Where will my server be located?
Your server will be housed in one of our rack cabinets, located within IP House, a data centre owned by Legend Communications plc.  The data centre is a purpose built multi-million pound Tier 1 facility, situated on the outskirts of London Docklands, providing the ultimate in redundancy, uptime, and network co-location services. The data centre has been built utilizing N+1 design philosophy. N+1 ensures that every part of the data centre is not only redundant, but has a hot spare on standby in case of an emergency.

What about uptime?
We have also adopt N+1 design philosophy to improve uptime for our clients. Whilst nobody can realistically offer 100% uptime, we believe that we are as close as possible to delivering it to our clients. ALL Cobalt Network rack cabinets are connected to multiple Tier 1 carriers (BT - Legend - Telia) with dual routers and dual switches to improve redundancy.

Do you monitor my server?
Every co-location package includes 24/7 monitoring of one port on each server you install. This is a passive monitoring service that tests your ICMP (ping) port at 5-minute intervals. If this port does not respond, our monitoring service will notify you immediately via e-mail and SMS. We also offer additional monitoring services to allow you to quickly detect any problem your server may experience. Further details of these services can be found here.

Why should I use Cobalt Networks for co-location?
As well as being competitively priced, we offer FREE 'Managed Co-location' and FREE 'Remote Hands' as part of our services. If you choose to use our Managed Co-Location service, we will to keep your server up-to-date with all Cobalt OS security patches. We will also send you security alerts about vulnerabilities in software you may be running on your server, e.g. phpBB, AWStats, OpenWebMail, etc. We also offer 30mins of Cobalt Support 'Remote Hands' sys_admin work per month for each 1U of rack space (up to a maximum of 2 hours).

Is there a minimum contract?
There is no minimum contract. However, Cobalt Networks will require one month's advance notice to terminate service.

What are the basic co-location costs?
Typical pricing for single server co-location:

Typical pricing for multiple server co-location:

Please contact us for details of other co-location options.

How much will bandwidth cost me?
Typical pricing for bandwidth charges:

 

Inclusive Traffic	Connectivity	Cost
100GB per month	99.9%	£50 per month
250GB per month	99.9%	£100 per month
500GB per month	99.9%	£150 per month
1000GB per month	99.9%	£250 per month

Bandwidth is available as standard guaranteed bandwidth with the ability to burst to 100Mbps, via 3 redundant Direct Tier 1 Transit providers [BT - Legend - Telia]. All bandwidth is provided through secure VLANs, with dual resilient feeds. Traffic is measured at the switch port level. This means all traffic in and out of your machine is accounted for, including traffic to other machines on our network. Every co-lo server has 50GB monthly data traffic included in the cost (maximum 5U). If you exceed your monthly agreed allocation you will be charged at £2.50 per GB per month.

Please contact us for full details of our bandwidth charges.

Can you give me some co-location package examples?
Typical pricing for our co-location packages:

 

Package	Setup Fee	Bandwidth	Monthly Cost	Annual Cost
1U - Inclusive Bandwidth	£60	50GB	£50	£600
1U - Standard Bandwidth	£60	100GB	£100	£1,200
5U - High Bandwidth	£150	500GB	£350	£4,200
1/4 Rack - Standard Bandwidth	£250	250GB	£450	£5,400
1/4 Rack - High Bandwidth	£250	1000GB	£600	£7,200

Please contact us for details of other co-location packages.

How can I get my server to you?
Basically, you have two choices:

1. Send it to us by a reputable courier, such as FedEX, UPS or DHL.
   Ensure you get a receipt and tracking number. Your server must be insured while in transit.
   
2. Bring it in to us. Call or email us for more details.

Who is responsible for insuring the server?
Clients are responsible for insuring their equipment.

How secure will my server be at the data centre?
IP House features totally comprehensive 24/7 security to keep your equipment 100% safe. This means security barriers, 24x7x365 monitoring by on-site personnel to include visual verification of all persons entering the building, CCTV video camera surveillance and a security breach alarm provides the control room with information. IP House also operates a computerised building management systems that monitor and remotely operate sensors covering electrical, mechanical, fire detection and leak detection systems.

Email us for full details about the data centre.

How high is 1U?
1.75". Racks are a standard 19 inches wide, with depth to 80cm.

Do I need my own rack-mount kit and cables?
Yes, unless you are prepared to pay the ongoing cost of an extra 1U for a shelf. Cobalt Networks can help you find a rack-mount kit or mounting ears if you don't have any. You will also be required to supply your own network cables and power supply leads.

Will I have root access to my server?
Yes, you get complete administrative control of your server, meaning you can do exactly what you need, when you need to.

How many IP addresses are available?
Unless you have a requirement for more, you will be assigned a single IP address for each server. We try to conserve usage of IP address in accordance with RIPE guidelines. This means that we'll only assign IP addresses to you if you can justify their usage; for example due to the need to host SSL sites. Contact us for more details.

Can I have physical access to my server?
If you are using a Full Rack Cabinet, you will have full access to your equipment 24/7. You will need to give us at least 24 hours notice. The data centre staff will also visually check you are the person authorised to access the server.

If you have a basic co-location package (e.g. 1U or 1/4 Rack space) and you, or an authorised member of your staff, require physical access to your server, you will be charged £50 per hour to be accompanied by a Cobalt Networks member of staff. You must give us at least 48 hours notice.

What if my server needs a reboot?
Should you ever have any problems, you are provided with 24/7 numbers to call, with a guaranteed 30 minute response time for reboots. Use of an APC Remote Power Switch can be arranged for an additional fee. Other problems can be solved by contacting Cobalt Support.

What happens if I suffer a hardware failure?
Because you have complete control of the hardware, the responsibility falls to you. It goes without saying that we will offer as much assistance as possible in speeding up the correction process. You might also consider contacting Cobalt Support for help.

Is there a Service Level Agreement?
Our 99.9% Service Level Agreement applies to network connectivity and power issues only.

What happens if I go over my bandwidth allowance?
There is no limit to the bandwidth you can arrange to use but you will be charged for bandwidth over your agreed limit at that time. If you exceed your monthly agreed allocation you will be charged at £2.50 per GB. If you find you are regularly going over your limit, we will be more than happy to discuss arranging a level more suitable to your requirements.

Can you provide SSL certificates?
Yes, contact us for details of costs.

Are there any restrictions on the software I can install?
There are no restrictions on the software you can install on your server. It is your machine to do with as you wish. The only restrictions on the use of the service are covered in the Terms of Service  and the Acceptable Use Policy .

How do I order a co-location package?
The initial invoice and any setup fees should be paid first by cheque, direct transfer or credit card. All other ongoing costs will be paid either by cheque, direct transfer, credit card or standing order. Invoices will be issued every month, both for the standard charges and any variables charges (e.g. additional bandwidth).