"My name is Mike and I'll be taking you on a quick tour of the facility. We are in one of the Hurricane Electric Network Operations Centers, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, California."

P: Hello Mike, thank you for taking the time to guide us through the server center. M: Hi Philipp, you're welcome! Let's go in. The Network Operations Center (NOC) is a secured data center. Controlled access to the server center, and installation of the most current software security patches are the top two components of our company's security strategy.

P: And from here everything is monitored? M: Yes, that is the control room of the server center. It is manned 24 hours, 7 days in the week. The monitoring team at the network operation center consists of network specialists and system engineers. They guarantee global maintenance and manage one of the most modern network administration centers in the World today.

P: We've heard a lot of press about power shortages in California. Is this a problem for the NOC? M: No, our server center is designed for NON STOP operation. An almost invulnerable current supply by redundant power management of systems - from which you see one on the right - to guarantee the smooth operation of our servers. The Internet Web server, Router and all other critical systems are supplied via "the electrically clean " operating voltage of the buffered batteries of several redundant UPS systems. Diesel Generator This UPS system consists of a multiplicity of no-break power supplies. In case of emergency, the batteries of the UPS are charged via enormous 2 megawatt Caterpillar diesel generators, fueled from a 3000-gallon tank. (picture left)

P: What specifications do the servers have and can I see them? M: Web servers are maintained within individually locked cabinets. High quality components are key. In terms of server hardware, we use only the fastest Intel multi-core type servers, with 4 or more gigabytes of RAM, along with the highest speed hard drives available. We purchase nearly all of our hardware from a single trusted source to ensure consistent quality control. In addition we maintain the latest stable releases of Linux and Apache web server software. We like to maintain our web servers at less than 500 accounts per server, though we know the web servers could easily handle two to three times as many accounts.

P: And what about the connection with the Internet backbone? M: Hurricane Electric provides a cross-country network with multiple 10GigE (10,000 Mbps) to multiple 100GigE (100 Gbps) form rings connecting Hurricane core routers two multiple points between the US and Europe, with rings in Europe and Asia. Hurricane Electric likewise has over 6000 BGP sessions with over 1600 different networks via 45 major exchange points and thousands of customer and private peering ports, allowing speeds in excess of 10 Gigabits per second, making it one of the largest network providers in the World.