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Fisher Plaza East Power Maintenance – August 01, 2009
Posted in Company NewsDate: 08/01/2009
Start Time: 10:00 PM PDT
End Time: 6:00 AM PDT on 08/02/2009
Customer Impact: None Anticipated
Description:
This maintenance window is Phase 2 of 3 in the process of restoring normal power to Fisher Plaza East, delivered from Seattle City Light and backed up by generators within the facility. During this phase, Fisher engineers will install a temporary connection to Seattle City Light. This means Adhost’s East data center will be receiving power from the City with redundant backup generators outside of the building until Phase 3 is completed and permanent power is restored to the facility.
During this event, there will be periods during which Adhost’s East data center cooling infrastructure is running in a degraded mode. Specifically, Adhost has 4 separate Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units in our East facility. Two have power fed from one riser and two are fed from a different riser. During the maintenance window, power will be interrupted several times to each of the risers that feed the CRAC units for approximately 30 minutes each.
The Method of Procedure for this event requires that a cool down period be observed between each of the riser outages. So, Adhost’s East facility will be pre-cooled to 65 degrees before the event and then re-cooled to 65 degrees between each riser outage. This ensures that the data center temperature will remain well within tolerances throughout the maintenance window.
We do not anticipate any loss of service during the window. However, if you would like to be here during the event, please arrive at Fisher Plaza no later than 9:00 PM on 08/01. During the maintenance window access to the building will be restricted, so anyone arriving after 9:00 PM may not be granted access into the facility until the end of the maintenance window.
Adhost’s Plaza West facility will not be affected by this event, as it has been unaffected throughout the recent power issues localized to the Fisher Plaza East building.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this event. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our Technical Support Department at (206) 404-9500 or support@adhost.com.
Regards,
Michael Smith
–
Michael K. Smith – CISSP, GISP
Chief Technical Officer – Adhost Internet LLC mksmith@adhost.com
w: +1 (206) 404-9500 f: +1 (206) 404-9050
PGP: B49A DDF5 8611 27F3 08B9 84BB E61E 38C0 (Key ID: 0x9A96777D)
Adhost responds to Techflash Blog
Posted in Company NewsHello Todd:
I wanted to give you an official response to your blog post. I’m only in a position to speak about the maintenance announcement you quoted as it pertains to Adhost customers. Every Fisher Plaza East tenant will have a bit of a different take on the event depending upon the configuration of the equipment in their own space. One thing that I can say is that the fundamental cooling systems for Plaza East will not be affected during the window.
Adhost will have two brief periods where we have reduced cooling capacity in our Plaza East data center. We have 4 separate Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units in our facility. Two have power fed from one riser and two are fed from a different riser. During the maintenance window, power will be interrupted to each of the risers that feed the CRAC units for approximately 30 minutes each.
Before each riser outage, the data center will be cooled to 65 degrees. In the past, we have seen the temperature in the data center raise less than 5 degrees during this type of events. As such, we are confident the temperature in the data center will remain well within tolerances during the event.
The rundown of the event is:
1) Cool data center to 65 degrees.
2) Perform maintenance on Lights and Power Riser – 2 CRAC units off line.
3) Re-cool data center to 65 degrees.
4) Perform maintenance on Mechanical Riser – 2 CRAC units off line.
5) Re-cool data center to 65 degrees.
6) Perform maintenance on Technical Riser – no Adhost equipment affected.
It should be noted that Plaza East and Plaza West are completely discrete buildings with completely discrete cooling and electrical plants serving them. Because of this, our Plaza West data center was not affected by any of the events of the last month, and will also not be affected by this coming maintenance window.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Kind Regards,
Michael K. Smith
–
Michael K. Smith – CISSP, GISP
Chief Technical Officer – Adhost Internet LLC mksmith@adhost.com
w: +1 (206) 404-9500 f: +1 (206) 404-9050
PGP: B49A DDF5 8611 27F3 08B9 84BB E61E 38C0 (Key ID: 0x9A96777D)
Adhost Seattle Data Centers Pass SAS 70 Type II Audit
Posted in Company News,Security
We are pleased to announce Adhost successfully passed a SAS 70 Type II audit for the time period July 16, 2008 – July 15, 2009. During a week-long on-site visit in June, an independent service auditor examined the policies, procedures and business processes in place at Adhost over the one-year time period. The following controls related to the colocation services provided in our Seattle data centers were audited:
- Control Environment: discipline and structure are a key component of the organization and influence the control consciousness of its personnel.
