IT Cave in the USA
Cavern Technologies’s data center is located more than 23 meters underground in Lenex, Kansas. This provider is from among those companies that offer their customers an unprecedented level of security. More recently, Cavern Technologies has doubled the area of its underground data center, located 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City. The colocation provider provided about 6 thousand m 2 for operation. The cave, which since 2007 has been converted into an underground data center, offers its customers from small rooms for private use to large areas with a separate security system and energy infrastructure.
Cavern Technologies is:
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In the future, the second stage is planned to expand the area of this data center, by about 4 thousand m 2 .
“The development plan is already in development for another 14 thousand m 2 ,” said Clan, the head of Cavern Technologies.
The construction of underground data centers is growing to the extent that an increasing number of customers want Ultra at their disposal to securely secure underground server farms for important IT projects. Operators of underground server farms say that such data centers are almost identical to the above-ground structures, with the only difference being that many of them are located in the former limestone mining mines. During the exhibition and conference of the World Fall data center, the experts discussed the pros and cons of such underground data centers, assessed the prospects and advantages of such projects.
“The total area of underground data centers is growing rapidly, as such structures are increasingly in demand due to their safety and efficiency. - said John Clan, the head of Cavern Technologies, - One of the biggest problems we had to face was a distorted perception, even a rather skeptical attitude to the very concept of “underground” data center. In the perception of people, such objects are mines with a closed space, low ceilings, and helmeted guys. But we have 6 m ceilings, which clearly distinguishes us from the imaginary. ”
Cavern Technologies is part of a cluster of underground facilities in the Midwest USA, including SubTropolis, The Mountain Complex and SpringNet Underground in Missouri, and InfoBunker and US Secure Hosting in Iowa. “Potential customers when choosing an underground data center should take into account the fact that they are not all the same, and remember the differences between traditional and underground structures,” said architect Keri Not from Bell / Knott & Associates. Music has been involved in the development of a number of underground business parks and data centers in Kansas, Missouri. “For such facilities, old mines are well suited,” said Note, “after the construction of the underground data center is completed, you can take a specialist, blindfold him and take him to an underground data center of this kind, and he will never understand that is underground. All the equipment inside is the same as in the terrestrial data centers. ” But there are differences. Here are some pros and cons that should be taken into account when evaluating a data center built in limestone deposits.
According to the Clan, Cavern Technologies specialists were able to deploy a data center on 500 m 2 in 60 days, and this is impressive. There is no need to build or adapt the building, the underground space has already been created, all that is required is finishing work and strengthening the walls. Another advantage is the speed of obtaining a building permit from local authorities. This saves from 8 to 10 weeks, and notice the construction can continue all year round without delay, because the weather conditions are not a hindrance to you.
The construction of an underground data center, according to Nota, can be cheaper, since the shell - the frame already exists. Such facilities can also save on testing for the object's resilience to natural disasters. What is relevant in the Midwest USA. "To build a tornado-sustainable building above the ground, you need to spend an additional $ 100 for each m 2. " He added that other types of disasters are often troubling customers. “Customers are concerned that an earthquake could occur. Unlike ground structures, earthquakes have virtually no effect on the structural integrity of the underground data center, but still the walls need to be strengthened. ”
For the conversion of an underground data center suitable objects that were created not so long ago, those that were built before the 1960s may not be suitable. “Acceptable for conversion into a data center is a building, a former mine, which was used for commercial purposes. The layer of limestone must be structurally integral and of a certain thickness. The size of the rooms also plays an important role, as round pillars with diameters of up to 10 m can be used as supporting structures. ” The size and position of these pillars influences how technical sites with equipment will be placed. Optimizing the use of underground space plays an important role. “From underground pillars it’s difficult to get 90 ° angles between walls and floors, so you need to show“ creativity ”, since all the equipment is rectangular in shape. That is, you have to work with what you already have, it turns out that restrictions appear due to irregular shape these same columns and features of the corridors. It happens that working in such a data center is at least inconvenient. ”
In most cases, underground spaces are cool, but this does not mean that they will remain as such, you only need to fill them with servers. “One of the biggest problems is the issue of heat removal from the servers. Said Noth, “Most underground facilities have their own fresh air supply and ventilation systems.” Such systems are primarily designed to create comfortable conditions for the work of miners, but not to maintain the temperature regime of the data center. Your task is to drill new holes that will become additional ventilation channels. ”
Some mechanical and electrical equipment requires intensive ventilation in order to prevent the failure of this equipment, it is advisable to place air-cooled generators and chillers next to an external wall. You can also build a separate camera-room underground for their location. Among the minuses can be called the problem associated with the fire extinguishing system. The study of this issue requires increased attention.
