Colocation is your hardware in our rack, on our power and our network. This page is the whole customer side of it in one place: what to have ready before you come, what happens on the day, and how you run the machine afterwards without coming back.
Before you bring the server
- The server must be 19-inch rack-mountable with its rail kit. Desktop cases and rackmount chassis without rails cannot go in the rack; we will not be able to install them.
- Know the rack units and power you ordered. Both are on your order and under Colocation in the portal. A 2U server in a 1U allocation, or a 800 W power supply pair on a 1-amp allocation, means a change to the order before the visit, not on the day.
- Bring the network details you were sent. The IP addresses, gateway and VLAN for your space are shared before the visit and are listed under IP Addresses in the portal. Configure the operating system before you come, or bring a console cable and do it on site; configuring the operating system is not part of our on-site help.
- Everyone who enters needs a government-issued ID valid in the facility's country: a passport, or a local ID card or driving license. No ID, no entry, with no exceptions we can make at the door.
- Book the installation. Installations happen by appointment during business hours so that someone is there to escort you and help. Request the visit under Datacenter Access in the portal, or open a ticket with the date, the people coming and what you are bringing.
On the day
- You are met at reception, identified, and walked to your space. Where the facility uses biometric access, it is enrolled during this first visit so that later visits are faster.
- A member of our team stays with you during the installation. Rack screws, power cables and network cables are provided.
- We patch your server to the port assigned to you and confirm link. From here it is on our network with the addresses you were given.
- Before you leave, note the management controller's address if the server has one; see the next section.
The escort policy applies to every visit. It is a security requirement of the facility, not a judgement on you.
Running it without coming back
Most colocation customers see their server once a year or less. The tools that make that possible:
- Management controller (IPMI, iDRAC, iLO). Ask us, once, for an internal address for your server's controller. It is reachable through the portal's management interface access, which opens the controller to the public IP you are browsing from for a limited time. From there you have console, power control and virtual media, exactly as on a rented server.
- Courtesy remote hands. For the tasks that need a person in the room (swap a drive, reseat a cable, press a button, connect a crash cart) our courtesy remote hands service is included within its fair-use limits. Request it in a ticket.
- Monitoring. Use the portal's Monitoring page for uptime checks on your addresses and services, with alerts to your phone through the Notifications tab. For deeper monitoring of your own hardware, run what you prefer (Zabbix, LibreNMS, Prometheus) on the server itself.
- Power and network usage. Your allocation and the state of your service are under Colocation in the portal. Bandwidth for colocation is sold metered or unmetered like a rented server; see bandwidth explained.
- Shipping equipment in or out. Deliveries and collections are announced through Datacenter Access as well, so that reception expects the box and it is kept safe until you or our engineers install it.
Later visits
Every later visit is requested the same way, under Datacenter Access or by ticket, with the names of the people coming. The facility's rules are the same each time: ID at the door, escort where required, your own equipment only. Work visits outside business hours are possible by arrangement and may carry a fee.
Questions we get
- Can I send the server by courier instead of coming? Yes. Announce the shipment under Datacenter Access, and ask for an installation by our engineers in the same request; that is a professional-services job rather than courtesy remote hands.
- Can you install the operating system? Not as part of the installation. With management-controller access you can do it yourself from anywhere using virtual media; a full install by us is a custom install, quoted in a ticket.
- I need more power or another rack unit. Open a ticket. Both are changes to the order and are usually possible in the same rack; we tell you if the rack cannot take it.
- Can I bring a switch or a firewall? Yes, a single physical device counts as a server for installation purposes. Say so when booking, so the right number of ports is ready.
Still stuck?
Open a support ticket and pick the colocation service in the related-service field, or email support@netrouting.com. For anything on the day itself, reception has our engineers' numbers.