Category Archives: Data Center

Distributed Ledger Drives Distributed Infrastructure

How is data center infrastructure adapted to edge distributed ledger technology workloads?

We think through if those demands (blockchain, proof-of-stake coins, etc) are changing the way we look at data center infrastructure, and the short answer is yes. We also explore the impacts of the type of workloads that we’re running and how we distribute them, rather than the type of equipment that we need to buy.

This conversation quickly becomes one about what we want to do with our infrastructure, not what the infrastructure is.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/KcT3ZF8ELbg5M3FrZmTSL7ycpX8
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/vehicle-on-the-road-3593923/

Green Data Centers

What’s going on with green data centers, why does it matter, and how do we think about it in a wider context? In this short conversation, we discuss green data centers and creating carbon neutral infrastructure.

This isn’t just about servers using electrons – the actual conversation about making our infrastructure carbon neutral includes thinking about all of the components that go into our infrastructure.

We also have an upcoming series of conversations on green data centers and carbon neutral infrastructure.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/IYsPlr4r570MmOOW3WWLjenDlWk
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light…ray-rock-1108572/

Data Center Users: Majors vs Miners

Majors versus minors are enterprise data centers versus blockchain, bitcoin and distributed ledger data centers. We dive into the differences in processing and environmental requirements for those two different use cases.

While the idea of blockchain and distributed ledgers generate very different computational profiles, what we’re building keeps coming back to the design of a data center is design of a data center. The exception is proof of work like Bitcoin. In those cases, it’s really just how many CPUs you can run.

For this episode, we focus on proof of stake data center infrastructure. This podcast is helpful to understand the difference between proof of work and proof of state. There’s clear consensus on the call that that proof of work is not environmentally sustainable. So proof of stake is much more interesting.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/uuPJSF_nWeDLF64lZlsGLOY8JWw
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-shovel-3285094/

Building Green(er) Data Centers

What is a “green datacenter?” Can we make the IT infrastructure we use more environmentally sound?

Maybe, but… it’s a challenging problem because fundamentally running servers uses power.

We went into how data centers use power with an eye to making them more efficient. But that’s only part of the story. We discussed ways to incent people to give up resources, CPU cycles, and idle servers. Those are the items that really help with savings.

Ultimately, building a next generation infrastructure is more about the behaviors of the users as the efficiency of the equipment. In that case, what’s holding us back?

Transcript: otter.ai/u/RbDO1zLmb3JbEcmm6bsw6pihvQE
Photo: www.pexels.com/photo/three-brown…n-surface-799465/

A Pathway to Green Data Centers?

How do we make data centers green because, fundamentally, they are going to use electricity. But the sources of that electricity, how we respond to shortages of electricity and cost signals about that electricity are all critical to consider. These are the questions that lead us to how a green data center or green infrastructure gets created.

Our discussion also includes how infrastructure at the edge can play a role. Overall, there are A LOT of the factors that go into building and creating green infrastructure, including the motivations and signals that will hopefully change the market.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/9eirv3Rs292n7M1m8d1VaRPPRgA
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light…ray-rock-1108572/

Announcing the Cloud 2030 Online Community/Event

Rob Hirschfeld and Stephen Spector announce the launch of a new community/event called Cloud 2030. This concept is based on the past Cloud 2020 event held at Switch in 2010 focused on the future of cloud.

In addition to being a global community of cloud operators this will operate as en event without a fixed schedule. Come join at cloud2030.mn.co to learn more.

Chris Love and Jay Vyas on their NEW Book, Core Kubernetes

Joining us for this week’s podcast is Jay Vyas, Member of Technical Staff at VMware and Chris Love, Principle Engineer with LionKube.

DISCOUNT CODE: podL8istSh9y20 for 40% discount (good for all our products in all formats)

Jay and Chris have just published a new book, Core Kubernetes available at www.manning.com/books/core-kubernetes.

About the book
Core Kubernetes is a reference guide designed to teach operators, SREs, and developers how to improve reliability and performance of Kubernetes-based systems. In it, Kubernetes experts Chris Love and Jay Vyas provide a guided tour through all major aspects of Kubernetes, from managing iptables to setting up dynamically scaled clusters that respond to changes in load. You’ll understand the unique security concerns of container-based applications, discover tips to minimize costly unused capacity, and get pro tips for maximizing performance. This awesome collection of undocumented internals, expert techniques, and practical guidance has invaluable information you won’t find anywhere else.