Tier3 and Tier4 data centers in the Netherlands explained: what's the difference?

Data Center Tier Classification

To test how good the availability of a data center is, the American standard TIA-942 was created in 2005 by the Uptime Institute. It classifies data centers into four tiers: Tier1 (Basic capacity), Tier2 (Redundancy of major components), Tier3 (Concurrently maintainable) and Tier4 (Fault tolerant). These Tiers indicate guarantees and redundancy. The higher the classification, the better the availability of the data center. Each Tier (layer) thereby builds on the previous layer: for example, Tier4 contains all the components of Tier1, Tier2 and Tier3 plus some additional requirements.

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The four different Tiers

Tier1
This is the simplest implementation and the basics that every data center must meet. There is one power supplier, one UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and one power supply to the components (CRVK-1). Thus, there is no redundancy. Should there be an outage, planned or unplanned, it results in downtime.

Tier2
Tier2 is slightly more comprehensive. This involves one power supplier, one EPG (emergency power generator), one UPS and one power supply to the components. In the event of a power failure, the UPS can be deployed. Yet not all components are redundant, so downtime is still present during maintenance or outages.

Tier3
In Tier3, there is redundancy of installations and components. There are two power supplies, two EPGs, two UPSs and two power supplies to the components. Here, only one path is active at all times. During maintenance or failure, the other path becomes active and does not affect availability.

Tier4
In Tier4, there is full redundancy. There are two power supplies, two EPGs, two UPSs and two power supplies to the components. The major difference from tier 3 is that in tier 4, both paths provide half the power. In case of failure or maintenance, the other path then supplies the total power.

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Tier ratings in Dutch data centers

Tier classifications are based on U.S. standards. Dutch data centers are set up slightly differently and therefore the classification is more difficult. Tier1 and Tier2 are easy to achieve in the Netherlands. And because realizing 99.99% availability is possible in the Netherlands, Tier3 data centers are also found here. Tier4 data centers do not exist in the Netherlands, because with Tier4 the power has to be delivered via two completely separate paths. In the Netherlands, we have a single steam network infrastructure, making this impossible.

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What is a Tier3+ data center?

Fundaments operates exclusively from Tier3+ data centers. A Tier3+ datacenter is currently the highest achievable class for a Dutch datacenter. In this kind of datacenter everything has been thought of in terms of security, such as guaranteed power supply, intrusion protection, water and fire detection and climate control.

All of these components must be fully implemented. In terms of security, this means that a check is already done at the gate: an unregistered visitor must first go through a registration and authorization procedure. Without approval from a person authorized by Fundaments, access cannot take place. In addition, it must be clear at all times who, when, where enters the data center. Of course, this must also be monitored 24x7, which is why we always require local monitoring with a manned access desk. In addition, multiple access factors are used, such as fingerprints, iris scans or hand scans.

But in addition to security, the crucial factors for making the hardware work properly must also be in place. Consider power. In addition to using at least two different power feeds, they should also be uniquely protected with UPS protection. This is, in addition to absorbing power surges, to also provide stable power. In addition, sufficient generator capacity must also be available in the event of a power failure, supplied by diesel generators.

The last component within the data center in terms of quality is the climate. Of course the cooling must be in order, in which we see that temperature should not necessarily be low, but mainly stable. There is even more: humidity must be well measured and also stable. When this is well measured and controlled, the risk for the biggest nightmare, fire, is also well contained. Fundaments' Tier3+ data centers use sensors in them that locally measure for air composition; when there are elevated levels in them that give an indication of a short circuit or incipient fire, an onset of catastrophe can be quickly detected and mitigated. In addition, extinguishing capability is also important; by working with argon gas, the oxygen level in a data room can be lowered very quickly, quickly extinguishing a fire. This measure is a last resort, but ensures that the infrastructure is not damaged.

As described, there are many components that determine the quality of a data center. Fundaments includes its own quality in its list of requirements: the efficiency of a data center, which is expressed in the PUE value (Power Usage Efficiency). This value indicates how much energy must be used to run the data center.

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