A short while ago, a member of our team passed away after a battle with cancer. Allan was a dear colleague and member of the PEER 1 Hosting family for five years. He worked from our Atlanta office as lead system administrator and over the years touched countless customers with his incredible kindness and wonderful service. Allan’s life was cut far too short by a terrible disease but his spirit will endure for a lifetime.
Allan’s passing is a reminder to us that we can have a profound effect on our colleagues’ lives. During the last few days of Allan’s battle, I witnessed an outpouring of love and support from employees across our company, many of whom had never met Allan yet were moved by his astounding efforts to fight cancer. Allan was touched by each and every supportive interaction.
Please keep Allan’s family and friends, particularly his wife Kelly, in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn the loss of their son, husband, relative, friend. May they and all of the PEER 1 Hosting family find peace in the many happy memories we shared with Allan over the years.
The transition from physical to virtualized infrastructure introduces a new set of challenges for system administrators everywhere, especially when the v-machines live in a cloud somewhere. Last week our very own Chris DiGanci spoke to NetworkComputing about how some of these challenges can be addressed by leveraging the advanced virtualied monitoring capabilities of VKernel 3.5.
Some of the biggest problems for any IT shop taking on a massive virtualization project are almost always going to be related to resource management. Managing virtual hardware requires a different approach than managing physical hardware, so allocation (either over or under), unregulated VM sprawl, and the creeping cost of thinking about virtualization with a physical hardware mentality are common problems. It takes a pretty big shift in thinking to go from “I need dual CPUs, 16GB of Ram and at least 120GB of disk space” to “My application or system is going to run ideally with one vCPU, 2.1GB of RAM and a thin provisioned footprint of 6GB that can grow up to 22GB”.
Nowadays, it’s about process workload and being able to scale to meet the needs of your customer. The only way you’re going to be able to do that is to effectively balance your systems to the appropriate clusters and have the ability to right size your virtuals so you get the most value for your investment. You can’t make informed decisions about capacity without the right tools in place to monitor for trends, consumption, burst and cost.
Vkernel has been a tremendous asset in helping us to determine server bottlenecks, to plan for future growth, to right size our existing environments, and to identify where we need to balance out systems or add resources. So far, we’ve been mostly able to reduce the consumption of most systems and have found a considerable amount of over allocation. In the not distant future, we’re going to be able to give the business a holistic view into the real cost-benefit and consumption of the virtual infrastructure.
One of the biggest advantages of VKernel is the chargeback system. It gives us incredibly granular control of how we can monitor usage of the various virtualized services. Systems can be assigned into tiers based on the type of service, such as SAN space, fast spindles, replicated LUNs, internal storage, SSDs, etc. Fixed costs can then be assigned by datacenter (power per kw, cooling cost, networking) with the appropriate measurable billing metric (per GHz, per gig of ram, per gig of disk space, etc.). The system also enables us to do snapshots of costs or trend costs-per-product. With this data in hand, we can determine the real cost of any product we have out there, and make adjustments if necessary. Using this data as ‘showback’ also helps departments reduce their spend and makes them a little more conscious of their cost to the infrastructure.
Calling all design gurus! Our friends over at The Code Project have a little contest going, and first place takes home a shiny new iPad 2.
The Challenge?
Dazzle us with your mastery of HTML5 and CSS3. Show off the future of the web, freed from the shackles of square boxes and 1990′s thinking. Your choice is to teach us how to do it with the clearest, simplest, and most enjoyable tutorial possible, or just show us what it can do by blowing our collective minds. Animation, the canvas, transitions, local storage, drag and drop, sockets – or all of it mixed up in a bucket. Go crazy!
Contest ends July 5th, so get your design hat on and show us what you can do!
Last week, one of our PEERS embarked on a two month, two wheeled adventure. PEER 1 Hosting Product Engineer Brian Beaudoin is currently riding his bike from Atlanta, Georgia all the way to Maine, New England.
This trip is no last-minute vacation – he has been planning it for decades. “When I was a child, I wanted to travel the world by bicycle,” Brian explained. “In my dreams I would pedal through the most beautiful areas I could imagine.”
Although his childhood dream is now a reality, Brian admits there are a few things – or people – he will miss while he’s out on the road. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at PEER 1 again in August,” he said with a smile.
