Hot Site and Cold Site

Hot site and cold site both provide disaster recovery services. A hot site is a commercial disaster recovery service
that allows a business to continue computer and network operations in the event of a computer or equipment
disaster. A cold site provides disaster recovery services such as office space, but the customer provides and installs
all the equipment needed to continue operations. A cold site is less expensive, but it takes longer to get an
enterprise in full operation after the disaster.
Hot Site, Cold Site, Work Area
The Power the Place the People
Hot Site

The hot site is your lifeline in the event of a businesscrippling disaster. !t's the place you'll go to reorganize and regroup. Recovery
Point will go over with you your business' needs and discuss what technology requirements your business would have in case of an
emergency.

Our hot site technology encompasses a diverse array of current hardware, from Enterprise class !BN mainframes to midrange
platforms like the pSeries, to Wintel environments, and virtually everything in between. A comprehensive inventory of highend
storage systems are available, as are nearly all current peripherals. From standalone tape systems to multiple automated tape
libraries supporting LTO2, 3 S 4, STK 3840, !BN 3S30/3S32 and many other technologies, Recovery Point can provide storage on
demand.

A series of fully equipped recovery/test suites and awardwinning support teams are available to support the most rigorous testing
programs. Unlike larger vendors, Recovery Point is organized to minimize unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. Enhanced customer
service provides close, personal support to all customers and ready access to our toplevel management team of seasoned industry
veterans.

These experts have, on average, over 20 years of experience in a variety of disaster recovery disciplines. The Recovery Point team
considers their technical support implementation and expertise a point of pride. We are staffed and provisioned to provide generous
and convenient testing schedules, and can lock in your outlooking test dates upon contract signature.
Cold Site

!f, after six weeks of hot site recovery, your business needs continued disaster recovery assistance, Recovery Point can help make
provisions for cold site facilities. Cold site locations are stocked with redundant electrical, mechanical and network infrastructure to
offset longterm disruption. Each location's infrastructure is customized to a customer's unique specifications.

!n order to facilitate a transition from hot site services, Recovery Point cold site facilities are installed on the same physical network
as the primary hot site facilities. We will assist in the design, procurement and implementation of virtually any environment required
for extended operations.
Work Area
Recovery Point sets the national standard for work area design, providing complete environments for customers to recover
efficiently and comfortably. We offer hundreds of fullyequipped end user positions at multiple facilities. Every work area recovery
position includes:

- Private offices
- Strategy rooms
- Satellite Tv
- Electronic whiteboards
- Copiers
- Shredders
- Fax machines
- Printers
- Nultiple Tier 1 network providers
- Fully equipped cafes in common areas
- Kitchenettes in each recovery suite
Nultiple conference rooms that accommodate up to 20 people are available. Additionally, private sleeping berths and showers are
available for employees who remain on site for extended periods. Hundreds of private parking spaces are provided at every site.

!n the event of a disaster, it pays to not only have a backup plan, but a place to implement it.








Hot, warm, and cold - redundancy options
By Benjamin Hartley, January 30, 2009
Tags: Availability cost uptime
Outages happen. Sometimes they are avoidable, but often not. Careful planning, good system administration, and a solid
infrastructure can handle short-term power outages, software issues, and even security breaches. Unfortunately, there's no amount
of planning which can effectively meet the challenges posed by hurricanes, earthquakes, building fires, or other large-scale
catastrophes. Sometimes, the only option is to rebuild. No matter how important an IT infrastructure is, a company is built on
people. The hardware can and should be replaced. After all, with a good online collaboration platform, a company can even function
without offices!
A server doesn't replace itself, though. There needs to be a redundancy and replacement plan as part of any continuity of
operations plan (COOP). There are three strategies for platform redundancy: hot, warm, and cold sites. Hot sites are kept fully
functional at all times, ready to take over at a moment's notice. A cold site, by contrast, requires significant effort to bring online,
but at suitably reduced expense. A warm site, of course, is somewhere between the two, taking less effort to bring online than a
cold site, but costing less than a hot site.
A "hot" server setup is one where there is a server or server farm capable of seamlessly taking over if the primary servers fail. In
an ideal setup, the hot site is located at a separate site from the primary server thus assuring that even with the most catastrophic
failure at the main site the system will continue to function. Unfortunately, such a setup is extremely expensive. It requires
complete duplication of the server hardware, an actual separate server site, and a secure WAN connection in order to replicate the
data. Also, the network setup for a truly seamless failover is very difficult, allowing almost no latency and often requiring a great
deal of bandwidth. The hardware costs alone are prohibitive. The maintenance costs and time spent by the system administrators
make this even more draining. However, this is really the only way to achieve absolute reliability. This is the redundancy method
used by telecommunications networks which seek the "nine 9s". However, unless this near-perfect reliability is necessary a hot site
backup option is seldom used.
The technical issues of a hot site setup are often too great to easily resolve. In such cases, a "warm" site option may be preferred.
A warm site setup is much like a hot site, but takes more work to render functional. Like a hot site, a warm site failover has
identical dedicated hardware. Unlike a hot site, the backup servers are not constantly running. They are generally ready to run, but
require some intervention and thus cannot accomplish a seamless failover. In some cases the warm site may need the most recent
incremental backup to be applied. Once the servers are ready to take over, networking changes must be made to redirect requests
to the backup servers. Warm sites are much easier to maintain than hot sites, as they do not require the constant effort to maintain
replication nor the painstaking network configuration to assure an immediate transfer. However, a warm site may take several
minutes to several hours before it can fully take over in an outage. In addition, a warm site setup still has all the hardware costs of
a hot site although unlike with the hot backup more compromises can be made and less important servers might be omitted or
older servers might be used. As an additional advantage, a warm site can often be a very useful platform for testing updates,
patches, new software, and confirm that backups are working properly.
Due to the prohibitive expense of both hot and warm site setups, which call for dedicated backup servers, most organizations prefer
a "cold" server plan. A cold site backup means that the server isn't configured to take over. Usually there are servers hosting less
important applications which can be co-opted if a more important application fails. While cold site plans are definitely the least
expensive option, the downtime while servers are being configured may be unacceptable in some cases. Also, since the backup
servers are very likely not identical or even all that similar to the production servers, special care must be taken to assure that they
can do the job. Even so, there will very likely be a considerable amount of work involved in bringing such a site online.
In some cases a company will not have any means to replace the servers at all. Nonetheless, it is important to maintain a clear
(and offsite) record of what hardware is necessary. If this is the case, and funding exists, it is possible to purchase new hardware
and bring it online in a surprisingly short period of time. The key, here, is in knowing exactly what is needed. When there has been
a catastrophic loss of hardware there's no time to perform a detailed study, spec out the perfect system, get a list of potential
vendors, compare quotes, gain funding approval, and only then order the new equipment. Instead, you need to be ready to order
the new equipment as soon as possible. This calls for a great deal of preparation - the hardware must already be selected, the
vendor should be known, and most importantly the management must be ready to act quickly. However, for organizations which
don't have the money to keep unused equipment, or when a few days of downtime won't be a disaster, this is a great way to save
money. Unfortunately, the sometimes excessive delay can more than counter any savings; an organization must carefully consider
the potential costs before choosing to leave out redundancy altogether.
These options allow an organization to balance cost with effectiveness. In all cases, however, a significant level of advance planning
and preparation are necessary. Regardless of which redundancy method is used, careful attention must be paid to the backup
hardware, to make certain it can run the necessary software and has the storage necessary. Also, the redundant servers must be
tested regularly to assure that they really will work, and that the failover process is successful. Since in an emergency these
procedures might be enacted by people who are not familiar with the system, they must be extremely well-documented.
Redundant systems allow for a much higher overall availability than would normally be possible with off-the-shelf hardware and
software. There should be a plan in place for at minimum the replacement of any system, with more important systems seeing
greater investment. Most importantly, redundancy and failover should be planned well in advance. The day the building collapses is
much too late to be asking such questions. Redundancy and failover are things which must be carefully planned well before their
need becomes apparent. As always, it pays to plan ahead. The better the planning is, the sooner the IT infrastructure can rebuilt -
and the sooner the workers can be online and productive again.

