IBM and Marist Using SDN to Keep Datacenters Running During Disasters

IBM has teamed up with the SDN Innovation Lab at Marist College to keep datacenters up and running during severe weather and other disasters with SDN technology.

The solution would allow network admins to move their virtual machines to another datacenter using any desktop or mobile device. Instead of taking days to re-provision the datacenter, the solution, built on SDN, would make an almost instantaneous transfer.

Admins pre-program the network reconfiguration before disaster strikes. Then, at the touch of a button on a smartphone or tablet, admins can initiate the re-provisioning, which occurs almost instantaneously.

During events like hurricanes or superstorms, datacenters have at least some time to prepare for contingencies, but they don't have enough time to re-provision large clients. A terrorist attack, tornado or other unexpected disaster gives datacenters virtually no lead time for re-provisioning.

"We envision the network admin heading for his car, and as he walks through the parking lot he pulls out his smartphone, taps a few buttons, and the network automatically reconfigures and moves the VMs to another data center, out of danger," explained Casimer DeCusatis, an IBM distinguished engineer.

Currently, the technology is being tested over a 78-mile distance using an optical metropolitan network that connects three datacenters. Next year, they hope to test across distances of 124 to 186 miles. They also hope to make the technology available to commercial clients by the end of 2014.

Marist, which is located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was in close proximity to superstorm Sandy in late 2012. According to Silicon Angle, several of the datacenters that almost flooded during Sandy were datacenters that had been moved out of Manhattan after 9/11.

In addition to being vital for re-provisioning during disasters, the IBM/Marist technology could be used for automated load balancing between datacenters and other non-emergency scenarios. Theoretically, all re-provisioning would occur without service interruption.

The SDN Innovation Lab is a partnership that includes not only Marist College but also City University of New York, the State University of New York system and Columbia University.