Brian will get to see a few familiar faces during his journey. Our datacenter in Herndon, VA has offered him a place to rest along the way. “I’m looking forward to stopping by,” said Brian, confessing that he hopes for a warm shower and some home-cooked food.
I’ve worked with Brian for a few years, and although I gave him a hard time about all the gear he had to pack, I’m incredibly proud of him for what he’s about to do.
To say I’m in awe would be an understatement.
We will miss having him around the office for the next few months, but know he will have the time of his life out on the road.
Brian Daffern is the director of Product Development at PEER 1 Hosting. He fell off his bike a few decades ago but has recently been inspired to give it another try.
Your first thought when someone mentions clouds may resemble puffy white cotton balls. But if you are a business owner, you should be changing your train of thought to opportunity because that is exactly what cloud computing offers to small businesses.
Modern hosting, and, more specifically, cloud computing, means having your computing infrastructure, platforms, and applications hosted in a location other than your facility. It offers the ability to access storage or computing or processing power on demand through web-based cloud platforms. It benefits small businesses in many ways, including reduced investments in software and hardware, because companies can pay for computing needs on an as-needed basis. [1]
While some people may be hesitant to embrace modern hosting solutions, it’s clear that small businesses are flocking to the cloud. A recent study conducted by Microsoft revealed that 39 percent of small and mid-sized businesses expect to pay for at least one cloud service in the next three years, and that 43 percent of computer workloads in the United States will shift to paid cloud services. [2]
What Types of Clouds Are There?
Forget the things you learned in science class about stratus and cirrocumulus clouds. Today, the cloud is about IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS; which respectively stand for Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software (or application) as a Service. [3]
Software as a Service typically involves accessing software applications via a web browser and includes functions such as accounting and invoicing (think Quickbooks Online), human resource management, content management, and other functions. This typically covers the needs of most small businesses that are not in the IT field. [3] [4]
Platform as a Service is the deployment of a computing platform or solution stack on the cloud. Often, it offers the increased ability for development and team collaboration. In simpler terms, PaaS is used to support multiple users simultaneously. PaaS also offers developers greater flexibility by allowing them to work in any programming language, any database, and any operating system. [5]
Infrastructure as a Service typically involves a platform virtualization environment. Clients buy resources such as servers, software, data-center space, and networked equipment as a fully outsourced service that is often billed based on resources consumed.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line for small businesses depends on increasing revenues and cutting expenses. If used properly, modern hosting platforms can contribute directly to the bottom line through savings. The old model involved buying servers, routers, and storage equipment. It meant expensive software that ran in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, plus the cost of updates.
With cloud computing, small businesses can limit the risk and financial impact by renting these applications. Online application stores allow small business owners to discover professional applications and services for areas such as customer resource management, marketing, accounting, and collaboration. [4]
Scaling is arguably the most attractive feature of cloud-based computing for small business. As Microsoft’s research revealed, growing companies want a scalable environment that meets expanding needs with a pay-as-you go pricing model and one that also eliminates the need for major investments in IT. [2]
This chart shows a model for “on-demand” computing infrastructure. Note that the infrastructure costs rise only as actual demand increases and are not based on anticipated demand.
A company engaging cloud-based computing services pays only for what it needs. What this means is that costs increase only as business grows. This allows for tremendous flexibility for businesses using a new application. The business can start with fewer users, features, or support, and upgrade as needs increase.
