Vodacom Tier 4 DC claims false

Typical Vodacom ... they would sketch out a car and release (with much media hype) that they started to manufacture cars.
 
Really people, this is nitpicking from someone with too much time on their hands.

..or maybe MTN has sour grapes again and is trying to bring them down. ;)
 
If these kinds of false claims are NOT challenged, then "they" (Big Business, Governments, Regulatory Bodies etc) can get away with anything and steam-roll the consumer. If we ignore it because it might be seen as "nitpicking" - then we have failed ourselves, and we can really only then blame ourselves for the abuses that occur aftwerward.

Bring on the nitpicking, and keep them honest and secure the future for our kids.
 
I doubt that there are very many places on earth where a DC could get a "second active power supply from an independent power supplier". It's not like telecoms, where every operator builds and uses their own grid. The best case is a second transformer, but, even in the States, that will be fed off the same grid and powered by the same power stations.

This is obviously a case of an over zealous journalist, with no electrical background, looking for a story where there is none. I'm sure each rack is supplied by two active independent power supplies, each with their own UPS and generators.

What difference does it make if the UPSs are supplied by two suppliers off the same grid or one supplier? The UPS give the datacentre its redundancy, not the power supplier.
 
Of course they don't lie. They market. They promote. They advertise. They provide. They sell. ...
 
They irritate. They annoy. They steal. They lock-in. They contract.
 
Look at it this way: You are out shopping for an HD TV. You stand in front of a shelf full of them, all of them with the pretty little HD sticker on.

Imagine how upset you would be if you get home with an "HD" TV that is not HD. Technicly it could be called HD, but it is not. Would that be ok?

So why would it be ok for vodacom to lie about their data center? If it is NOT Tier 4, don't call it Tier 4.

In SA it is impossible to offer a Tier 4 DC. So when one company claims Tier 4, they are lying to try and make themselves look better than the competition.

Nitpicking yes, but we cannot allow lies like this to continue.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
This is obviously a case of an over zealous journalist, with no electrical background, looking for a story where there is none. I'm sure each rack is supplied by two active independent power supplies, each with their own UPS and generators.
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From this argument I assume it is acceptable to make any type of claim, as long as something else is to blame for keeping us back? It is clearly stated in the article what the shortcomings are, but this does not condone false statements.

Do you suggest that one should simply accept such claims?
 
Yes, I know, Vodacom cheat, steal, extort and manipulate the market every day, but I'd still trust them more than your average journalist. Four years of boozing and shagging in Grahamstown doesn't make you compotent to analyse the electrical design of datacentres.

Where exactly can you get "two active independent power supplies from two different suppliers"? I've never heard of this happening anywhere, including SA, UK and USA. As I've said, even abroad, where you may get two companies selling the same power, you're still supplied off the same grid. The grid will provide power despite various power stations failing. To me, it makes most sense that "supplier" be defined as the end user's (the DC in this case) immediate supplier. IE: Jo'burg, Midrand or Pretoria, in which case it is possible to have multiple suppliers in SA (and elsewhere). It however doesn't provide more reliability than having one supplier provide you with two supplies from different transformers.

What exactly does the standard say and how is it worded. How does it define "supplier" and "independent", because that makes all the difference.

If Vodacom is lying then they must stop, obviously, and possibly be penalised in court or by a regulator. But, I doubt that the standard would be worded in such a way so as to exclude most of the developed world from achieving the top tier.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
If Vodacom is lying then they must stop, obviously, and possibly be penalised in court or by a regulator. But, I doubt that the standard would be worded in such a way so as to exclude most of the developed world from achieving the top tier.
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Hi Drunkard

The standard says two independent electricity (utility) suppliers - period. Vodacom admitted that their data centre is not Tier 4. What more do you want?

The standards are there for a reason, and it is absolutely the case that the location of a data centre often dictates its classification/Tier. These matters may well be out of the control of the DC builders, but that is irrelevant when it comes to grading a DC. The grading standards are designed to ensure the uptime stats - it is not a negotiable system.
 
My point is that the article is about as accurate as Vodacom's Tier 4 claims.

1. Utility in this sense refers to our municipalities, in which case Vodacom could obtain two independent supplies from two independent municipalities.

2. Eskom is not the countries only electricity provider. Kelvin power station, owned by Jo'burg, not Eskom, supplies a big chunk of Jo'burg, and feeds into the grid when possible.