There will be no daylight in the underground data center, but in this respect it is not different from many above-ground data centers. One of the greatest inconveniences may be a problem with parking places. Due to the fact that the size of the underground data center is large, the distance to parking can be significant.
Pros:
Among the drawbacks can highlight the need to lay a variety of fiber-optic cables to connect them with the outside world.
For a better idea of what an underground data center is, you can watch a video about the Iron Mountain underground data center in Boyers, PA. Nicolas Salimbene, director of business development at Iron Mountain Data Centers, prepared a video tour of the company's underground data center. It is located about 67 meters underground, its area is 158 thousand m 2 . The facility was deployed inside a former limestone mine. To optimize the cooling system, water from groundwater aquifers is used. The constant temperature of the mine is 13 ° C, and the limestone walls absorb heat.
Such underground data centers provide an impetus for the development of a kind of underground culture among IT companies. And this is far from the "underground movement" from our youth, which was available to the "chosen", but quite a good solution for the masses. We hope that in the near futurewe , more precisely, the servers will not only be underground. Maybe very soon we will be ordering hosting from an underwater, or even space data center.
Cavern Technologies is:
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- deeper client blocks with areas from 14 to 185 m 2 ;
- multi-level security system with personnel card scanners, and devices for video surveillance and face recognition;
- fire system FM-200;
- powerful ventilation, heating and air conditioning;
- power supply from two independent power substations;
- uninterruptible power system (UPS) and diesel generators with reliable power reserve;
- access to fiber-optic networks of a number of providers;
- permanent access to equipment (7x24x365).
In the future, the second stage is planned to expand the area of this data center, by about 4 thousand m 2 .
“The development plan is already in development for another 14 thousand m 2 ,” said Clan, the head of Cavern Technologies.
The construction of underground data centers is growing to the extent that an increasing number of customers want Ultra at their disposal to securely secure underground server farms for important IT projects. Operators of underground server farms say that such data centers are almost identical to the above-ground structures, with the only difference being that many of them are located in the former limestone mining mines. During the exhibition and conference of the World Fall data center, the experts discussed the pros and cons of such underground data centers, assessed the prospects and advantages of such projects.
“The total area of underground data centers is growing rapidly, as such structures are increasingly in demand due to their safety and efficiency. - said John Clan, the head of Cavern Technologies, - One of the biggest problems we had to face was a distorted perception, even a rather skeptical attitude to the very concept of “underground” data center. In the perception of people, such objects are mines with a closed space, low ceilings, and helmeted guys. But we have 6 m ceilings, which clearly distinguishes us from the imaginary. ”
Cavern Technologies is part of a cluster of underground facilities in the Midwest USA, including SubTropolis, The Mountain Complex and SpringNet Underground in Missouri, and InfoBunker and US Secure Hosting in Iowa. “Potential customers when choosing an underground data center should take into account the fact that they are not all the same, and remember the differences between traditional and underground structures,” said architect Keri Not from Bell / Knott & Associates. Music has been involved in the development of a number of underground business parks and data centers in Kansas, Missouri. “For such facilities, old mines are well suited,” said Note, “after the construction of the underground data center is completed, you can take a specialist, blindfold him and take him to an underground data center of this kind, and he will never understand that is underground. All the equipment inside is the same as in the terrestrial data centers. ” But there are differences. Here are some pros and cons that should be taken into account when evaluating a data center built in limestone deposits.
