Technical Overview

For more than 7 years, Rack 45, Inc. has been trusted by Web hosting companies to deliver the business-critical technology they need to succeed.

Rack 45, Inc. accomplishes this by investing in technology that provides the highest levels of performance and reliability.

Here is a brief description of our world-class facilities and tools:

Plug into real power at Rack 45, Inc.’s Data Center
Rack 45, Inc. recognizes that downtime is not an option for your web site. We invest heavily in hardware and facilities to ensure that you are up and running on the Internet 24x7. Our network operations center boasts:

• Over 5,000 Square Feet of raised flooring
• Protected by Pre-Action Fire Sprinkler and Halon System

Uninterruptible Power System
In the unlikely event of a power outage and to protect against power surges, Rack 45, Inc. is fully prepared and equipped to maintain uninterruptible power. To guard against any disruptions, we rely on the following essential elements:

• 360 KVA of UPS/PDU Systems
• Facility built on extensive BGE 3 tier redundant power grid system

Industrial-Grade Cooling
Rack 45, Inc.'s data center is monitored 24x7 by ADT's state-of-the-art temperature sensors. Air temperature is maintained at an optimal 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Large fans pull filtered air into each server's protective case, ensuring that dust and particles remain outside the server.

We have:

• 32.5 tons of chilled water cooling
• 40 tons of air chilled cooling
• Liebert industrial air conditioners

Web Servers
Rack 45, Inc. is pleased to offer customers these state-of-the-art Web servers:

• IBM, White boxes, Custom Built Boxes
• All Intel-Based Processors
• 1U and RAID Servers
• Dual Xeon Dell Servers

Connected to Three Internet Backbones
Whatever your bandwidth needs may be, Rack 45, Inc. has the scalability to meet them. Rack 45, Inc. has three Tier One Providers. If one experiences problems, we can route traffic to another. Each Provider sources an OC3 or higher connection with multiple routes.

Our Providers are:

• AT&T
• Qwest
• Global Crossing

Routers & Switches
The following high-performance routers and switches boost productivity and eliminate inefficiency:

• Foundry NetIron Switches
• Redundant Cisco 7500 Routers and 5500 switches

Backup and Recovery
These tools allow Rack 45, Inc. to diagnose any problem that could impede your business and restore data within minutes instead of hours:

• Exabyte Mammouth II 200 Tape Cartridge Library
• Backup Express Recovery Software

DataCenter Partners

Global Crossing is a leading Internet backbone service provider. Over the past several years, Global Crossing has been building the foundation for Nationwide Digital Distribution, which radically improves the reliability and speed of the Internet. As a digital distribution company, Global Crossing handles 8.8 billion pageviews per month, translating into 1.8 billion hits per day and 1.26 million hits per minute.

Today, Global Crossing routes the world's top websites including Yahoo!, The Motley Fool, Electronic Arts, Quote.com, News Alert, Pacific Bell at Hand, USA TODAY and more.

Qwest is a cutting edge Internet communications company. The Qwest network is built with the industry's most advanced technologies.

It offers 10 gigabit, OC-192 speed and is constructed on a self-healing SONET ring and 2.4 gigabit (OC-48) IP architecture.

In the U.S., it reaches 18,815 miles and connects to 150 cities across the country. It also extends 1,400 miles into Mexico. Cables under the Atlantic Ocean connect to Europe, where they are joined with KPN, the Dutch Telecommunications Company, in a joint venture. KPNQwest is building a 9,100 mile European network that will connect 40 cities.

Qwest also is part owner of the newest digital cables in Europe, TAT 14, which will also connect to the KPNQwest network. With this type of expansion in service, Qwest will remain an international leader in the ISP marketplace with unmatched speed, reliability and coverage.

Cisco Systems is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco provides the market with a broad range of end-to-end networking solutions that includes routers, LAN and ATM switches and network management software to name a few.