3. There are other independent power producers all over the country. IIRC some Freestate town has a Hydro-electric turbine providing some of their power. So, Vodacom could do something similar (or wind or solar - Google does) and provide their own second active power supply.

4. The fact that they've admitted that they aren't Tier 4 indicates that they haven't implemented any of these options, and that makes their false claims more serious, and not just a case of a journalist fabricating a story. It's not a case of can't, rather a case of won't, which IMO is worse.
 
Hi again Drunkard

I think you should consult a few guys in the industry before making such statements. You look set on discrediting the article while it is accurate. Please state clearly where the article is inaccurate, and reconcile this with your previous posts...
 
Hi RPM,

On an academic level the article is right; Uptime Insitute determines that to qualify for (their) Tier 4 certification you need redundant utility feeds, and as such Vodacom (& most others in SA) do not qualify.

However I think Drunkard's point (apart from the shagging bit) is that one can engineer 99.995%, or better, uptime without stictly complying to UI's specifications, thus satisfying the goals/percentages of the rating.

After all from a DC's persepctive there is no difference (besides cost of energy) between a power feed from a utility or an on-site generator (assuming storage/procudures are in place to keep it running continuously). Engineering redundancy on either would provide the same net effect.
 
Vodacom does not qualify for Tier 4 in the same way that I do not qualify for unlimited broadband @ R150pm.

Standards are standards no matter what the circumstances & the fact that it's impossible to attain such standard in ZA doesn't change a thing. Not even if you qualify 99.99% and the last 0.01% is due to some uncontrollable external factor like the independent power supply thingie. You stay at Tier 3 until by some miracle you are able to satisfy Tier 4 requirements.

You don't qualify you don't say so.

Letting people, companies & governments get away with lying is the reason why the world is in the state it's in.
 
Vodacom Data Centre

Dear My broadband members

Isn't it strange how many people can waist precious time and complain about the small things in life that irritate them.

May the facts be what they are. Vodacom has done such a lot for South Africa in the telecoms sense since inception back in 1994 with voice, data and conservation.

At least Vodacom has a state of the art data centre which they are very proud of. I don't see Cell C or MTN or Virgin mobile who can claim the same. All they do is complain. Everybody wants to be part of the problem and not part of the solution.

We should all strive to resolve the telecoms problems in South Africa through whatever means we can period.

This is South Africa and we need to accept it. It is not a 1st world country although we would like it to be. We can only strive to make things better as it would be like in a 1st world country.

Telkom has screwed us for years being the only fixed line provider. Eskom is exactly the same. Everytime there is a problem then we are issued with excuses.

Why don't we complain about the shortcomings of Koeberg and Telkom instead of waisting time on complaining about what standards Vodacom have or does not have? A jacked up datacentre will have high standards otherwise nobody will use the services at all.

If MTN, Cell C and Virgin does eventually obtain a data centre then I truly hope that everybody will evaluate them with the same consistent grade that Vodacom is measured by. Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house.

Vodacom took the lead and is now being crucified about small details.

Good work Vodacom.

Proudly South Africa and proudly Vodacom.
 
Roman4604 said:
However I think Drunkard's point (apart from the shagging bit) is that one can engineer 99.995%, or better, uptime without stictly complying to UI's specifications, thus satisfying the goals/percentages of the rating.
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Now this is a much better point and something which is nicer to debate. I think Vodacom has built a magnificent facility – most likely the best in South Africa. It may even be more robust than many Tier 4 data centres and potentially even provide higher uptime. I have seen the facility it is certainly built on the highest specification all around.

It may even be possible that a grading body gives it the highest grading because of the quality of the facility and the additional precautions taken to protect against power outages.

The article is however accurate – which is why I tackled Drunkard. When it comes to the DC Tier grades the arguments above becomes irrelevant. Another thing to consider is the uptime figures – to claim any figure must be based on research…and the 99.995% comes from being Tier 4. This means all the facets must be present to ensure that % availability. If they are not, one can not just claim that % unless you have some backing/research to substantiate that claim.
 
hbotha said:
Dear My broadband members
Telkom has screwed us for years being the only fixed line provider. Eskom is exactly the same. Everytime there is a problem then we are issued with excuses.
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Strange you say that because in this case Vodacom is doing exactly what telkom has been doing for years
 
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