Market launch speed
According to the Clan, Cavern Technologies specialists were able to deploy a data center on 500 m 2 in 60 days, and this is impressive. There is no need to build or adapt the building, the underground space has already been created, all that is required is finishing work and strengthening the walls. Another advantage is the speed of obtaining a building permit from local authorities. This saves from 8 to 10 weeks, and notice the construction can continue all year round without delay, because the weather conditions are not a hindrance to you.
Construction costs
The construction of an underground data center, according to Nota, can be cheaper, since the shell - the frame already exists. Such facilities can also save on testing for the object's resilience to natural disasters. What is relevant in the Midwest USA. "To build a tornado-sustainable building above the ground, you need to spend an additional $ 100 for each m 2. " He added that other types of disasters are often troubling customers. “Customers are concerned that an earthquake could occur. Unlike ground structures, earthquakes have virtually no effect on the structural integrity of the underground data center, but still the walls need to be strengthened. ”
The history of the origin of the object
For the conversion of an underground data center suitable objects that were created not so long ago, those that were built before the 1960s may not be suitable. “Acceptable for conversion into a data center is a building, a former mine, which was used for commercial purposes. The layer of limestone must be structurally integral and of a certain thickness. The size of the rooms also plays an important role, as round pillars with diameters of up to 10 m can be used as supporting structures. ” The size and position of these pillars influences how technical sites with equipment will be placed. Optimizing the use of underground space plays an important role. “From underground pillars it’s difficult to get 90 ° angles between walls and floors, so you need to show“ creativity ”, since all the equipment is rectangular in shape. That is, you have to work with what you already have, it turns out that restrictions appear due to irregular shape these same columns and features of the corridors. It happens that working in such a data center is at least inconvenient. ”
Cooling and ventilation systems
In most cases, underground spaces are cool, but this does not mean that they will remain as such, you only need to fill them with servers. “One of the biggest problems is the issue of heat removal from the servers. Said Noth, “Most underground facilities have their own fresh air supply and ventilation systems.” Such systems are primarily designed to create comfortable conditions for the work of miners, but not to maintain the temperature regime of the data center. Your task is to drill new holes that will become additional ventilation channels. ”
Placement of technical equipment
Some mechanical and electrical equipment requires intensive ventilation in order to prevent the failure of this equipment, it is advisable to place air-cooled generators and chillers next to an external wall. You can also build a separate camera-room underground for their location. Among the minuses can be called the problem associated with the fire extinguishing system. The study of this issue requires increased attention.
Staff conditions
There will be no daylight in the underground data center, but in this respect it is not different from many above-ground data centers. One of the greatest inconveniences may be a problem with parking places. Due to the fact that the size of the underground data center is large, the distance to parking can be significant.
Pros:
- security and economic efficiency in the case of placing the data center underground is much higher;
- such data centers are insured against extreme weather conditions;
- the temperature in idle mines is kept at 10 ° C;
- humidity is at a constant level;
- high security, since the entrance to such a data center is one;
- high-quality electricity distribution infrastructure.
Among the drawbacks can highlight the need to lay a variety of fiber-optic cables to connect them with the outside world.
For a better idea of what an underground data center is, you can watch a video about the Iron Mountain underground data center in Boyers, PA. Nicolas Salimbene, director of business development at Iron Mountain Data Centers, prepared a video tour of the company's underground data center. It is located about 67 meters underground, its area is 158 thousand m 2 . The facility was deployed inside a former limestone mine. To optimize the cooling system, water from groundwater aquifers is used. The constant temperature of the mine is 13 ° C, and the limestone walls absorb heat.
Such underground data centers provide an impetus for the development of a kind of underground culture among IT companies. And this is far from the "underground movement" from our youth, which was available to the "chosen", but quite a good solution for the masses. We hope that in the near future
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/247441/
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