EarthLink Acquires LogicalSolutions.net

EarthLink Acquires LogicalSolutions.net – Positions EarthLink to Offer Cloud Computing Services

May 16, 2011 – EarthLink, Inc., a leading IP infrastructure and services company, has acquired LogicalSolutions.net, an Enterprise Class Data Center solutions provider, specializing in custom server virtualization solutions, self-service cloud solutions, enterprise web and application hosting, and disaster recovery/data backup services.

The LogicalSolutions.net business will be combined with EarthLink’s existing data center services to form a new Data Center Services business unit, which will be run Jim Salviski, CEO of LogicalSolutions.net

“The LogicalSolutions.net team brings 15 years of experience managing, maintaining and operating Data Center facilities. Combined with our existing data center expertise, this acquisition will enable EarthLink to grow our cloud services business,” said Rolla P. Huff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EarthLink.

Salviski, the founder of LogicalSolutions.net, commented, “Cloud computing is not just the future, it’s the here and now. Businesses nationwide are starting to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing. Not only does it save on the high cost of owning and maintaining servers, it increases reliability, security and directly benefits employees in their day-to-day work.”

EarthLink will maintain LogicalSolutions.net data center in Rochester, NY. Built in 2008, this facility will continue to service LogicalSolutions.net and future EarthLink customers.

About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading provider of Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure and services to medium-sized and large businesses, enterprise organizations and over 1.5 million consumers across the United States. The company has been providing Internet access and communications services for decades and has earned an award-winning reputation for both outstanding customer service and product innovation. For consumers, EarthLink is a leading Internet Service Provider connecting people to the power and possibilities of the Internet. EarthLink Business™ provides voice, data, mobile and equipment services over a 28,000 mile fiber network and MPLS-based services nationwide. For more information, visit EarthLink’s website www.earthlink.net.

Colocation Networking Equipment Primer

The intent of this document is to provide a high-level overview of common network implementations. It is NOT intended to be all inclusive. EarthLink recommends that clients research their specific networking needs and perform research prior to deploying any network.

Common Question: “I am moving into your data center as a new co-location client. What networking equipment should I bring? Should I bring a switch, a router, or a firewall?”
This question is one of the more frequently asked questions that new clients ask. The answer to the question is rooted in specific networking requirements for each client. Most often the most critical considerations are:

1.Connectivity: Can you get information from A to B?
2.Security: Can you keep your systems safe?

EarthLink can accommodate a variety of different connection types, and will work with clients to support custom interconnections. Contact EarthLink Sales to discuss custom interconnection options.  Much like cats, there is more than one way to skin a network. Having said that, Co-Location clients commonly deploy two types of network configurations:

1. Firewall and a Switch serving systems
a. EarthLink Preferred Connection Method
b. Multiple firewalls and multiple switches may be configured to provide high availability
c. Multiple connections require coordination with EarthLink account management and engineering groups

2. Router and a Switch serving systems
a. Multiple routers and multiple switches may be configured to provide high availability
b. Multiple connections require coordination with EarthLink account management and engineering groups

Configurations that are NOT recommended include:
1. Switch serving systems (without a firewall or router w/firewall feature-sets)
a. A simple switch does not provide any security to systems from IP based attacks, probes, etc.
2. Direct connection to a system (without a firewall or router w/firewall feature-sets)
a. While a system can run a host-based firewall, by itself a host based firewall may not provide the level of protection required
b. NOTE: Host-based firewalls are an important piece in the layered security model. They should be implemented whenever possible

Firewall and a Switch: Firewalls are a preferred method of interconnecting to the EarthLink core network. When properly configured, firewalls provide a variety of protections that are commonly not found on basic routers. In addition to firewalls, clients should evaluate a layered network security model (also known by the common term “defense in depth”). A few useful layered security references include:

http://www.sans.org/whatworks/
http://www.sans.org/whatworks/poster.pdf
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/understanding-layered-security-and-defense-in-depth/703
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd316524.aspx

Each firewall is different, and clients should evaluate firewalls based on their specific networking requirements. Having said that, most firewalls provide protections such as:

• Packet Filtering
• Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS)
• Real time threat protections
• Application packet inspection
• E.g. HTTP or SIP inspection
• Protections against malformed application data
• IP/TCP/UDP/etc. packet inspection
• Protections against malformed packets
• Secure VPNs

In this model, the Co-Location client brings a firewall. The firewall connects to the EarthLink core network via a small “OUTSIDE” subnet. (OUTSIDE indicating the public network)

Common Firewall Scenario #1
Depending the IP addressing requirements of the client, a single external IP address may be all that is required. Clients who operate with a single external IP address may use private [RFC-1918] addressing in conjunction with NAT or PAT technologies on the “INSIDE” of the firewall. (INSIDE indicating protected network) NAT and PAT technologies allow a large number of private addresses to share a common Global and publically reachable IP address. Nearly all firewalls support this type of functionality. NOTE: There is a common misconception that NAT/PAT will inherently protect a system — these technologies, by themselves, will NOT provide full firewall protection.

