Monday, October 21, 2013

Happily the mountain halls - Computerworld

RENNESØY / OSLO: – Hmm …

CEO Knut Molaug and COO Tor Kristian Gyland from Green Mountain Data Center at Rennesøy, just outside Stavanger, has been the question of who are the main competitors in the country. They decide that they really do not have any. The only thing similar had been Evry data center in a mountain in Gurgaon, but it’s not quite comparable, they believe.

– But what about projects such as Lefdal and Rjukan? This is also the intended data centers in the mines, just like you?

– They are mine, says Gyland.

– We are a datacenter.

In May opened the old military facility officially with data center operations. It is Green Mountain behind, and behind them again it says wealthy ex-shipping company, now real estate, Smedvig. The center has already received customers. Three have moved in, three to are on the way.

conversations with potential clients are supposedly many players are inclined Rennesøy concept. A dedicated London office, with two employees, Green Muntain created to woo new customers.

Last known big names on the block was DNB, a solid feather in the cap for the data center. The contract extends over 21 years. But so far think that is Green Mountain that they simply lack the competitors – even though there are similar plans from other companies elsewhere in the country. Lefdal and Rjukan are two key words.

– They are not built and has no signed customers. They are waiting for the first customer to get the money to build, but there are no customers with brains that will bind to a data center that is not built. We have had the advantage that Smedvig is a strong owner with capital agreed to build without the existence of signed contracts, says Gyland.

– So you think all the other data center projects are castles in the air?

– It’s something we call Powerpoint projects. With that said, we hope that the well they manage to get running, shooting Molaug into.


Ideal nation

A couple of years ago would suddenly make very many data centers. CERN had outgrown their centers, and hunted for a new place. Norway tempted them. While the Norwegians were particularly tempted by CERN, the almost drooling over science bastion that sent the atoms around the Collider and researched incomprehensible subjects that dark mass. CERN would have been the ultimate pilot customer, said the Norwegian data center project owners, many of them said things like that “CERN will put Norway on the world map as data center nation”. Facebook and Google were among other interesting professional developers who hunted data centers at the right price. Companies with data center plans had not had anything to to make do with these either.

Among the projects included the aforementioned Green Mountain in mines Rennesøy. And then you had Lefdal My Center in the old Lefdal mines by Maloy. In Rjukan were two projects, mining project Rjukan Mountain Hall building project Rjukan Technology Center at Hydro Park. The projects were later merged under the name “Nydro”.

Entra would like to build in Fetsund, but later sold 67 percent of the project’s shares Lefdal Mine Center, and somewhat later the remaining holdings to Digiplex, after pressure from Evry, who has signed a 20-year agreement with the data center. In early 2012 came Bulk Property, together with partners established Infragreen project, which would consist of data centers adjacent to industrial sites as Norwegian Forest Saugbruks by Halden and Norwegian Hydro Hærøya at Porsgrunn.

About to pull out one thing they all said was that Norway is an ideal data center nation. We have stable political conditions, stable dollar is vulnerable to few natural disasters beyond stiff bris along the coast – and the power we are superior to all other countries. Firstly, the flow green, 98.5 percent of it is generated by water power. And there is plenty of access to electricity, so the prices are by and large stable and affordable compared to most other countries.

In addition, we have a moderate climate. There was no shortage of creative ways to cool data centers by taking the nature of help. Both Lefdal and Rennesøy-mining projects based for example on the bay outside, as in the depths has a stable temperature around eight degrees. It gives great power savings, for the latter part provides 1 kW power 100 kW cooling.


the country

Heading to Rennesøy to get a tour of the data center in the old NATO halls, run out of Stavanger, the E39, running through two underwater tunnels of respectable depth, past several thousand liters of mutton stew and tens of tons of beef and through a landscape of farms and fields, and you’re there. This is the countryside, no doubt.

– We have placed the cows to hide data center, joking Molaug in a huge cow has given way to the taxi.

Until 2009 it was stored ammunition and torpedoes here, but now mines full of electricians, structural engineers and other workers. All military failed again was a single tomhylster a rifle, a host fluorescent lamps in the ceiling and loud colors on the walls.

It’s quite a process to get into. Several times must forward with access cards and key tags. You know they finally are about to enter the mall when you have to negotiate a one-man cylinder safety lock which also must be approved fingerprint.

Inside the air is a bit odd. One of the advantages of using an old NATO mine like this, they can thin out the air. They have done. The oxygen content is 15 percent there, the normal 21 percent. 15 percent is equivalent to the pressure at 3000 meters altitude, and as these mines is almost at sea level, giving it the nifty effect that things can catch fire, as flames requires more oxygen to flare up. “Hypoxic” is called the program, but unfortunately we are not given a practical demonstration.

The data center halls across the security lock consists of sterile and anonymous corridors with rooms and rooms located across, not unlike a long rise apartment, an office or hotel. The rooms, all of which are on the left side, companies can hire. They get network and power, and takes mainly with severe their own.

There are six halls, three banks, two in height. Total area of ??21,000 square meters Not all halls are completely ready to visit the server. In one corridor, the one that looks the most finished out, there are already customers behind some of the locked doors. Three clients are operating. The others are under construction, one room more unfinished than the other.

But it goes away in corners. In one half-finished room floor space, but the only thing that is on the floor is currently working light and electricity boxes that presumably will be up on the walls. Here, the customer already in November. In the next room lacks even the floor. Customer here to be in place around the end.

Also there are these other halls, then, that so far has been divided into rooms and corridors once. They are more like an unfinished subway station, only without the rails. It is fairly loud booing during the roof, and far away to the other end. It smells barren mountains. In the transition between the halls you can sometimes even make out the mountains too.

– We started operation in May this year, but it is relatively modest so far. We expect ongoing construction in the next five to seven years, says Molaug.


CERN no longer important

He was previously in Computerworld’s columns acknowledged his pride that DNB has recently signed into with them – in a 21-year contract. Not only is it an “endorsement” that can make the rest of the financial industry are thinking along these lines, it is also a fact the 21-year contract easily be twice that many if everything works as it should. For once you have moved into a data center, high threshold to move out again. Moving expenses exceed rental of an average van from Bislett Car by a good margin.

– Yes, DNB is a valued customer. We’re in a league of critical social infrastructure, says Molaug.

– Have you enlisted in Norcerts digital notification infrastructure (VDI)?

– No, not yet, says COO Bjørkedal.

When push comes to shove, he is more concerned about the physical hazards.

– It is what it is plausible danger for us. That someone will break into physically. Cyber ??security arrange the customers themselves.

Beyond the much talked DNB it is clear that Atea is among the other customers. Otherwise, the big mystery about who packages the servers and move to the country.

– You feel that is no competition from other Norwegian data center operators. What about international players? The arch Norwegian company Opera moved its servers to the data center in Iceland, and the large golden bird CERN established in Hungary?

– Iceland has a competitive advantage in cheaper power, but after the eruption, people have been a bit skeptical. Iceland is more prone to natural forces. When it comes to CERN true that we wanted them to choose Norway, but now it’s no big deal anymore.

– So you no longer want the CERN?

– No, now we have the customers in the data center. CERN would have been nice as a reference customer, but they would rather not pay that much. When push comes to shove, we also have customers who pay normal price, points Molaug.

Green Mountain also has room to grow. A few steps beyond the two halls to. In addition Molaug points out that they are willing to consider the establishment of data centers elsewhere in the country, the need is great enough.

– We do not necessarily look like something specific, first we have success here.

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