Furthermore, the cloud is a great option where frequent spikes or surges in computing demands are a normal part of business. Cloud computing services have the ability to quickly increase resources as demand increases, and then scale the resources back as demand recedes. Often, this change in available resources can be automated by creating trigger actions. [4]
Convenience and Flexibility
In many ways, the cloud “understands” that business has gone global, mobile, and is a 24/7 pursuit. Applications on the web can be accessed from any computer and from many mobile devices. The cloud helps small businesses mobilize their employees, thereby reducing operating costs. [6]
Additionally, many small businesses will find it easier and more convenient to access data stored on the cloud or with application providers. Employees, vendors, and others will be able to access the data stored on the cloud. For example, a CPA would be able to access a company’s cloud-based accounting records, therefore eliminating the need to transfer paper files back and forth. [3]
Cloud computing also makes it easier for small businesses to engage in conferences and business meetings without expensive travel costs. By launching web-based, cloud-powered conferencing platforms, users can give online presentations and conduct meetings and trainings to anyone with a computer, and small business owners can connect quickly and affordably without the need for travel to other locations. [3]
Additionally, the cloud offers reliability. A business owner will no longer need to worry about a server crash losing important documents and files. [7] Documents created in and accessed through the cloud are also saved in the cloud, providing for continuous access and prevention of accidental erasure of files. [6]
Working Together
The cloud makes collaboration with vendors and experts easier. It also makes teaming with remote employees a realistic alternative to pulling everyone into a central office. A small business may grow to develop its own applications through PaaS and then host those applications through IaaS on the cloud. [3]
Furthermore, simplified document storage makes it easier for employees to upload, store, and share important documents, videos, and files. [6]
Security Concerns
A responsible business should always be concerned with online security. When a story about wrongful access to information breaks, it generally makes headlines and can have a negative impact on a company’s reputation. However, the cloud is a safe computing platform, and in most small businesses a reputable cloud vendor will offer a much higher level of security than what can be achieved in-house. [3]
This chart shows the different layers of cloud security in one cloud platform. The different layers require passwords for access.
Similarly, when an application goes down or is temporarily offline, the headlines and Twitter broadcast this immediately to the world. However, this is unlikely to occur with a reputable vendor, as there are frequent redundancies in place – redundancies a small business can’t generally afford to build on its own. A thorough review of the vendor’s Service Agreement will inform a business owner about important factors such as back up plans, redundancies, and how emergencies are handled. [3]
Hybrid Hosting
Using cloud computing offers small businesses many benefits and advantages that they would not be able to afford otherwise, but there are situations when a company is better served by having a dedicated server running an application. For example, if a company needs to guarantee that its sensitive data will be secure, the data should be kept on a server used exclusively for that data. Furthermore, a business website that generates heavy traffic may perform more efficiently if it has its own server. [8]
For these situations, hybrid hosting is a viable alternative to using only cloud computing. Hybrid hosting involves using a combination of cloud computing plus dedicated servers. It has the same advantages as cloud computing – scalability, affordability, increased availability of services, etc. – but instead of having a business share a server with other companies, the Internet service provider (ISP) dedicates an entire server to the company’s network. The ISP is responsible for the maintenance and security of the server, and the company is reassured that its data is as secure as possible. When the company needs to add services or scale up, hybrid hosting can accommodate this. [9]
Why Wait?
The cloud is a great equalizer. It allows small and mid-sized businesses to innovate, grow, and compete with their much larger counterparts. They can expand and contract computing power as needed based on demand, and access platforms and infrastructure that were previously unaffordable to them.
Keeping up to date on emerging technology, as well as maintaining current technology, is an expensive and time-consuming task. It is an area in which many small businesses struggle, which takes a toll on their bottom line. However, cloud computing services level the playing field by removing the costs of technology investment and maintenance, giving small businesses the flexibility they need to grow.
Earlier this week ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) released some exciting news about a historic expansion for the future of the Domain Name System.
Currently we have 22 generic Top Level Domains, or gTLDs. These are your old standbys – .com, .net, .org and so on. The new plan will allow individuals and organizations to create personalized or branded gTLDs.
“ICANN has opened the Internet’s naming system to unleash the global human imagination. Today’s decision respects the rights of groups to create new Top Level Domains in any language or script. We hope this allows the domain name system to better serve all of mankind,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN.
New gTLDs will change the way people find information on the Internet and how businesses plan and structure their online presence. Internet address names will be able to end with almost any word in any language, offering organizations around the world the opportunity to market their brand, products, community or cause in new and innovative ways.
“Today’s decision will usher in a new Internet age,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of ICANN’s Board of Directors. “We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration.”
Owning your own TLD probably won’t be something everyone can just decide to do on a whim. Applications will go through a 2 month long review process where each new TLD will be evaluated for potential issues which may compromise the integrity of the Domain Name System.
In terms of cost, each application will require a $5,000 deposit, and current estimates anticipate a new TLD will cost about $185,000 to register, followed by an annual maintenance fee of about $6,250. Guess I’ll need to start saving my allowance up if I ever want to be the proud owner of .boten.
