storage systems (with limited use of the Internet protocol in some systems).

Features of Internet hosting

Hosting services are provided by huge companies, numbering tens of global data centers, or small firms that have only a few dozen customers. Being versatile in their structure, these data centers provide their clients with numerous services to provide computer infrastructure, the nature of which is determined by the relevant service agreement (SLAs) and, therefore, mainly serve external bandwidth. Their expansion is due to the extensive use of virtualization technologies, so they use the network topology of L2 for the migration of virtual machines that also create additional internal traffic.

To store the data in these data centers protocols, iSCSI, NFS, or other appropriate Internet protocols are used.

With all these data we can draw conclusions about the networking capabilities of each type of data center.

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ESDS

Marketing Team at ESDS Software Solutions Limited

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