What is Colocation?

Colocation is housing your own server or servers in a data center owned by someone else. This is different than leasing a dedicated server in a data center in that you physically own the server or servers themselves and manage their operation. The data center provides the space, environmental control, power and bandwidth.

There are three things to consider when looking for colocation that will affect the overall price. They are space, power and bandwidth.

Space

Colocation space varies greatly. It can be as little as 1U in a rack to colocate a single server up to physical square feet of floor space in a data center enclosed with security caging. In between those there are many different options as well. They typically consist of multiple U's, quarter rack/cabinet, half rack/cabinet, full rack/cabinet and multiple cabinets. Determining your space requirements is the first step in determining your overall colocation needs.

Power

Once you have determined how much space you need, the next step is to determine your power requirements. Colcoation power is typically defined in Amperes, (usually shortened to Amps - symbol: A). Power becomes a factor once you start looking into multiple U's of colocation space such as a quarter rack. For the most part, power is allocated in 20 amp circuits for colocation. The total power reqirement depends on the amount of equipment and a number of variables within the equipment such as processor speed, number of processors, number of cooling fans, number of hard drives, etc. Additional power can be added when needed for an additional charge.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth usage is the last major consideration that will need to be determined for a colocation solution. Bandwidth is allocated in GigaBytes (GB) per month. When colocating more than one server in a data center, the total amount of bandwidth used is determined by adding up the total used by each server. Thus meaning your total bandwidth allocation for the month is shared by all of your equipment that is colocated at that facility. Bandwidth usage varies by the colocation client as well. Some clients have multiple pieces of equipment but use very little bandwidth, while others may only colocate a few pieces of equipment but use high amounts of bandwidth. On occasion more bandwidth may be used than was allocated for the month. This can be billed in 1GB increments. Bandwidth allocation can easily be upgraded for an additional cost.

Of course there are other variables to consider when deciding whether to colocate or not but, the three listed above are the largest. If you are still not sure about what colocation is, or have additional questions about colocation, just ask us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where do I ship my server?

A. Ship it to our data center:

EliteRAX c/o NEXCESS.NET
Data Center
22005 W. Outer Dr.
Dearborn, MI 48124.

PLEASE NOTE: Include your name, address, company and phone number with your shipment.

Q. How long do reboots take?

A. Each single-server colocation account receives a FREE online rebootable port. But even if you're opening a ticket you can expect reboots within 15 minutes.

Q. If I need equipment (servers, drives, switches etc) can you guys provide that?

A. For the most part yes. We keep a stock of most basic items and can normally help colocation clients out in a pinch as well with gear. Just contact us for pricing if you have something specific in mind.

Q. Do you require that my rackmount server have rails?

A. We don't require it but it's GREATLY appreciated if you ship rails suitable for a standard 4-post rack.

Q. Do you offer colocation cages?

A. We do, starting at 10' x 10' and in 10' x 10' increments thereafter. Just contact us for pricing.

Q. What will my uplink port speed be?

A. You'll be connected at 100 Mbps for most applications unless a faster circuit is needed. All cages come with a 1000 Mbps uplink.

Q. What's the maximum number of power circuits I can get per rack?

A. We can normally wire up to four 20A circuits (80A total).