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We maintain multiple high-speed connections to the Internet through several different
carriers to ensure maximum availability. Our data center facility has direct backbone OC-48 fiber-optic
connections to 8 of the fastest, most reliable networks available today.
We pay for commercial top-priority transit network capacity to our carriers
and 95%+ of all traffic outgoing from us goes directly to the end-user through
private peering points, bypassing the congested public exchanges. By concentrating
resources on private connections with Tier-1 providers, we deliver superior
speed and dependability unavailable to companies that rely on public connections.
All of our back-end network equipment is provided by Cisco and Juniper, guaranteeing
the highest scalability, performance, and uptime.
We are always looking to add network connectivity and new routes in an effort
to make sure content is delivered to end-users in the fastest, most efficient
manner possible.
Dedicated Connections
Some hosting providers operate an additional dial-up Internet service which
slows down their connection to the Internet. We do not provide access to the
Internet. This means our fiber-optic lines are entirely dedicated to web hosting.
Smart Net-Ring Technology
The data center is equipped with diverse self-healing Synchronous Optical
Network (SONET) rings. These rings act as links in a chain that connect to
each of our carrier’s ATM fiber nodes providing multiple points for each data
packet to exit the local ring and enter the global backbone. These rings
are synchronized for fail-over capability, so that if one ring is disabled
or cut off, data can be temporarily redirected through an alternate ring until
the original ring is restored to full functionality. This means, even in the
case of a major fiber cut in the area, traffic will be automatically re-routed
to an alternative carrier in less than 50-milliseconds (0.05 Second).
Intelligent End-User Routing
We utilize intelligent end-user routing software called Border Gateway Protocol
(BGP4), between our backbone carriers who all use the same protocol.
BGP4 allows for carrier independent routing, so if one carrier goes down, BGP4
routing automatically moves the traffic to an alternative carrier, thus preventing
any potential outages. BGP4 also identifies which path is the most efficient
for each data packet and then routes the packet to its destination on the fastest
route possible. This increases the speed at which web pages sent from our data
center arrive at their destination. Because of our redundant network architecture,
packets may be sent via alternative routes even if they are being delivered
to the same end-user. This also allows for packets to be redirected via another
route if network congestion on the Internet becomes overwhelming.
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 8 Tier-1 backbone providers. If one experiences
problems, we can route traffic through an alternative backbone carrier. Furthermore,
because we are On-Net with our carriers, we share their
digital distribution architecture, which includes private peering network connections
to major Internet carriers such as MCI, Sprint, EUNET, GTE, AOL, Best,
Erols, @Home, IBM Advantis and others. These private peering arrangements allow
us to exchange packets of data with every major backbone carrier in a one-to-one
environment quickly and efficiently.
Network Reliability
Industry analysis reveals that 70% of downtime over ten hours with any Internet
Service Provider (ISP) is caused by telephone circuit failure. Since our data
center has direct backbone connections, circuit
failure is virtually eliminated because there is no telecom circuit between
us and our providers. Instead, there is a direct connection between our Juniper M20 routers and our network providers ATM fiber nodes. Our backbone providers also
have private peering connections with other major Tier-1 providers, which allows
traffic to be switched to alternate backbones should the need arise.
Bandwidth Utilization
Our network currently has plenty of excess capacity, even during peak hours.
Too often hosting providers operate their networks at three to four times responsible
capacity. As a result, their corresponding transfer times reach over 300-milliseconds.
Our data center’s network daily average is 27% of its capacity, with
midday peak spikes reaching only 33% capacity. This allows us to accommodate
even the largest spikes in traffic that are often associated with the most
popular web sites. Low bandwidth utilization also allows for maximum uptime,
even if one of our providers has an outage.
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