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content/u/projects/data-center-light/contents.lr

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+title: Data Center Light
+---
+subtitle: A clean and sustainable data center
+---
+content:
+
+## Introduction
+
+The [Data Center Light](https://datacenterlight.ch) is our radical
+different answer to challenges of the climate change and
+centralisation.
+
+It is located in Linthal and is part of the [Digital
+Glarus](/u/projects/digital-glarus) projects.
+
+## How Data Center Light came into existence
+
+Originally ungleich used to be a Linux/Unix/network consultancy
+company. Over the years, more and more customers asking us whether we
+provide a space to store their data and to run their applications.
+Until the end of 2014 we politely declined and referred our customers
+to other data centers or hosting providers.
+
+In 2015 however, we began to re-evaluate whether it is actually
+feasible to build a data center in Glarus.
+
+## The three components of a data center
+
+If you consider to run a data center, there are three important
+factors:
+
+* space - where to put your servers?
+* power - how to power your equipment?
+* connectivity: how to be reachable from the Internet?
+
+Our approach from the beginning was to avoid building new buildings,
+because there are many empty buildings from the spinning and weaving
+time here in Glarus.
+
+After looking around a bit, we found a nice old house, the [Digital
+Chalet](/u/projects/digital-chalet), which we started to modernise
+immediately and prepare it for a data center prototype.!
+
+The local power company, [TBGS](https://www.tbgs.ch/), a now long time
+partner, offered us to help to get proper power connections into the
+Digital Chalet.
+
+And as luck turned out, TBGS was also able to provide us with a direct
+fiber line. Later we learned that this was actually not so much of an
+"accident", but something we could have seen coming:
+
+The valley of Glarus was historically hosting spinning and weaving
+companies, most of which used to have their own power plant. The power
+plants are usually hydro power plants, supported by the river
+[Linth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linth). Nowadays, there are also
+some solar polar plants.
+
+Even after the spinning and weaving companies closed, the hydro prower
+continue to run. As a grid provider, you need to measure the
+production capacity to compensate the producers correctly. TBGS did a
+smart move many, many years ago: instead of reading the data via a
+slow copper line, they were smart and added fiber lines directly to
+the power plants.
+
+And this is the reason why we were easily able to also be connected to
+the fiber backbone.
+
+
+## The growth of Data Center Light
+
+After our initial prototype in the Digital Chalet proved to be
+working, we expanded to a bigger area in Linthal, the
+[Linthpark](https://www.linthpark.ch/). This area hosts the historic
+building of the **Spinnerei Linthal**, which are also modernised and
+now provide us with space for running the Data Center Light.
+
+
+## Why is named Data Center Light?
+
+The "light" refers to avoiding resource heavy and unsustainable
+components. We employ the following mechanisms to avoid wasting
+resources:
+
+* We only consume 100% renewable energy
+* We don't rebuild, but use existing buildings
+* We use modern, but used hardware where possible (not for disks/ssds
+  though)
+* We don't cool our servers
+
+## How does a data center work without cooling?
+
+Instead of using high density racks and putting them next to each
+other, we use the available space of the old factory
+buildings. Instead of hosting 40 servers on one square meter,  we host
+one server on 4 square meters. We can do this, because factory halls
+tend to be huge. And in Glarus, they are also available.
+
+## Products based on Data Center Light
+
+In the Data Center Light we offer
+
+* [Virtual Machine Hosting](/u/products/virtual-machine-hosting)
+* [IPv6 only Virtual Machine Hosting](/u/products/ipv6-only-hosting)
+* [Data Storage](/u/products/data-storage/)
+* Colocation