Md Jahedul Islam

Internet is a huge global network. Various computers, servers, and network devices are connected together through this system. Internet acts as a medium of communication. Through the use of the Internet the users can exchange information and access various important services around the world such as communication. Whether we do video streaming, social networking and mail exchange through this internet its main power is the data center. In simple words data center is information center. The process of accumulating a lot of data in a specific place is called data center in general sense. Data center is very significant in the management of internet technology.

A data center is a specific place (building or place) where data is stored and managed through servers and internet connections. A data center consists of many servers that are connected to each other by a network. When we enter a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in the browser then it enters the data center through the Internet and is processed there and comes back to us. Basically the data center consists of more than one server. A number of procedures are followed to keep this huge number of servers running round the clock (24/7).

Among them consideration of space and infrastructure is the most important. Locations or infrastructures are usually selected for server placement where the probability of natural disasters is around 0% to 5%. Because natural disasters cause external and internal damage to the data center. In addition it should have a base with a large area so that the capacity of the data center can be increased as per the demand in the future.

Cloud computing is constantly advancing our way of life. Due to the development of technology all human activities have become internet based today. From social media to education, research, business, digital marketing, etc. internet has an amazing touch. Internet-based digital platforms have an important contribution behind our daily activities. About four million hours of video are uploaded to YouTube alone every day. About four and a half billion (Four hundred and fifty crores) people in the world are using the network in one way or another through various devices every day. This results in two and a half million terabytes of new data being created every day. Storing this new information along with old data requires huge data warehouses or data centers. A data center is made up of hundreds of servers spread over a large area.

Meanwhile Facebook is one of the most popular social media in the world. Facebook stores the data of about three (03) billion people around the world. In addition about 2000 million people around the world use Facebook every day. Every day these Facebook users post texts, images, videos on the timeline which are stored as data. Even the personal information of the users is stored by Facebook. Like other tech giants, Facebook has built many data centers in different countries to store user data. Data center is a very big project. A data center consists of many high profile data stores from important to simple.

If the data is deleted or destroyed then there will be a big loss. Online and offline two types of security systems are kept to keep this data safe. Data is the lifeblood of every data center. Cloud is the most reliable backup system nowadays. A data center costs a lot of money in operational costs to store and market data. There is no alternative to these data centers when it comes to managing the Internet. Because without a data center we don't have a secure way to store and access data. On the other hand data in data centers is very safe and error free.

Data center has adequate backup of data. So the chances of data loss due to any accident is also very less. The job of a data center is to provide power, network, security, cooling system and infrastructure facilities to keep the servers running 365 days without interruption. The main function of a data center is to store data and keep the internet running. A data center is basically a cold space where servers are arranged in rows in racks. So that the servers can conduct their work process in a normal temperature. Where all types of data storage including management, backup are performed. A data center usually contains storage devices, networking devices and many other hardware devices. Firstly the motherboard, processor, RAM, storage etc. are setup to prepare the servers. Later they are arranged in the storage racks in stages.

Then it is connected to the Internet by interlinking the servers with routers, switches, firewalls and other networking devices. Then customers can use the server space to take service. Each server is provided with hardware and software based security. It is kept connected to the internet all the time without any kind of trouble. Temperature is maintained constantly. After all these are handled properly it is delivered to the customer at the marginal stage.

Meanwhile the Internet is the heart of the data center. Internet is required to do all the work including data exchange from the servers that are installed in the data centers. A hassle-free networking infrastructure plays a very important role to connect this internet. Usually servers use a network to communicate with each other. This network is connected to the internet. As a result the data of the data center can be used (accessed) by users located on the Internet. For this reason centers use advanced network equipment including routers, network switches and firewalls. Meanwhile if the network cannot be setup properly, the server will be error or down. On the other hand if the network is not managed properly then there is a possibility of the server being hacked.

In a data center many servers are simultaneously running twenty-four (24/7) hours a day and night. This constant running causes heat to be generated in each server. Now if the temperature is not controlled using any method there is a possibility of hardware damage. As a result the risk of data center server failure is manifold. For this reason cooling system is kept to control the temperature. Meanwhile the main force in running a data center is the electricity power. Almost all components in a data center depend on electricity.

Since without power the server, cooling system, network nothing will work so there is no alternative. So it is very important to have secondary and backup power management system along with primary power supply facility in every data center. For this reason UPS, generators and power distribution units (PDUs) systems are used to solve each center power problem. All electrical products including network devices, servers, cooling systems are operated with sufficient power. Networking Data centers are an integral part of the Internet. The data center needs to be connected to the internet to fulfill its main purpose. Without proper networking, servers will not be able to communicate with each other and will not be able to connect to the Internet. This is why it is very important to implement it correctly to create a fault-free networking infrastructure.

The writer is a, Network Technician (ICT Cell) Jagannath University, Dhaka.