Depending on the type of firewall, and the number of systems that are behind the firewall, a switch may be required to support the physical interconnections. E.g. a small firewall may only have 4 physical network interfaces. Should 10 systems need to be connected, a switch may be placed between the firewall and the systems. Managed switches provide the ability to separate systems into separate VLANs [Virtual LANs].

Common Firewall Scenario #2
If a single external IP address is inadequate, clients may have additional IP addressing routed to their firewall’s external address. The client may then use the public addressing within their firewall. NAT and PAT technologies may be used in conjunction with real addressing.

Depending on the type of firewall, and the number of systems that are behind the firewall, a switch may be required to support the physical interconnections. E.g. a small firewall may only have 4 physical network interfaces. Should 10 systems need to be connected, a switch may be placed between the firewall and the systems to provide the additional connections. Managed switches provide the ability to separate systems into separate VLANs [Virtual LANs].

Router and a Switch: Routers are a less preferred method of interconnecting to the EarthLink core network. Should a router be used, it is recommended that clients configure appropriate security features, e.g. ACL [Access Control Lists]. Additionally, it is recommended that firewall security feature sets be loaded onto a router should such functionality be available from the supporting vendor.

In addition to router security features, clients should evaluate a layered network security model (also known by the common term “defense in depth”). A few useful layered security references include:

http://www.sans.org/whatworks/
http://www.sans.org/whatworks/poster.pdf
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/understanding-layered-security-and-defense-in-depth/703
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd316524.aspx

Common Router Scenario #1
Depending the IP addressing requirements of the client, a single external IP address may be all that is required. Clients who operate with a single external IP address may use private [RFC-1918] addressing in conjunction with NAT or PAT technologies on the “INSIDE” of the router. [INSIDE indicating protected network] NAT and PAT technologies allow a large number of private addresses to share a common Global and publically reachable IP address. Nearly all routers support this type of functionality. NOTE: There is a common misconception that NAT/PAT will inherently protect a system — these technologies, by themselves, will NOT provide full firewall protection.

Depending on the type of router, and the number of systems that are behind the router, a switch may be required to support the physical interconnections. E.g. a small router may only have 4 physical network interfaces. Should 10 systems need to be connected, a switch may be placed between the router and the systems. Managed switches provide the ability to separate systems into separate VLANs (Virtual LANs).

Common Router Scenario #2
If a single external IP address is inadequate, clients may have additional IP addressing routed to their router’s external address. The client may then use the public addressing within their router. NAT and PAT technologies may be used in conjunction with real addressing.

Depending on the type of router, and the number of systems that are behind the router, a switch may be required to support the physical interconnections. E.g. a small router may only have 4 physical network interfaces. Should 10 systems need to be connected, a switch may be placed between the router and the systems. Managed switches provide the ability to separate systems into separate VLANs (Virtual LANs).

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Cloud Server Promotion

For the month of May, sign up for Level 1-4 Cloud Hosting and Get Double RAM and Double Bandwidth! Just Mention the Promo on the Final Order page!

The EarthLink Cloud Platform is powered by a Xen hypervisor running on Dell Server Hardware and Cisco Gigabit Networking Equipment all in a N+1 Architecture in our SAS70 Type II Certified Data Center. The Cloud platform supports multiple flavors or 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Linux virtual machines to be hosted simultaneously. VMs have their own root accounts which can be controlled, configured and managed by you, the customer.

Benefits of using VMWare vCloud

EarthLink is an early adopter of VMWare’s new vCloud control panel, giving customers full access to their hosted VMWare Environment. vCloud is based on secure VMware cloud infrastructure technology. This enterprise platform provides multilevel, auditable security with SAS 70 Type II compliance.

Some of the benefits are:

Full Control of your VMWare applications and resource space: You’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to controlling your applications and servers.  Build out servers, check performance and scale your applications to suit your IT needs.

Flexible and Secure system access: Companies can access the cloud for many different purposes.  Leverage and build redundant firewall protected web based applications for your customers, or build a VPN protected back office applications. 

Scalable and Elastic: Scale to use multiple SAN’s at a moment’s notice or add hardware load balancing at any time without the need to purchase additional hardware. The browser based management tool simplifies the IT administrators day to day activities. 