More than any other company, Cisco Systems has been responsible for creating, enhancing and advancing the frontiers of IP internetworking technology. We are proud to say that our network is entirely switched and routed on Cisco's quality hardware.

Automated Nonstop Security, Maintenance and Upgrades

AlaGuard is a comprehensive security, maintenance, and upgrade service offered to Rack 45, Inc. clients. It is a combination of software and human manpower that has been a behind the scenes savior of our clients servers since 1997. It allows you to focus on building the business.

Many of the items that AlaGuard manages would take precious hours out of your day if you had to deal with them yourself or be very expensive when handed over to an employee or consultant. Some issues could take hours or days to rectify.

AlaGuard Benefits:
• Stops Hackers
• Manages dozens of issues you never even know about
• Servers stay at peak performance
• Eliminates the need for expensive technical employees
• Eliminates the added costs that these problems would incur

Rack 45, Inc.’s network security is a world-class operation, and we take the same pride in our security concerns for your servers. AlaGuard is an extensive security program that ensures total and complete protection for you and your customers. Not only will AlaGuard give you the piece of mind you need when dealing with the online world, but it will also allow you to concentrate on growing your business through sales and marketing; knowing that all your data is being watched and monitored 24 hours a day.

AlaGuard is comprised of 3 main programs. All run separately of each other, but work together to give you the highest level of security, monitoring, and updates that you have come to expect when running your business.

Proactive PortStarter
Your server “talks” to the outside world via ports. These ports are the only way in and out of your server, so they are an extremely integral part of your online presence. AlaGuard monitors these ports, checking to make sure they are available to you, your end-users, and any legitimate outside consumer.

This port monitoring is constant. If any port is closed, the Proactive PortStarter follows an algorithm to decide exactly why the port is closed. It automatically takes proactive steps to stabilize the box and reset the ports. The algorithm is so smart that it knows when it is in over its head and when to send the diagnosis to a support person to intervene.

ProActive PortStarter can monitor any ports that you need monitored. The following ports are on by default as they are crucial to your day to day operations and are monitored closely:
Port Service
21 FTP
22 SSH
25 Sendmail
53 DNS/Bind
80 HTTP/Apache
110 POP3
443 HTTPS/Secure Apache
995 SPOP (secure mail POP)
3306 MySql

Server Stabilizer
This application will monitor all processes running on your server and react accordingly, so as to keep your server running efficiently and securely. It will find runaway processes, which could potentially “lock up” your server, and kill those processes. It will monitor CPU time, hack attempts are located and killed, it will find scripts that may be harmful to your server’s operations, and is also able to reboot the server if necessary.

AlaGuard also includes anti-spam tools that help alleviate the hassles of fighting these unwanted emails. AlaGuard will scan and locate known spamware that may be running on your system, it will find CGI scripts that contribute to the spam dilemma, and can even find spamming tools embedded in html!

Server Updates
Nothing keeps your server more stable and secure than keeping the software and Operating System up to date. In the AlaGuard program, Rack 45, Inc. engineers work diligently to assess the stability of new software releases and security patches. Frequently, senior staff compiles their own patches and enhancements to open source software. These enhancements are tested by our team of seven Quality Control Engineers on the Your Company Name test network.

After being fully tested and qualified, new software releases and patches are installed on any server in the AlaGuard program.

AlaGuard is set by default to automatically update the following:

• Apache (Secure and regular)
• MySql
• Perl
• PHP
• Sendmail
• FTP
• Linux RedHat Operating System
• Linux RedHat Kernel
• SSH
• FrontPage Extensions

These updates are vital to the survival of your business and your end-user’s businesses as well. Keeping up with the rapidly changing technology that drives this sector can be made easier with AlaGuard.

With Rack 45, Inc., you will always have access to our world-class Customer Support, our System Administration Team, and our Network Operations Center Department, but AlaGuard is the “Twelfth Man” working behind the scenes to help you build your business.