Hot Sites
A hot site is a duplicate oI the original site oI the organization, with Iull computer systems as well as
near-complete backups oI user data. Real time synchronization between the two sites may be used to
completely mirror the data environment oI the original site using wide area network links and specialized
soItware. Following a disruption to the original site, the hot site exists so that the organization can
relocate with minimal losses to normal operations. Ideally, a hot site will be up and running within a
matter oI hours or even less. Personnel may still have to be moved to the hot site so it is possible that the
hot site may be operational Irom a data processing perspective beIore staII has relocated. The capacity oI
the hot site may or may not match the capacity oI the original site depending on the organization's
requirements. This type oI backup site is the most expensive to operate. Hot sites are popular with
organizations that operate real time processes such as Iinancial institutions, government agencies and
ecommerce providers.
Cold Sites
A cold site is the most inexpensive type oI backup site Ior an organization to operate. It does not include
backed up copies oI data and inIormation Irom the original location oI the organization, nor does it
include hardware already set up. The lack oI hardware contributes to the minimal startup costs oI the cold
site, but requires additional time Iollowing the disaster to have the operation running at a capacity close to
that prior to the disaster
CreaLed on March 27 2008 LasL updaLed SepLember 11 2010
8uslness conLlnulLy and dlsasLer recovery ls deeply lmmersed ln organlzaLlonal culLure nowadays Whlle many
buslnesses recognlze Lhe need Lo plan for rlsks and recovery many buslnesses have yeL Lo grasp acLual recovery
sLraLegles
lor Lhose buslnesses whlch do pursue acLlve sLraLegles many lncorporaLe whaLs known as a hoL or a cold slLe
lnLo Lhelr plans 1he blg quesLlon for Lhose who are unfamlllar wlLh Lhese Lypes of lnlLlaLlves may be whaL are Lhe
dlfferences beLween Lhe Lwo?
PoL SlLes
A hoL slLe sLraLegy has many pros whlch ln Lhls Lechnology age are crlLlcal uslng a hoL slLe soluLlon Lhere ls llLLle
or no down Llme because operaLlons can usually be back up and runnlng ln a maLLer of hours PoL slLes are
deslgned Lo be equlpped and able Lo run wlLh Lhe hardware and sofLware LhaL Lhe buslness requlres lncludlng Lhe
Lech supporL needed Lo asslsL ln geLLlng Lhlngs back up and runnlng
AnoLher lmporLanL pro ls Lhls soluLlon allows for dlsasLer recovery LesLlng whlch ls someLhlng many buslnesses
overlook lf a plan cannoL be lmplemenLed as planned lL doesnL have much effecLlveness and lLs always a good
ldea Lo effecLlvely LesL recovery sLraLegles Lo ensure Lhey arenL [usL paper buL a reallsLlc and successful plan
1here are a couple of cons assoclaLed wlLh Lhls sLraLegy Lhe blggesL ls cosL A hoL slLe ls very expenslve Lo malnLaln
and a buslness musL welgh ouL Lhe cosLs Lo ensure any poLenLlal loss of buslness wlll [usLlfy Lhe expense of
employlng Lhls soluLlon AnoLher con ls someLlmes Lhe hoL slLe vendor wlll llmlL Lhe Llme avallable Lo use Lhe space
whlch ln LhaL case Lhe buslness may wanL Lo conslder havlng a cold slLe also ln place Lo geL seL up durlng Lhe Llme
Lhe dlsasLer hlLs and Lhe Llme Lhe hoL slLe ls avallable
Cold SlLes
1he beneflLs of a cold slLe are Lhe hlgh cosLs Lo malnLaln are mlLlgaLed because Lhe faclllLy can be used for oLher
funcLlons such as Lralnlng or sLorage lmplemenLlng a cold slLe ls cosLeffecLlve AddlLlonally a space Lo work ls
lmmedlaLely avallable ln Lhe Llmeframe followlng a dlsasLer 1he down slLe uLlllzlng cold slLes ls Lhere may be a
hlgh cosL asslmllaLed Lo Lhe buslness because down Llme ls cosLly WlLh cold slLes Lhere wlll be a lapse beLween
Lhe dlsasLer and geLLlng back onllne and durlng Lhls lnoperable Llme Lhe buslness may lose a loL of money Also ln
Lhls sLraLegy Lhere ls dlfflculLy Lo LesL Lo ensure Lhe plan works because Lhere lsnL a full seL up Lo work wlLh and
run Lhrough
8oLh hoL and cold slLes have Lhelr advanLages and dlsadvanLages lLs lmporLanL for lndlvldual buslnesses Lo
carefully evaluaLe and deLermlne whlch sLraLegy wlll be mosL cosLeffecLlve yeL sLlll meeL Lhelr operaLlonal needs
1lme ls money and ln Lodays global economy lLs very cosLly for many buslnesses Lo be offllne even for a few
hours lmaglne how much a company llke e8ay or Amazon would lose durlng Lhls Llme? CLher companles noL
compleLely dependenL on Lhelr lnformaLlon sysLems may be able Lo afford a llLLle down Llme buL even for Lhem lLs
cosLly
lf a company canL [usLlfy Lhe hlgh cosLs of a hoL slLe Lhey may be beLLer off lnsLlLuLlng a cold slLe and
consequenLly Lhose buslnesses whlch cannoL afford any lengLh of Llme whlch renders Lhelr compuLer sysLems
lnoperable may flnd Lhe cosLs assoclaLed wlLh malnLalnlng a hoL slLe well worLh Lhe money spenL
8egardless of whlch sLraLegy a buslness decldes works for Lhem whaLs mosL lmporLanL ls LhaL a buslness makes a
plan lar Loo many buslnesses opL noL Lo make lnvesLmenLs ln plannlng for a poLenLlal lnLerrupLlon ln Lhe evenL of
a dlsasLer Lhese organlzaLlons rarely survlve
Learn more abouL Lhls auLhor Lelgh Coessl

8.J.2. 8ackup SItes: Cold, Warm, and Hot
Dne of the most Important aspects of dIsaster recovery Is to have a locatIon from whIch the recovery can take place. ThIs
locatIon Is known as a -,.:5890. n the event of a dIsaster, a backup sIte Is where your data center wIll be recreated, and
where you wIll operate from, for the length of the dIsaster.
There are three dIfferent types of backup sItes:
Cold backup sItes
Warm backup sItes
Hot backup sItes
DbvIously these terms do not refer to the temperature of the backup sIte. nstead, they refer to the effort requIred to begIn
operatIons at the backup sIte In the event of a dIsaster.
A cold backup sIte Is lIttle more than an approprIately confIgured space In a buIldIng. EverythIng requIred to restore servIce to
your users must be procured and delIvered to the sIte before the process of recovery can begIn. As you can ImagIne, the delay
goIng from a cold backup sIte to full operatIon can be substantIal.
Cold backup sItes are the least expensIve sItes.
A warm backup sIte Is already stocked wIth hardware representIng a reasonable facsImIle of that found In your data center. To
restore servIce, the last backups from your offsIte storage facIlIty must be delIvered, and bare metal restoratIon completed,
before the real work of recovery can begIn.
Hot backup sItes have a vIrtual mIrror Image of your current data center, wIth all systems confIgured and waItIng only for the last
backups of your user data from your offsIte storage facIlIty. As you can ImagIne, a hot backup sIte can often be brought up to
full productIon In no more than a few hours.
A hot backup sIte Is the most expensIve approach to dIsaster recovery.
8ackup sItes can come from three dIfferent sources:
CompanIes specIalIzIng In provIdIng dIsaster recovery servIces
Dther locatIons owned and operated by your organIzatIon
A mutual agreement wIth another organIzatIon to share data center facIlItIes In the event of a dIsaster
Each approach has Its good and bad poInts. For example, contractIng wIth a dIsaster recovery fIrm often gIves you access to
professIonals skIlled In guIdIng organIzatIons through the process of creatIng, testIng, and ImplementIng a dIsaster recovery plan.
As you mIght ImagIne, these servIces do not come wIthout cost.
UsIng space In another facIlIty owned and operated by your organIzatIon can be essentIally a zerocost optIon, but stockIng the
backup sIte and maIntaInIng Its readIness Is stIll an expensIve proposItIon.
CraftIng an agreement to share data centers wIth another organIzatIon can be extremely InexpensIve, but longterm operatIons
under such condItIons are usually not possIble, as the host's data center must stIll maIntaIn theIr normal productIon, makIng the
sItuatIon straIned at best.
n the end, the selectIon of a backup sIte Is a compromIse between cost and your organIzatIon's need for the contInuatIon of
productIon.