Disaster Recovery: Migrate workloads from your on-site datacenter to the vCloud and back at any time. Backup your existing VMWare infrastructure with a foolproof hot standby system in our Enterprise Class Datacenter.

Call 1-800-957-4872 to get a vCloud Demo or Contact Us to learn more.

Joshua Meisch joins LogicalSolutions.net!

EarthLink welcomes Joshua Meisch to the Pittsford Victor Rd location as their new Sales Engineer. Joshua comes from Datrose Inc where he performed sales, customer support, and staffing augmentation services. Joshua implemented Datrose’s first Recruitment Process Outsourcing services and helped place Engineers and IT professionals in well suited and desired careers. Previously Joshua worked for the MY Network TV affiliate in Gates NY where he ran Master Control, produced advertisements and sales support for businesses in the Rochester market. Welcome aboard Joshua!

Chris Getman joins the LogicalSolutions.net Team!

EarthLink adds Chris Getman to their Rochester Data Center Team as their new Senior Network Engineer. Chris has over 15 years of networking experience, and comes to LogicalSolutions from CURRENT Group, LLC. At CURRENT Chris worked on the design, development, and deployment of the world’s largest Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) communication systems and networks. While at CURRENT Group Chris also worked on the development of hardened, mission critical, multi-layer switching and routing platforms for various power industry Smart Grid initiatives. Prior to CURRENT Chris worked as a Sr. Network Engineer with Global Crossing, Frontier Communications, and VivaNet/Optinet.

Xen Windows Cloud Server Display Setting

When you launch a cloud sever on the Xen Cloud Platform, it is built with the default Windows Server 2008 drivers.  In order to get the best screen resolutions and refresh performance when using RDP you will want to adjust the Xen Display Drivers.

Go to Start-> Devices and Printers->then open the Xen vif device.

Go to Hardware->Properties->Advanced.  Change the Checksum Offload to “Disabled”.  Change Large Send Offload to “Disabled”.

120V Powerstrip / PDU for half-cabinets (1/2 cabinets)

Looking for a great zero-u powerstrip for your half-cabinet colocation? After testing several options and talking with many of our colocation customers, here is our recommendation:

CyberPower PDU30BVHVT20F

The 120V PDU is a great data center powerstrip for several reasons. First off, it is built well and ships with brackets to mount it to just about any type of cabinet. We use Rittal 47U cabinets, and our ½ cabinet colocation options can be tricky to purchase a PDU for. The PDU20BVHVT20F fits perfectly in the cabinet, and still gives you plenty of space to mount all of your equipment. Best of all, it is priced right where you want it to be – the list price is $235, though we found them online for as low as $150! Make sure to let your data center know that you need a 120V 20A circuit with a NEMA L6-20P plug.

Colo in our data center? Mention this blog and we will install your PDU in your cabinet free of charge!

95th Percentile Billing – Bandwidth Billing

The 95th percentile is the smallest number that is greater than 95% of the numbers in a given set. The reason this statistic is so useful in measuring data throughput is that it gives a very accurate picture of the use and cost of the bandwidth. We take a snapshot of your bandwidth usage every 5 minutes throughout the billing period (usually 30 days). These 8,640 snapshots are then used to create the ‘set’ mentioned above. We then employ the 95th percentile rule to calculate your bandwidth usage and then bill accordingly if necessary.

The advantage to you as the customer is that you get the performance of a high-speed connection, while paying only for actual usage.

In the example above, we would take out the higher 5% of the Max In/Max Out bandwidth measurement from the monthly MRTG graph which is 884 Kbps. (You can think of this in terms of having the ability to burst above your committed bandwidth rate for about 36 hours per month without being charged an overage.)

We would then take the bottom 94% of the remaining samples taken, in this example that is 337 Kbps. Using this method each 1,000 Kbps is 1 Mbs per month. The percentage of bandwidth per Mbs would be x/1000 or 337/1000 = .337 Mbs or 107 Gb.

Rob Motanagh joins the LogicalSolutions.net Team!

EarthLink welcomes Rob Motanagh to the Rochester Datacenter Team. Rob comes from Xerox Global Services where he performed fourth level customer support for customers around the world, in addition to administrating and performance tuning multiple applications with high visibility. At Xerox, he mainly worked with a full Microsoft stack specializing in IIS management. He has a formal background working with Mac OS X/Classic machines as well as Windows and Linux machines.

He has a Bachelors degree in Networking, Security, and Systems Administration from RIT. Welcome Aboard Rob!