- Physical Security: business premises and information systems are protected from unauthorized access, damage and interference.
- Environmental security: critical information technology infrastructure is protected from certain environmental threats.
- Availability: colocation facility is available and accessible to its customers
- Operations: Operations department identifies and resolves problems affecting the colocation facility or customers in a timely manner.
The examination was performed in accordance with standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Existing Adhost clients, as well as potential clients, can request a copy of the SAS70 audit report by emailing sales@adhost.com.
To learn more about SAS 70 and the details of the audit, visit our SAS 70 page.
permalink | digg this | technoratiPlaza East Power Maintenance Rescheduled
Posted in UncategorizedHello:
The work scheduled originally for July 20th has been rescheduled as listed below. The original maintenance message is attached and still applies to this event.
Date: 07/26/2009
Start Time: 12:01 AM PDT
End Time: 4:45 AM PDT
Customer Impact: None Anticipated
Description:
Fisher Engineers will be performing maintenance on the power systems supporting the Adhost East Data Center. This maintenance is addressing an issue we are having with the redundant generator set powering the Fisher East building. During this window, the three central electrical risers will, one at a time, be powered off and re-engergized a short time later.
We do not anticipate that there will be any interruption to the electrical service to the Adhost East Data Center during this window.
Adhost and its vendors have reviewed the potential impact to our operations of this procedure. The electrical systems that service the Adhost East Data Center technical loads will be able to transfer from one riser to the other in an uninterrupted fashion. Because our mechanical systems (AC) are tied into the risers differently, we will have reduced cooling capacity for two intervals during the window, up to 30 minutes each. We anticipate that there may be brief periods where temperatures in the data center may increase, but we do not expect to reach temperature levels that will impact server performance. We will be fully staffed during this window to monitor all environmental systems and respond to any issues that may arise.
If you would like to be on site during the maintenance window, please arrive at the Adhost facility no later than 11:30 PM on Sunday, July 19th. During the maintenance window access to the building will be restricted, so anyone arriving after 11:30 may not be granted access into the facility until the end of the maintenance window.
Adhost has been working with Fisher Engineering to develop a plan for restoring redundant, city-fed power to Plaza East. If you would like to see an outline of the plan, please visit http://www.adhost.com/blog.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this event. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our Technical Support Department at (206) 404-9500 or support@adhost.com.
Regards,
Michael Smith
–
Michael K. Smith – CISSP, GISP
Chief Technical Officer – Adhost Internet LLC mksmith@adhost.com
w: +1 (206) 404-9500 f: +1 (206) 404-9050
PGP: B49A DDF5 8611 27F3 08B9 84BB E61E 38C0 (Key ID: 0x9A96777D)
Summer Internet Events in Seattle
Posted in Seattle Internet EventsMany associations take the summer off, but we found some interesting networking events if you’re staying around Seattle.
July 22: Northwest Internet Advertising Group networking event
July 22: Puget Sound American Marketing Association Eastside event – Marketing with Partners: Strategies to build a Sustainable and Profitable Partner Ecosystem
July 23: Techflash Summer BBQ and Ping-Pong Tournament
July 30: WTIA Summer Celebration – Featuring Xconomy Battle of the Tech Band
August 12: WTIA Family Night at Safeco Field – White Sox vs. Mariners
We hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather.
permalink | digg this | technoratiFisher Plaza East Power Maintenance
Posted in Company NewsDate: 07/20/2009
Start Time: 12:01 AM PDT
End Time: 4:45 AM PDT
Customer Impact: None Anticipated
Description:
Fisher Engineers will be performing maintenance on the power systems supporting the Adhost East Data Center. This maintenance is addressing an issue we are having with the redundant generator set powering the Fisher East building. During this window, the three central electrical risers will, one at a time, be powered off and re-engergized a short time later.
We do not anticipate that there will be any interruption to the electrical service to the Adhost East Data Center during this window. Adhost and its vendors have reviewed the potential impact to our operations of this procedure. The electrical systems that service the Adhost East Data Center technical loads will be able to transfer from one riser to the other in an uninterrupted fashion. Because our mechanical systems (AC) are tied into the risers differently, we will have reduced cooling capacity for two intervals during the window, up to 30 minutes each. We anticipate that there may be brief periods where temperatures in the data center may increase, but we do not expect to reach temperature levels that will impact server performance. We will be fully staffed during this window to monitor all environmental systems and respond to any issues that may arise.