A disaster recovery plan might include the provision for a recovery site that can be brought quickly into play. These
sites fall into three categories: hot, warm, and cold. The need for each of these types of sites depends largely on
the business you are in and the funds available. Disaster recovery sites represent the ultimate in precautions for
organizations that really need it. As a result, they don't come cheap.
The basic concept of a disaster recovery site is that it can provide a base from which the company can be operated
during a disaster. The disaster recovery site is not normally intended to provide a desk for every employee, but is
intended more as a means to allow key personnel to continue the core business function.
In general, a cold recovery site is a site that can be up and operational in a relatively short time span, such as a
day or two. Provision of services, such as telephone lines and power, is taken care of, and the basic office furniture
might be in place, but there is unlikely to be any computer equipment, even though the building might well have a
network infrastructure and a room ready to act as a server room. In most cases, cold sites provide the physical
location and basic services.
Cold sites are useful if there is some forewarning of a potential problem. Generally speaking, cold sites are used by
organizations that can weather the storm for a day or two before they get back up and running. If you are the
regional office of a major company, it might be possible to have one of the other divisions take care of business
until you are ready to go; but if you are the one and only office in the company, you might need something a little
hotter.
For organizations with the dollars and the desire, hot recovery sites represent the ultimate in fault-tolerance
strategies. Like cold recovery sites, hot sites are designed to provide only enough facilities to continue the core
business function, but hot recovery sites are set up to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Definition:
A disaster recovery facility that provides only the physical space for recovery operations while the organization using the space
provides its own hardware and software systems.
A disaster recovery facility that provides only the physical space for recovery operations while the organization using the space
provides its own hardware and software systems.

ot Sites
Loss of data and working space due to disaster are two of the most potentially damaging events that can occur in
a business. Without data and office backup, it is possible to lose critical data, custom applications, client trust and
business continuity. Hot and cold backup sites aim to minimize these risks and ensure business continuity no
matter the disaster.

Hot sites and cold sites are basically a clone of the office space in a different physical location, allowing for
business to continue only mere hours after a disaster has occurred. The only difference between hot and cold sites
is that a hot site has a complete copy of the businesses data, as a communication link between the office and the
hot site establishes a mirror of the offices data.

Why use an iWolf hot site?
ot sites vs. Data Backup - !n many cases backups are kept onsite, so if a disaster occurs the backups may
also be destroyed. Even if the backups are safe it will still take a many hours or days to restore the backups and
recover from where you . Hot sites however, can resume instantly no matter the disaster and have the exact same
data the business had before the disaster due to mirroring.

igh levels of redundancy - Businesses that have a high level of mission critical data, which could endanger the
economy, people or infrastructure have much of their disaster risks mitigating by using hot sites.

Resistant to infrastructure loss - !n case of a major disaster that knocks out infrastructure (such as network,
power etc.) the hot site is in another physical location reducing the risk you will be affected by such events.
Hot Site
Definition - What does Hot Site mean?
A hot site is an oII-premises location where a company`s work can resume during a disaster. A hot site
has all the equipment necessary Ior a business to resume regular activities, including jacks Ior phones,
backup data, computers and related peripherals.
Techopedia explains Hot Site
Hot sites oIIer a valuable backup system to any organization that wants to continue business operations
even in the Iace oI extenuating circumstances or disaster. A hot site can be thought oI as a replica oI the
usual business environment that includes all the necessary equipment, but at another location. Hot sites
can be part oI a business continuity plan or disaster recovery plan, where plans and procedures are laid
out in the event that normal business activities cannot go on as usual in the normal location.

Hot sites are operated by another company, not the businesses that use and pay Ior them. Hot sites can
provide data backup services so that companies can still gain access to their data at the hot site location.
This also saves additional time because data does not have to be located and loaded onto the hot site
computers during a business disruption.

Cold sites are like hot site except that the companies that use them have to bring and set up their own
equipment. This can cause a serious disruption in business processes.

How Do You Store Vital Records?
AIter determining what method will be used to protect Vital Records, determining where and
how to store the records is crucial. The location you chose will need to be accessible within
seconds to 24 hours aIter a disaster.
Vital Records can be stored on-site, oII-site, or in specialized equipment.
On-Site Storage - means housing Vital Records in the same vicinity as your oIIice, such as in a
closet or storage area in the building. The drawback to choosing on-site storage is that iI a major
disaster strikes the entire building or damages it beyond repair, you have little chance oI
retrieving your Vital Records.
II you choose to store your Vital Records in the same building your oIIice occupies, it is
necessary to take precautions to prevent a disaster Irom spreading to the areas in which the Vital
Records are stored. This could range Irom installing Iire doors and walls, to Iollowing basic best
practices to protect your records. Best practices range Irom actual physical location to working
conditions within the storage area.
The Iollowing should be taken into consideration and resolved Ior each oIIice which has Vital
Records in their active Iiles:
O oes Lhe sLorage area have venLllaLlon?
O oes lL have proper LemperaLure and humldlLy conLrols?
O WhaL securlLy measures are ln place Lo sLop unauLhorlzed access Lo Lhe area?
O ls Lhe bulldlng lLself secured agalnsL flre flood and oLher dlsasLers?
O ls Lhe equlpmenL used for sLorage adequaLely safe from dlsasLers and saboLage?
O Would you feel safer sLorlng Lhe only copy of a vlLal 8ecord onslLe or offslLe?

Once the on-site storage location has been chosen, the Iollowing concerns should be addressed:
O Check for poLenLlal flre waLer or sewer hazardsAny correcLlons or repalrs should be made
lmmedlaLely (leaklng overhead plpes may cause a dlsasLer) 8ecords should never be sLored
dlrecLly under any Lype of plpes
O SLaff members should know Lhe locaLlon of Lhe vlLal records and access Lo maLerlals should be
resLrlcLed Lo auLhorlzed personnel
O Alsles and doorways should be kepL clear aL all Llmes
O lnacLlve records should be Lransferred on a regular basls Lo Lhe unlverslLy 8ecords CenLer (u8C)
for sLorage
O SLaff members should know Lhe locaLlon of all A8C flre exLlngulshers
TIP: ABC Iire extinguishers deal with three types oI Ilammable materials: A wood and
paper, B liquids and grease, C electrical. Contact Environmental Health and SaIety Ior
more inIormation on types oI Iire extinguishers. Basements or ground Iloor areas should
be used Ior storage as a last resort since they are most susceptible to water and sewer
damage.
Basements or ground Iloor areas should be used Ior storage as a last resort since they are most
susceptible to water and sewer damage.