The first round of applications will take place from 12 January 2012 until 12 April 2012, and it is estimated that somewhere between 300 and 1000 new TLDs will be delegated. For more information about the application process, ICANN has provided detailed FAQs and an Applicant Guidebook.
PEER 1 Hosting has adopted green cooling techniques and technology in our newest datacenters. These techniques utilize local environmental factors to help provide greater efficiency, less emissions and overall higher reliability data centers for our clients.
Our latest datacenter under construction in Portsmouth, UK (opening this October) and it’s use of new energy-efficient cooling technology was featured today in the The New York Times:
In Portsmouth, PEER 1 plans to funnel air warmed by the servers to a chamber where it is to be cooled as it passes through metal plates sprayed with water. The water would be recycled, while the cooled air would be blown back through specially sealed aisles, rather than wasted on empty parts of the building. Refrigeration could still be used, but only when weather was particularly hot or humid.
New cooling methods could help PEER 1 win business and maintain profitability when electricity prices are rising, said Dominic Monkhouse, the managing director for PEER 1 in Europe. Companies like the giant supermarket chain Tesco that were directly or indirectly using PEER 1 services were demanding lower energy use from all parts of their supply chains, including data centers, as part of efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, he said.
At its best-performing facility in Toronto, PEER 1 needs power for cooling, mostly involving fans, amounting to 35 percent beyond what it uses to run the servers.
At Portsmouth, it aims to lower that figure to 10 percent.
For the past fifteen years, The Webby Awards have honoured the best of the best on The Web. Focusing on innovation and excellence in areas such as new media, web design, interactive advertising, online activism, art, film & video, comedy, blogging, games, green technology and online communities, The Webbys celebrate the year’s greatest successes in digital culture.
The Webbys have over 70 categories, and each category has two winners – The Webby Winner, chosen by the event’s organizers, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and the People’s Voice Winner, chosen by the public in an open online voting process. With that many recipients you may think the award ceremony might be a tedious affair – The Webbys have been called The Oscars of the Internet, afterall. But this is Web 2.0 we’re talking about, so forget long winded teary-eyed speeches. Webby winners are only allowed five words when accepting their award, so they have to make every one count. Here’s what Jimmy Fallon had to say when he was awarded Webby Person of the Year, back in 2009.
This year’s Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Webby Award winner, Lisa Kudrow. You can watch the live stream tonight on Youtube or Facebook. Personally, I’ll be watching to see Watson’s five word speech.
We might be located all over North America, but the PEER 1 Hosting story started in Vancouver, and we love our home team, the Vancouver Canucks! Today is game five of the Stanley Cup finals and I have a sneaking suspicion the office will be all but empty before the puck drops at 5pm PST. Oh, and you might want to take a closer look at some of those jerseys… Go Canucks!
Well, the big day is finally here! We’re about halfway through World IPv6 Day and to celebrate, our awesome IT department somehow found time to bake us a batch of delicious IPv6 Enabled Cupcakes!
We’re happy to say that so far we haven’t seen any major IPv6 related issues surface due to IPv6 Day. According to the ISOC‘s participant’s dashboard, it looks as though the majority of participants were able to successfully dual stack their websites.
If you’re interested in learning more about how IPv6 Day has affected Internet traffic patterns today, Arbour Networks is providing some interesting analysis here.
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Nowadays, it’s about process workload and being able to scale to meet the needs of your customer. The only way you’re going to be able to do that is to effectively balance your systems to the appropriate clusters and have the ability to right size your virtuals so you get the most value for your investment. You can’t make informed decisions about capacity without the right tools in place to monitor for trends, consumption, burst and cost.
Calling all design gurus! Our friends over at 
Last week, one of our PEERS embarked on a two month, two wheeled adventure. PEER 1 Hosting Product Engineer Brian Beaudoin is currently riding his bike from Atlanta, Georgia all the way to Maine, New England.
Earlier this week ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) released some exciting news about a historic expansion for the future of the Domain Name System.
PEER 1 Hosting has adopted green cooling techniques and technology in our newest datacenters. These techniques utilize local environmental factors to help provide greater efficiency, less emissions and overall higher reliability data centers for our clients.
For the past fifteen years, 
Well, the big day is finally here! We’re about halfway through World IPv6 Day and to celebrate, our awesome IT department somehow found time to bake us a batch of delicious IPv6 Enabled Cupcakes!
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