If you would like to be on site during the maintenance window, please arrive at the Adhost facility no later than 11:30 PM on Sunday, July 19th. During the maintenance window access to the building will be restricted, so anyone arriving after 11:30 may not be granted access into the facility until the end of the maintenance window.
Adhost has been working with Fisher Engineering to develop a plan for restoring redundant, city-fed power to Plaza East. If you would like to see an outline of the plan, please visit http://www.adhost.com/blog.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this event. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our Technical Support Department at (206) 404-9500 or support@adhost.com.
Regards,
Michael Smith
–
Michael K. Smith – CISSP, GISP
Chief Technical Officer – Adhost Internet LLC mksmith@adhost.com
w: +1 (206) 404-9500 f: +1 (206) 404-9050
PGP: B49A DDF5 8611 27F3 08B9 84BB E61E 38C0 (Key ID: 0x9A96777D)
Adhost Supports KUOW for 5 Years
Posted in Company News
Adhost is proud to celebrate our 5th anniversary as a KUOW sponsor. In case you’re not familiar with KUOW 94.9FM, the radio station serves the Puget Sound region and Western Washington as a provider of National Public Radio (NPR) content and locally-produced public radio programming of the highest quality.
Many Adhost staff and clients are regular KUOW listeners. We believe in KUOW’s mission: to create and serve an informed public, one challenged and invigorated by an understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures.
Listen to our recent spot and underwriter testimonial.
permalink | digg this | technoratiRedundant Generator-based Power Completed
Posted in Company NewsAdhost has successfully completed its announced maintenance window to migrate the electrical infrastructure in the Adhost East Data Center to an N+1 generator-based power system. During the window, all systems operated normally and environmental conditions remained within acceptable limits.
This system should allow us to run indefinitely on generator-based power. This is an important first step in our current three-phase plan to return to our normal configuration of utility power backed by generators. As we develop firmer timelines on the next phase(s), we will announce them to our customers.
If you have any questions or comments please contact our Technical Support Department at (206) 404-9500 or support@adhost.com.
permalink | digg this | technoratiFisher Plaza East Restoration Timeline
Posted in Company NewsAfter numerous meetings with Fisher Plaza this week, we have a tentative plan to share with our Adhost East Data Center clients. Note that this plan is still very fluid and we are meeting regularly with Fisher, as well as all of the various engineers, electricians, utilities, etc. to improve our electrical sources in the near and long terms. To this end, we are following a number of parallel tracks:
This weekend: Redundant generator-based power
- In order to provide N+1 redundancy, Fisher will add two additional generators and paralleling equipment to the existing temporary generators. This will provide redundancy across the three central risers affected by the power outage. Until the building returns to commercial/street power, this solution will allow the building to perform maintenance on the generators as necessary without impacting service. As of July 9, 2009, we expect this work to be completed by approximately 5AM on Monday, July 13, 2009.
- The City of Seattle has closed John Street next to Fisher Plaza for the additional generators.
- All necessary generators are on-site.
Short-term: Temporary commercial (Seattle City Light) power and generator backup
-
We are working with Seattle City Light to create a temporary connection to their vault that will allow us to switch our main service back over to city power with generator backup.
-
The time frame for this is hoped to be less than 4 weeks and is dependent on the ability to source the proper switch-gear and other related electrical equipment.
-
This temporary solution would follow a parallel track of building a new switch gear room and rebuilding the original switch gear room.
Long-term: Permanent solution
- Fisher will build a new switch gear room outside the current vault and switch gear room on P2. This will allow Fisher to begin construction quickly without waiting to clear the damage equipment from the current switch gear room.
- Fisher will also rebuild the current switch gear room which will allow for redundancy.
- Fisher plans to add new equipment and paralleling equipment to power up the building’s four generators together.
Fisher emphasized that their vendors are locating equipment and designing the new plan as quickly as possible. However, they are expecting several months until full restoration. Once they have a firmer timeline we will share it with you.
permalink | digg this | technoratiAdhost Revives Twitter Account
Posted in Company NewsLast summer we experimented with a Twitter account for a few weeks but then forgot about it. We learned the hard way last week how important the social media outlets are for getting messages out in a crisis situation like the power outage. In hindsight we should have been posting updates from the beginning of the outage on Twitter and other sites.
So we’re blowing the dust off our Twitter account and will be more proactive about tweeting. We invite you to follow us at: twitter.com/Adhost.
If you’re on the fence about Twitter like we were, we encourage you to read Ian Lurie’s recent blog post: AUUUUGH: Social Media For Crisis Communications. He has some great tips which we are taking to heart.
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