Off-site storage means storing the records away Irom the oIIice, in another building or out oI the
geographical area. There are several options Ior oII-site storage, including hot sites, cold sites,
and records centers. Both hot and cold sites are usually aIIiliated with oIIices that rely heavily on
the recovery or availability oI databases or electronic records Ior continuance oI their normal
operations. However, these sites can also be used by oIIices that rely on paper or microIilm
records. For our purposes we are going to apply the concept oI a hot-site to all media Iormats.
Hot site -
O An area ldenLlfled prlor Lo an emergency/dlsasLer as Lhe operaLlon cenLer or meeLlng place
from whlch Lhe offlce sLaff wlll conLlnue operaLlons or resLarL normal operaLlons PoL slLes
conLaln everyLhlng your offlce has ldenLlfled as crlLlcal for operaLlon (Pow Lo ldenLlfy vlLal
8ecords) ready for lmmedlaLe use 1hls meLhod of proLecLlon can be cosLly and ls besL used by
offlces whlch wlll requlre compuLer sysLems Lo be up and runnlng lmmedlaLely afLer a dlsasLer
or by offlces wlLh Lhe responslblllLy for organlzlng and runnlng recovery procedures (le pollce
physlcal planL compuLlng and communlcaLlons) rlor Lo esLabllshlng a hoL slLe an analysls of
Lhe cosLeffecLlveness of malnLalnlng a hoL slLe should be compleLed PoL slLes requlre
conLlnuous updaLlng of equlpmenL Lo ensure Lhe area ls ready for use AddlLlonally ln mosL
lnsLances Lhe slLe musL be ln a locaLlon LhaL allows personnel Lo arrlve Lhere qulckly
Cold site -
O An area ldenLlfled as a backup locaLlon ln case Lhe orlglnal offlce ls unusable afLer a dlsasLer lL
dlffers from a hoL slLe ln LhaL Lhere ls no prepurchase of equlpmenL or supplles whlch are
sLored aL Lhe cold slLe prlor Lo an emergency AlLhough lL ls much less cosLly reesLabllshlng
operaLlons aL a cold slLe lnvolves more Llme and efforL Lhan movlng operaLlons Lo a hoL slLe An
analysls should be done Lo ensure LhaL esLabllshlng a cold slLe wlll be cosL effecLlve lf Lhe cold
slLe ls used Lo sLore vlLal 8ecords Lhe cosL of dupllcaLlng and dellverlng Lhe vlLal 8ecords Lo Lhe
slLe musL be consldered ln Lhe cosL analysls


Specialized Equipment
The use oI Specialized Equipment, such as vaults, Iire-resistant cabinets and/or Iire-resistant
saIes, represents another type oI on-site storage. While this equipment may provide some initial
protection against Iire damage, it may not be immune to water damage. Fire-resistant equipment
is oIten used as a last resort when there is very little oIIice space or no storage areas available to
hold duplicated Vital Records.
Disadvantages oI specialized equipment include:
O 1he posslblllLy of sponLaneous combusLlon when a drawer ls opened afLer a flre Lhe resulL of
oxygen belng released back lnLo Lhe drawers aLmosphere
O lnadequaLe proLecLlon from exLreme LemperaLures lf Lhe flre ls hoL enough Lhe paper records
wlll burn ln Lhe drawer
O 1he hlgh cosL of speclallzed equlpmenL
O 1he suscepLlblllLy of speclallzed equlpmenL Lo waLer damage
O MaLerlals used ln consLrucLlon wlll make speclallzed equlpmenL heavy and burdensome whlch
can be a hazard afLer a flre because of lncreased welghL from waLer galn 1he welghL load of Lhe
equlpmenL may be Loo heavy for some floors ln older bulldlngs
II specialized equipment is going to be used, it should be designed speciIically Ior the type oI
record medium it contains and used exclusively Ior Vital Records.
SatisIactory Iire-resistant cabinets/vaults are rated according to the maximum number oI hours
they can be exposed to Iire and maximum temperature while still protecting the contents. For
example, a rating oI UL 150-3 means that this piece oI equipment has an Underwriter's
Laboratory Class 150 rating with 3 hours oI protection Irom Iire damage. Vendor catalogs will
give the speciIications and equipment costs according to level oI resistance. However, keep in
mind that the "hours oI protection" will decrease as the temperature oI the Iire increases.

on a higher level
CervaIis Business Continuity SoIutions
Cervalis business continuity solutions are designed to deliver operational continuity and
rapid recovery by providing a diversified operations
environment and addressing all operational
aspects. Cervalis comprehensive rapid recovery
services include:
Systems recovery: dedicated "hot, "warm
or "cold sites
Data backup and recovery
Email rapid recovery to ensure ongoing email
communications
Work area recovery
Telephony and network recovery
Systems Recovery: "HOT" SITE
The dedicated "hot site recovery choice provides
the ability for an immediate switch over to the
alternate site in case of an emergency. The hot
site is a dedicated mirrored, synchronized copy
of mission critical data and infrastructure. The hot
site environment is "always on, "always ready
and always available for fail-over to use as a
primary site. The foundation of a dedicated "hot
solution supports uninterruptible and instantaneous
recovery in case of need.
Systems Recovery: 'WARM" SITE
The dedicated "warm site solution is a suitable
solution for applications and data that can accept
several hours for the recovery process to complete.
n a typical scenario, the warm site includes backup
equipment that is up and running non-mission
critical applications, which can be halted to make
way for critical applications. The warm site provides
a platform or configuration that you can count
on in a remote location with diverse connectivity
and secure services that is ready for activation
in case of an emergency. The warm site recovery
option will fit customers who can tolerate less
than immediate recovery as part of the business
continuity and recovery process.
Systems Recovery: "COLD" SITE
The dedicated "cold site insures that in the event
of a disruption of any type, the required infrastructure
is available according to your specific needs.
The secure data center space, necessary power
and bandwidth are ready to accept equipment
that is shipped or power up equipment that is
already stored in the cold site in order to restore
and recover your operation.
The cold site enables you to store backup equipment,
backup tapes, documentation and other
tools that are needed to recover your operation
at the time of a disaster in a highly secure, high
availability environment. As soon as your operating
environment is rebuilt and ready, the Cervalis
network and telephony infrastructure will provide
you with appropriate connectivity to support
your business.
Data Backup and Recovery
The Cervalis Data Backup and Recovery solutions
are designed to provide a high degree of availability
for mission critical data, protecting you in case
of total of partial loss of a critical asset required
to run your business. The service includes the
following:
EIectronic data repIication
Data replicated periodically as per
business needs
EIectronic data retrievaI
Quick access and retrieval of critical
data (on demand)
Tape vaulting (off-site storage)
EmaiI Rapid Recovery
The Email Rapid Recovery solution is designed to
provide email communication continuity under
any circumstances. The main components of the
solution are:
A secure, high availability backup email
environment
Electronic data replication of relevant data
Rapid email communication recovery in
case of need
With this service, you can rest assured that in case
of an emergency, you will, at all times, continue to
have ongoing email communications with:
Employees
Customers
Vendors and business associates
Work Area Recovery
The Work Area Recovery solution provides companies
the ability to relocate critical staff to an
area within one of the Cervalis Operations Centers
in the event of an emergency at your primary
facility. The work area recovery space provides a
functional environment that will enable your staff
to continue to operate during the emergency
situation. The Cervalis Work Area Recovery space
is designed to be flexible to accommodate your
specific needs.
Standard Work Area Recovery seats
Trading Floor seats
Conference rooms
General office space
The Work Area Recovery space is available on a
"shared or "dedicated basis. A dedicated work
area recovery seat is always available to your
company's employees; no other customer will
share the allocated space; customers may have
their pre-configured desktop computers in their
work area space as dedicated work area recovery
space is available for customers at any time for
their exclusive use. When contracting for dedicated
work area recovery space, there is no declaration
fee associated with it and testing of the facility
and recovery process is unlimited and can be
done at any time.
TeIephony and Network Recovery
The Telephony and Network recovery solutions
ensure that your backup and recovery environment
will include all the telephony and network components
required to run your operations environment.
Cervalis offers a wide array of telephony services
that will be ready for full activation in case of an
emergency. The components of the Cervalis Voice
Recovery service include:
Telephone lines
Local and long distance options
Voice mail options
800 number switching options
Fax line options
Bandwidth connectivity options

