Network

Redundancy

Studies have shown that the most common reason for downtime is circuit failure on Tier 1 provider backbones (the major data highways). To guard against this potential problem, we have two Tier-1 providers. If one experiences problems, we can route traffic through another one. Furthermore, because we are OnNet with Level(3) and Qwest, we share their digital distribution architecture, which includes private peering network connections to major Internet carriers such as MCI, Sprint, UUNET, EUNET, AT&T, AOL, Best, Erols, @Home, IBM Advantis and others. These private peering arrangements allow AJL Hosting, Inc. to quickly and efficiently exchange packets of data with every major backbone carrier in a one-to-one environment.

Reliability

Industry metrics reveal that seventy percent of downtime of over ten hours with any ISP is caused by telephone circuit failure. With AJL Hosting, Inc. circuit failure is virtually eliminated as we are with both Level(3) and Qwest.

AJL Hosting, Inc.'s providers also have peering connections with other major Tier 1 providers that allow traffic to be switched to alternate backbones should the need arise.

AJL Hosting, Inc. recognizes that downtime is not an option for your Web sites. That's why we invest heavily in hardware and facilities that ensure that your sites are up and running twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

The NOC features raised flooring. This enables a constant flow of conditioned air and helps to maintain uniform room temperature at all times. In addition, raised flooring reduces static and ensures a professional, computer-grade environment for your servers.

Finally, the NOC is located in a secure, monitored, class A building with a minimum number of approved personnel allowed access to highly sensitive areas and equipment. A detailed record of employee and visitor entry is maintained at all times.

Uninterruptible Power System (UPS)

To guard against local power failures, the NOC has two industrial-grade, three-phase Liebert UPS systems. These act as back-up batteries, maintaining uninterrupted power in case of surges or power outages. With these back-up systems in place, we can keep our network up and running indefinitely without relying on external power.

Air

The NOC has two Liebert 10 ton industrial air conditioners that condition our computer rooms and operations center. Air temperature is maintained at an optimal sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

Custom Web Servers (Configuration)

All AJL Hosting, Inc. Web servers are custom-built industrial machines designed for a 24/7 Web serving environment. All of our servers are equipped with dual-redundant, 400-watt power supplies, hot swap drives and force-filtered cooling systems. In addition, our NOC is equipped with an inventory of identically configured, burned-in standby servers.

Force Filtered Cooling

All of AJL Hosting, Inc. custom Web servers are equipped with a positive-pressure filtered-air system. Four large fans pull filtered air into each server's protective case, and the components within are cooled by fans that circulate this purified air. This constant introduction of clean air into the case creates a positive pressure environment ensuring that dust and particles remain outside the server.

Redundant Hot Swap Power Supplies

Each server employs dual-redundant hot swap power supplies. If a power supply were to fail, the server would continue running with power from the alternate supply. Meanwhile, alarms would alert a technician, who would quickly restore redundancy. In the meantime, servers and client sites would experience no downtime.

Standby Servers

We keep spare servers online of all CPU configurations. If a server were to experience a hardware failure, we would turn a key, grab the handle on the drive, pull it out and insert it into an identical standby CPU. We would then reboot the second machine, and the server would be up and running again in a matter of minutes.