For more information about the CervaIis
Business Continuity and Rapid Recovery
soIutions, pIease contact your CervaIis
representative at 866-602-2020 or visit
us on the web at wwwcervaIiscom









anuary 26 2010 937 AM S1
A small collecLlon of servers and sLorage slLs ln MlcrosofLs 8ulldlng 23 ready aL a momenLs noLlce Lo serve as Lhe
collaboraLlon porLal for ald groups Lo coordlnaLe dlsasLer response

hoto by lna lrled/CnL1
Capt|on by lna lrled

8ead more hLLp//newscneLcom/230013860_310002277hLml#lxzz1Z8ZybgcP
hLLp//docsredhaLcom/docs/en
uS/8ed_PaL_LnLerprlse_Llnux/3/hLml/lnLroducLlon_Lo_SysLem_AdmlnlsLraLlon/lndexhLml



Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3
Introduction to System Administration
Copyright 2003 by Red Hat, Inc.
l38N: N/A

Tab|e of 6ontents
lrlroducl|or
1. Crarges lo Tr|s Varua|
2. 0ocurerl Corverl|ors
3. Vore lo Core
3.1. 3erd |r Your Feedoac|
1. 3|gr up lor 3upporl
1. Tre Pr||osopry ol 3ysler Adr|r|slral|or
1.1. Aulorale Everylr|rg
1.2. 0ocurerl Everylr|rg
1.3. Corrur|cale as Vucr as Poss|o|e
1.3.1. Te|| Your users wral You Are 0o|rg lo 0o
1.3.2. Te|| Your users wral You Are 0o|rg
1.3.3. Te|| Your users wral You lave 0ore
1.1. KroW Your Resources
1.5. KroW Your users
1.. KroW Your 8us|ress
1.Z. 3ecur|ly Carrol oe ar Allerlrougrl
1.Z.1. Tre R|s|s ol 3oc|a| Erg|reer|rg
1.8. P|ar Aread
1.9. Expecl lre urexpecled
1.10. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
1.10.1. Auloral|or
1.10.2. 0ocurerlal|or ard Corrur|cal|or
1.10.3. 3ecur|ly
1.11. Add|l|ora| Resources
1.11.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
1.11.2. uselu| weos|les
1.11.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
2. Resource Vor|lor|rg
2.1. 8as|c Corcepls
2.2. 3ysler Perlorrarce Vor|lor|rg
2.3. Vor|lor|rg 3ysler Capac|ly
2.1. wral lo Vor|lor?
2.1.1. Vor|lor|rg CPu PoWer
2.1.2. Vor|lor|rg 8ardW|dlr
2.1.3. Vor|lor|rg Verory
2.1.1. Vor|lor|rg 3lorage
2.5. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
2.5.1. free
2.5.2. top
2.5.3. vmstat
2.5.1. Tre 3ysslal 3u|le ol Resource Vor|lor|rg Too|s
2.5.5. 0Prol||e
2.. Add|l|ora| Resources
2..1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
2..2. uselu| weos|les
2..3. Re|aled 8oo|s
3. 8ardW|dlr ard Process|rg PoWer
3.1. 8ardW|dlr
3.1.1. 8uses
3.1.2. 0alapalrs
3.1.3. Polerl|a| 8ardW|dlr-Re|aled Proo|ers
3.1.1. Polerl|a| 8ardW|dlr-Re|aled 3o|ul|ors
3.1.5. lr 3urrary.
3.2. Process|rg PoWer
3.2.1. Facls Aooul Process|rg PoWer
3.2.2. Corsurers ol Process|rg PoWer
3.2.3. lrprov|rg a CPu 3rorlage
3.3. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
3.3.1. Vor|lor|rg 8ardW|dlr or Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux
3.3.2. Vor|lor|rg CPu ul|||zal|or or Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux
3.1. Add|l|ora| Resources
3.1.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
3.1.2. uselu| weos|les
3.1.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
1. Prys|ca| ard v|rlua| Verory
1.1. 3lorage Access Pallerrs
1.2. Tre 3lorage 3peclrur
1.2.1. CPu Reg|slers
1.2.2. Cacre Verory
1.2.3. Va|r Verory RAV
1.2.1. lard 0r|ves
1.2.5. 0ll-L|re 8ac|up 3lorage
1.3. 8as|c v|rlua| Verory Corcepls
1.3.1. v|rlua| Verory |r 3|rp|e Terrs
1.3.2. 8ac||rg 3lore lre Cerlra| Terel ol v|rlua| Verory
1.1. v|rlua| Verory: Tre 0ela||s
1.1.1. Page Fau|ls
1.1.2. Tre wor||rg 3el
1.1.3. 3Wapp|rg
1.5. v|rlua| Verory Perlorrarce lrp||cal|ors
1.5.1. worsl Case Perlorrarce 3cerar|o
1.5.2. 8esl Case Perlorrarce 3cerar|o
1.. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
1.Z. Add|l|ora| Resources
1.Z.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
1.Z.2. uselu| weos|les
1.Z.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
5. Varag|rg 3lorage
5.1. Ar 0verv|eW ol 3lorage lardWare
5.1.1. 0|s| P|allers
5.1.2. 0ala read|rg/Wr|l|rg dev|ce
5.1.3. Access Arrs
5.2. 3lorage Address|rg Corcepls
5.2.1. 0eorelry-8ased Address|rg
5.2.2. 8|oc|-8ased Address|rg
5.3. Vass 3lorage 0ev|ce lrlerlaces
5.3.1. l|slor|ca| 8ac|grourd
5.3.2. Preserl-0ay lrduslry-3lardard lrlerlaces
5.1. lard 0r|ve Perlorrarce Craracler|sl|cs
5.1.1. Vecrar|ca|/E|eclr|ca| L|r|lal|ors
5.1.2. l/0 Loads ard Perlorrarce
5.5. Va||rg lre 3lorage usao|e
5.5.1. Parl|l|ors/3||ces
5.5.2. F||e 3yslers
5.5.3. 0|reclory 3lruclure
5.5.1. Erao||rg 3lorage Access
5.. Advarced 3lorage Tecrro|og|es
5..1. NelWor|-Access|o|e 3lorage
5..2. RAl0-8ased 3lorage
5..3. Log|ca| vo|ure Varagererl
5.Z. 3lorage Varagererl 0ay-lo-0ay
5.Z.1. Vor|lor|rg Free 3pace
5.Z.2. 0|s| 0uola lssues
5.Z.3. F||e-Re|aled lssues
5.Z.1. Add|rg/Rerov|rg 3lorage
5.8. A word Aooul 8ac|ups.
5.9. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
5.9.1. 0ev|ce Nar|rg Corverl|ors
5.9.2. F||e 3ysler 8as|cs
5.9.3. Vourl|rg F||e 3yslers
5.9.1. NelWor|-Access|o|e 3lorage urder Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux
5.9.5. Vourl|rg F||e 3yslers Auloral|ca||y W|lr 09.189,-
5.9.. Add|rg/Rerov|rg 3lorage
5.9.Z. lrp|ererl|rg 0|s| 0uolas
5.9.8. Creal|rg RAl0 Arrays
5.9.9. 0ay lo 0ay Varagererl ol RAl0 Arrays
5.9.10. Log|ca| vo|ure Varagererl
5.10. Add|l|ora| Resources
5.10.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
5.10.2. uselu| weos|les
5.10.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
. Varag|rg user Accourls ard Resource Access
.1. Varag|rg user Accourls
.1.1. Tre userrare
.1.2. PassWords
.1.3. Access Corlro| lrlorral|or
.1.1. Varag|rg Accourls ard Resource Access 0ay-lo-0ay
.2. Varag|rg user Resources
.2.1. wro Car Access 3rared 0ala
.2.2. wrere users Access 3rared 0ala
.2.3. wral 8arr|ers Are |r P|ace To Preverl Aouse ol Resources
.3. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
.3.1. user Accourls, 0roups, ard Perr|ss|ors
.3.2. F||es Corlro|||rg user Accourls ard 0roups
.3.3. user Accourl ard 0roup App||cal|ors
.1. Add|l|ora| Resources
.1.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
.1.2. uselu| weos|les
.1.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
Z. Pr|rlers ard Pr|rl|rg
Z.1. Types ol Pr|rlers
Z.1.1. Pr|rl|rg Cors|deral|ors
Z.2. lrpacl Pr|rlers
Z.2.1. 0ol-Valr|x Pr|rlers
Z.2.2. 0a|sy-wree| Pr|rlers
Z.2.3. L|re Pr|rlers
Z.2.1. lrpacl Pr|rler Corsurao|es
Z.3. lr|jel Pr|rlers
Z.3.1. lr|jel Corsurao|es
Z.1. Laser Pr|rlers
Z.1.1. Co|or Laser Pr|rlers
Z.1.2. Laser Pr|rler Corsurao|es
Z.5. 0lrer Pr|rler Types
Z.. Pr|rler Larguages ard Tecrro|og|es
Z.Z. NelWor|ed versus Loca| Pr|rlers
Z.8. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
Z.9. Add|l|ora| Resources
Z.9.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
Z.9.2. uselu| weos|les
Z.9.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
8. P|arr|rg lor 0|sasler
8.1. Types ol 0|saslers
8.1.1. lardWare Fa||ures
8.1.2. 3ollWare Fa||ures
8.1.3. Erv|rorrerla| Fa||ures
8.1.1. lurar Errors
8.2. 8ac|ups
8.2.1. 0|llererl 0ala: 0|llererl 8ac|up Needs
8.2.2. 8ac|up 3ollWare: 8uy versus 8u||d
8.2.3. Types ol 8ac|ups
8.2.1. 8ac|up Ved|a
8.2.5. 3lorage ol 8ac|ups
8.2.. Resloral|or lssues
8.3. 0|sasler Recovery
8.3.1. Creal|rg, Tesl|rg, ard lrp|ererl|rg a 0|sasler Recovery P|ar
8.3.2. 8ac|up 3|les: Co|d, warr, ard lol
8.3.3. lardWare ard 3ollWare Ava||ao|||ly
8.3.1. Ava||ao|||ly ol 8ac|ups
8.3.5. NelWor| Correcl|v|ly lo lre 8ac|up 3|le
8.3.. 8ac|up 3|le 3lall|rg
8.3.Z. Vov|rg 8ac| ToWard Norra|cy
8.1. Red lal Erlerpr|se L|rux-3pec|l|c lrlorral|or
8.1.1. 3ollWare 3upporl
8.1.2. 8ac|up Tecrro|og|es
8.5. Add|l|ora| Resources
8.5.1. lrsla||ed 0ocurerlal|or
8.5.2. uselu| weos|les
8.5.3. Re|aled 8oo|s
lrdex
Co|opror


What is a Disaster?
CfLen Lhe dramaLlc dlsasLers LhaL flrsL come Lo mlnd are such as a flre flood or sLorm
Pence

Any unplanned evenL LhaL dlsrupLs Lhe normal operaLlon of Lhe organlzaLlon"
Types of Disasters
lL would be lmposslble Lo llsL all Lhe dlfferenL Lypes of dlsasLers LhaL could sLrlke Lhe leadlng facLors are
generally four dlfferenL facLors LhaL can Lrlgger a dlsasLer 1hese facLors are

nS|ght Ia||ure
O lardWare la||ures
O 3ollWare la||ures
O lurar errors
ff-8|ght Fa||ure
O Erv|rorrerla| la||ures
Environmental Failures
LnvlronmenLal lssues can be broken lnLo four ma[or caLegorles

8ulldlng lnLegrlLy
LlecLrlclLy
Alr condlLlonlng
WeaLher and Lhe ouLslde world

Disaster Recovery

As a qulck LhoughL experlmenL Lhe nexL Llme you are ln your daLa cenLer look around and lmaglne for
a momenL LhaL lL ls gone And noL [usL Lhe compuLers lmaglne LhaL Lhe enLlre bulldlng no longer exlsLs
nexL lmaglne LhaL your [ob ls Lo geL as much of Lhe work LhaL was belng done ln Lhe daLa cenLer golng ln
some fashlon some where as soon as posslble WhaL would you do?
8y Lhlnklng abouL Lhls you have Laken Lhe flrsL sLep of dlsasLer recovery lsasLer recovery ls Lhe ablllLy
Lo recover from an evenL lmpacLlng Lhe funcLlonlng of your organlzaLlons daLa cenLer as qulckly and
compleLely as posslble 1he Lype of dlsasLer may vary buL Lhe end goal ls always Lhe same
1he sLeps lnvolved ln dlsasLer recovery are numerous and wlderanglng Pere ls a hlghlevel overvlew of
Lhe process along wlLh key polnLs Lo keep ln mlnd


Creating, Testing, and Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan
A backup slLe ls vlLal buL lL ls sLlll useless wlLhouL a dlsasLer recovery plan A dlsasLer recovery plan
dlcLaLes every faceL of Lhe dlsasLer recovery process lncludlng buL noL llmlLed Lo
O WhaL evenLs denoLe posslble dlsasLers
O WhaL people ln Lhe organlzaLlon have Lhe auLhorlLy Lo declare a dlsasLer and Lhereby puL Lhe
plan lnLo effecL
O 1he sequence of evenLs necessary Lo prepare Lhe backup slLe once a dlsasLer has been
declared
O 1he roles and responslblllLles of all key personnel wlLh respecL Lo carrylng ouL Lhe plan
O An lnvenLory of Lhe necessary hardware and sofLware requlred Lo resLore producLlon
O A schedule llsLlng Lhe personnel Lo sLaff Lhe backup slLe lncludlng a roLaLlon schedule Lo
supporL ongolng operaLlons wlLhouL burnlng ouL Lhe dlsasLer Leam members
O 1he sequence of evenLs necessary Lo move operaLlons from Lhe backup slLe Lo Lhe
resLored/new daLa cenLer
lsasLer recovery plans ofLen flll mulLlple looseleaf blnders 1hls level of deLall ls vlLal because ln Lhe
evenL of an emergency Lhe plan may well be Lhe only Lhlng lefL from your prevlous daLa cenLer (oLher
Lhan Lhe lasL offslLe backups of course) Lo help you rebulld and resLore operaLlons
Such an lmporLanL documenL deserves serlous LhoughL (and posslbly professlonal asslsLance Lo creaLe)
And once such an lmporLanL documenL ls creaLed Lhe knowledge lL conLalns musL be LesLed perlodlcally
1esLlng a dlsasLer recovery plan enLalls golng Lhrough Lhe acLual sLeps of Lhe plan
Colng Lo Lhe backup slLe and seLLlng up Lhe Lemporary daLa cenLer runnlng appllcaLlons remoLely and
resumlng normal operaLlons afLer Lhe dlsasLer ls over MosL LesLs do noL aLLempL Lo perform 100 of
Lhe Lasks ln Lhe plan lnsLead a represenLaLlve sysLem and appllcaLlon ls selecLed Lo be relocaLed Lo Lhe
backup slLe puL lnLo producLlon for a perlod of Llme and reLurned Lo normal operaLlon aL Lhe end of Lhe
LesL

ackup Sites: Cold, Warm, and Hot
Cne of Lhe mosL lmporLanL aspecLs of dlsasLer recovery ls Lo have a locaLlon from whlch Lhe recovery
can Lake place 1hls locaLlon ls known as a backup slLe ln Lhe evenL of a dlsasLer a backup slLe ls where
your daLa cenLer wlll be recreaLed and where you wlll operaLe from for Lhe lengLh of Lhe dlsasLer
1here are Lhree dlfferenL Lypes of backup slLes
O Cold backup slLes
O Warm backup slLes
O PoL backup slLes
Cbvlously Lhese Lerms do noL refer Lo Lhe LemperaLure of Lhe backup slLe lnsLead Lhey refer Lo Lhe
efforL requlred Lo begln operaLlons aL Lhe backup slLe ln Lhe evenL of a dlsasLer
Co|d backup s|tes

n bus|ness cont|nu|ty p|ann|ng empty bu||d|ng equ|pped w|th e|ectr|c power a|r cond|t|on|ng
te|ephone connect|ons water etc but w|thout computers off|ce equ|pment and furn|ture A co|d
s|te prov|des a |ess t|me|y response to a d|saster because |t must be converted |nto a hots|te for use
A cold backup slLe ls llLLle more Lhan an approprlaLely conflgured space ln a bulldlng LveryLhlng
requlred Lo resLore servlce Lo your users musL be procured and dellvered Lo Lhe slLe before Lhe process
of recovery can begln As you can lmaglne Lhe delay golng from a cold backup slLe Lo full operaLlon can
be subsLanLlal

Cold backup slLes are Lhe leasL expenslve slLes
ot backup s|tes
lullyequlpped alLernaLlve compuLer cenLer offlce work space or lndusLrlal faclllLy LhaL can be made
lmmedlaLely avallable Lo conLlnue crlLlcal buslness funcLlons affecLed by a dlsasLer aL Lhe prlmary
locaLlon
PoL backup slLes have a vlrLual mlrror lmage of your currenL daLa cenLer wlLh all sysLems conflgured and
walLlng only for Lhe lasL backups of your user daLa from your offslLe sLorage faclllLy As you can lmaglne
a hoL backup slLe can ofLen be broughL up Lo full producLlon ln no more Lhan a few hours
A hoL backup slLe ls Lhe mosL expenslve approach Lo dlsasLer recovery
lL requlres compleLe dupllcaLlon of Lhe server hardware an acLual separaLe server slLe and a secure
WAn connecLlon ln order Lo repllcaLe Lhe daLa Also Lhe neLwork seLup for a Lruly seamless fallover ls
very dlfflculL allowlng almosL no laLency and ofLen requlrlng a greaL deal of bandwldLh 1he hardware
cosLs alone are prohlblLlve 1he malnLenance cosLs and Llme spenL by Lhe sysLem admlnlsLraLors make
Lhls even more dralnlng Powever Lhls ls really Lhe only way Lo achleve absoluLe rellablllLy 1hls ls Lhe
redundancy meLhod used by LelecommunlcaLlons neLworks whlch seek Lhe nlne 9s Powever unless
Lhls nearperfecL rellablllLy ls necessary a hoL slLe backup opLlon ls seldom used

Jarm backup s|tes

8ackup slLe whlch ls somewhere beLween a PoL SlLe and a Cold SlLe

ln dlsasLer managemenL alLernaLlve buslness recovery faclllLy equlpped (unllke a hoL slLe) only parLlally
wlLh compuLer Lhe necessary hardware and sofLware communlcaLlons equlpmenL power supply and
envlronmenLal supporL equlpmenL

A "warm site" is a backup location that is equipped with computers and hardware similar to those at the original
business site, but does not include backed up copies of data and information.
A warm backup slLe ls already sLocked wlLh hardware represenLlng a reasonable facslmlle of LhaL found
ln your daLa cenLer 1o resLore servlce Lhe lasL backups from your offslLe sLorage faclllLy musL be
dellvered and bare meLal resLoraLlon compleLed before Lhe real work of recovery can begln



8ackup slLes can come from Lhree dlfferenL sources
O Companles speclallzlng ln provldlng dlsasLer recovery servlces
O CLher locaLlons owned and operaLed by your organlzaLlon
O A muLual agreemenL wlLh anoLher organlzaLlon Lo share daLa cenLer faclllLles ln Lhe evenL of a
dlsasLer
Lach approach has lLs good and bad polnLs lor example conLracLlng wlLh a dlsasLer recovery flrm ofLen
glves you access Lo professlonals skllled ln guldlng organlzaLlons Lhrough Lhe process of creaLlng LesLlng
and lmplemenLlng a dlsasLer recovery plan As you mlghL lmaglne Lhese servlces do noL come wlLhouL
cosL
uslng space ln anoLher faclllLy owned and operaLed by your organlzaLlon can be essenLlally a zerocosL
opLlon buL sLocklng Lhe backup slLe and malnLalnlng lLs readlness ls sLlll an expenslve proposlLlon
CrafLlng an agreemenL Lo share daLa cenLers wlLh anoLher organlzaLlon can be exLremely lnexpenslve
buL longLerm operaLlons under such condlLlons are usually noL posslble as Lhe hosLs daLa cenLer musL
sLlll malnLaln Lhelr normal producLlon maklng Lhe slLuaLlon sLralned aL besL
ln Lhe end Lhe selecLlon of a backup slLe ls a compromlse beLween cosL and your organlzaLlons need for
Lhe conLlnuaLlon of producLlon
ardware and Software Ava||ab|||ty
our dlsasLer recovery plan musL lnclude meLhods of procurlng Lhe necessary hardware and sofLware for
operaLlons aL Lhe backup slLe A professlonallymanaged backup slLe may already have everyLhlng you
need (or you may need Lo arrange Lhe procuremenL and dellvery of speclallzed maLerlals Lhe slLe does
noL have avallable) on Lhe oLher hand a cold backup slLe means LhaL a rellable source for every slngle
lLem musL be ldenLlfled CfLen organlzaLlons work wlLh manufacLurers Lo crafL agreemenLs for Lhe
speedy dellvery of hardware and/or sofLware ln Lhe evenL of a dlsasLer
Ava||ab|||ty of 8ackups
When a dlsasLer ls declared lL ls necessary Lo noLlfy your offslLe sLorage faclllLy for Lwo reasons
O 1o have Lhe lasL backups broughL Lo Lhe backup slLe
O 1o arrange regular backup plckup and dropoff Lo Lhe backup slLe (ln supporL of normal backups
aL Lhe backup slLe)
-etwork Connect|v|ty to the 8ackup S|te
A daLa cenLer ls noL of much use lf lL ls LoLally dlsconnecLed from Lhe resL of Lhe organlzaLlon LhaL lL
serves ependlng on Lhe dlsasLer recovery plan and Lhe naLure of Lhe dlsasLer lLself your user
communlLy mlghL be locaLed mlles away from Lhe backup slLe ln Lhese cases good connecLlvlLy ls vlLal
Lo resLorlng producLlon
AnoLher klnd of connecLlvlLy Lo keep ln mlnd ls LhaL of Lelephone connecLlvlLy ou musL ensure LhaL
Lhere are sufflclenL Lelephone llnes avallable Lo handle all verbal communlcaLlon wlLh your users WhaL
mlghL have been a slmple shouL over a cublcle wall may now enLall a longdlsLance Lelephone
conversaLlon so plan on more Lelephone connecLlvlLy Lhan mlghL aL flrsL appear necessary
8ackup S|te Staff|ng
1he problem of sLafflng a backup slLe ls mulLldlmenslonal Cne aspecL of Lhe problem ls deLermlnlng Lhe
sLafflng requlred Lo run Lhe backup daLa cenLer for as long as necessary Whlle a skeleLon crew may be
able Lo keep Lhlngs golng for a shorL perlod of Llme as Lhe dlsasLer drags on more people wlll be
requlred Lo malnLaln Lhe efforL needed Lo run under Lhe exLraordlnary clrcumsLances surroundlng a
dlsasLer
1hls lncludes ensurlng LhaL personnel have sufflclenL Llme off Lo unwlnd and posslbly Lravel back Lo Lhelr
homes lf Lhe dlsasLer was wlderanglng enough Lo affecL peoples homes and famllles addlLlonal Llme
musL be alloLLed Lo allow Lhem Lo manage Lhelr own dlsasLer recovery 1emporary lodglng near Lhe
backup slLe ls necessary along wlLh Lhe LransporLaLlon requlred Lo geL people Lo and from Lhe backup
slLe and Lhelr lodglngs
CfLen a dlsasLer recovery plan lncludes onslLe represenLaLlve sLaff from all parLs of Lhe organlzaLlons
user communlLy 1hls depends on Lhe ablllLy of your organlzaLlon Lo operaLe wlLh a remoLe daLa cenLer
lf user represenLaLlves musL work aL Lhe backup slLe slmllar accommodaLlons musL be made avallable
for Lhem as well
Mov|ng 8ack 1oward -orma|cy
LvenLually all dlsasLers end 1he dlsasLer recovery plan musL address Lhls phase as well 1he new daLa
cenLer musL be ouLflLLed wlLh all Lhe necessary hardware and sofLware whlle Lhls phase ofLen does noL
have Lhe LlmecrlLlcal naLure of Lhe preparaLlons made when Lhe dlsasLer was lnlLlally declared backup
slLes cosL money every day Lhey are ln use so economlc concerns dlcLaLe LhaL Lhe swlLchover Lake place
as qulckly as posslble
1he lasL backups from Lhe backup slLe musL be made and dellvered Lo Lhe new daLa cenLer AfLer Lhey
are resLored onLo Lhe new hardware producLlon can be swlLched over Lo Lhe new daLa cenLer
AL Lhls polnL Lhe backup daLa cenLer can be decommlssloned wlLh Lhe dlsposlLlon of all Lemporary
hardware dlcLaLed by Lhe flnal secLlon of Lhe plan llnally a revlew of Lhe plans effecLlveness ls held
wlLh any changes recommended by Lhe revlewlng commlLLee lnLegraLed lnLo an updaLed verslon of Lhe
plan

Cold sites are useful if there is some forewarning of a potential problem
A cold site backup means that the server isn't configured to take over



ata Center Pictures

Well, I've decided to take some updated data center pictures, and I'm also
linking to this from our Data Center page, so people can get a better idea of our
facilities. If there is anything else you would like us to photograph, just say so
and we'll see what we can do. If you have any questions about what you see,
etc. don't hesitate to ask either.

Note: The pictures were taken by me with a relatively inexpensive digital
camera, so I apologize for any incorrect photo composition or blurriness, etc.

First, here is the building, 350 E Cermak, from the outside, I didn't take this
picture, but you can see it is a fairly substantial 8 story brick building, 9 if you
count the 9th floor, which is all mechanical and related equipment. It has roughly
130,000 sq. ft. per floor. The building was initially built (construction began in
1917 and ended in 1929) as the main printing facility for the Donnelley printing
business as well as their corporate headquarters. This made the building perfect
for data centers then are high floor loads for the printing presses and 14'
ceilings. The building has developed into Chicago's premier carrier hotel, housing
hundreds of networks and hundreds of thousands of sq. ft. of usable data center
space.



This is what you'll see when entering the building, the lobby and security desk.
Everyone entering the building must be on the approved access list, any guests
are required to be accompanied by someone on the access list. In addition, the
security staff keeps an eye on cameras through the inside and outside of the
building 24/7.

Yes, I know the picture is blurry, it is to protect the identity of the security
personnel... Ok, ok, it is just blurry because it seems I don't know how to
properly take a picture, but you get the idea of what it looks like. Squint, and
maybe it won't look as blurry?



Once you've passed the initial security desk you'll go up the elevator to the 2nd
floor, and our suite is right outside the elevator. To get through the first door you
need to have an access card. After getting through that door, the picture shows
you what you see. Straight ahead is the data center, with double doors to make
it easy to bring in large shipments, etc. (the freight elevator is right down the
hall) and to the right is the door to our support office, where all of our support
staff spend their time when they're not working in the data center. You can also
see to the right of the office door the key card and fingerprint scanner. To get
into the data center you need to walk past our 24/7 manned support office and
pass the biometric+key card scan; we definitely take security seriously.



Now inside the data center you will first see our storage area, used for storing
customer equipment, commonly needed supplies (power cables, network cables,
fiber, etc.), and then spare hardware for our dedicated servers.

2age re2oved, as the storage area has been 2oved to a locked cage in
the back of our space. New picture should be arriving shortly.

To the right of the entrance you will see one of the two sets of 5 Liebert
HVAC/CRAC units. These 10 units provide enough cooling to the facility that even
if one failed while the data center were at full capacity there would still be
adequate cooling.



After that, you will see a fair amount of space available for future growth and
future customers. In the picture you can also see some spare telco racks in the
background as well as the overhead basket rack, which is installed throughout
the data center space.



Here you can see the HVAC vent setup. The setup is all overhead cooling, but
with the large number of vents, roughly one vent per two cabinets, it gives us a
lot of control to affect the amount of and direction of airflow, allowing us to
easily control any hot spots, etc. In addition, the vents are configured in a
manner to maximize our cold-aisle/hot-aisle configuration. In the top-middle you
can also see one of the many smoke (VESDA-like) detectors installed throughout
the facility. These smoke detectors are extremely sensitive and are installed
every 15-20 feet.



Our data center facility has two independent power feeds, fed from completely
independent UPS and PDU systems, both of which are backed by diesel
generators and dual power grids. This allows customers to get fully redundant
power to their cabinets for any critical servers/equipment. We have power pre-
installed above the cabinets, so we can deploy a large number of cabinets very
quickly, though the outlets are not fastened to the cabinets, so we can allocate
the power as needed, giving us flexibility. We have portions of the data center
dedicated to 120v AC power and others for 208v AC power, so we can meet
basically any AC power needs. behind the power install you can also see a closer
picture of the overhanging basket rack.



Now here are just some pictures of our rows of cabinets, etc. Nothing too special
to point out in these.







Finally, something not all that important, but a bit fun. This is the company Wii
and plasma TV. The TV was originally purchased for conventions, etc., though we
can't let it go to waste when we're not at a convention, so we hooked it up to a
Wii. This is available for both employee and customer use.



Again, if anyone wants to see anything else or has any questions, just ask.
__________________
Karl Zimmerman
President/CEO - NoZone, Inc./Steadfast Networks
http://steadfast.net
karl@steadfast.net

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For those of you who don't believe that the picture above is the 2nd set
of doors, here is the first set of doors. There are security cameras on
both the outside and outside of this door to assure that the 24/7 security
can clearly see if there is an issue of attempted forced entry, etc. You
can also see the key card scanner to the right of the door and the suite
number, suite 240.



One other thing to note is that the data center had been previously built
out in 2006 by British Petroleum, so it is built according to their high
standards for redundancy and security. They were outgrowing the space
quicker than they had planned and relocated to a new data center
elsewhere in the building. The space had initially been built out by 360
Networks in 2000-2001, but almost everything had been upgraded
and/or replaced when BP moved in in 2006.

Here are some pictures of dedicated servers in racks, as was requested:





Here is the cabling on the back of some dedicated servers, relatively neat
and clean. Using the shorter 3 ft. power cables is a big help.


__________________
Karl Zimmerman
President/CEO - NoZone, Inc./Steadfast Networks

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