New Data Center Protects Against Solar Storm and Nuclear EMPs

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New Data Center Protects Against Solar Storm and Nuclear EMPs

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 15, 2014 @05:49AM from the playing-it-safe dept.

dcblogs writes "In Boyers, Pa., a recently opened 2,000-sq.-ft. data center has been purpose-built to protect against an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), either generated by a solar storm or a nuclear event. The company that built the facility isn't disclosing exactly how the data center was constructed or what materials were used. But broadly, it did say that the structure has an inner skin and an outer skin that use a combination of thicknesses and metals to provide EMP protection. Betting against an EMP event is a gamble. In 1859, the so-called Carrington solar storm lit the night skies and disrupted the only telegraph communications. William Murtagh, program coordinator at U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center, said there is ongoing concern that the earth may see an solar storm that could impact electronics on the ground. "We're concerned that can happen," A 2012 solar storm, that missed the earth, "was very powerful, and some have suggested it would have been on par with a Carrington-level event." One researcher put the odds of a catastrophic solar storm by 2020 as one in eight.

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Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by magarity · 2014-09-15 05:52 · Score: 2

OK, solar storm I can understand protecting against. But nuclear weapons EMP? Better to use the data center as a bunker in that case and never mind the data.
1. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by olsmeister · 2014-09-15 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  A nuclear produced EMP would likely be from a detonation high in the atmosphere that would do little or no damage on the ground. A bunker would not be needed for such a scenario.
2. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Obscene_CNN · 2014-09-15 05:59 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  A nuclear EMP can be produced by any nuclear detonation. Although an enemy might choose a high detonation to try to knock out just electronics the vast majority of nuclear warheads are going to be used for their blast effect. Thus a bunker would be useful
  
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3. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by mbone · 2014-09-15 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  EMP is not biologically dangerous, unless you are wearing something like a pacemaker. And, all you need for protection is a suitable Faraday cage and isolation from the grid, so the same shielding can protect against both EMPs and Solar Storms.
4. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by CanHasDIY · 2014-09-15 06:10 · Score: 1
  
  EMP is not biologically dangerous, unless you are wearing something like a pacemaker.
  In which case, it's still not biologically dangerous. It's just dangerous to you because you have non-biological parts performing essential functions.
  
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5. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:16 · Score: 0
  
  Assuming the intent is a full fledged war, a country may attempt to secretly place and detonate a weapon over an economic competitor to gain an upper hand.
6. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:33 · Score: 0
  
  Data's quite paramount. I mean so are people but frankly there are too many of them anyway - maybe someone will come by and be able to use the data. Not to mention people are a lot harder to kill, even with a nuke, than data.
7. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Obscene_CNN · 2014-09-15 06:35 · Score: 1
  
  Secretly detonate a nuclear warhead... Lets ponder the stupidity of that statement for a moment.... I think someone will notice... Also detonating a nuke would be a full fledged war
  
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8. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 07:02 · Score: 0
  
  You appear to have some reading comprehension issues so I guess I should have been more clear "secretly placing a nuclear weapon and then detonate it without taking responsibility and taking great pains to avoid leaving evidence of their identity". If you don't know who placed the nuke you can't really retaliate and your economy is still in shambles. Admittedly it would be a difficult proposition, but not impossible. You could even frame another party, for example if China/North Korea/Iran/etc could get a hold of some Russian plutonium they could slap it in one of their nuclear devices and then launch it secretly on/in a "peaceful" satellite and then detach it after a while. Wait a few months/years and then detonate it over their target. Tracing the weapon back to its source would be difficult at best, the attacking party may even get rid of two competitors for the price of one.
9. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 07:48 · Score: 0
  
  I do not want to be nearby when they decide to test the data center's protection against EMP from nuclear weapons.
10. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Obscene_CNN · 2014-09-15 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  Ummm..... your satellite attack scenario has a few holes in it. Orbital mechanics is well understood. Also NORAD finds and tracks items as small as a bolt in space. Keep dreaming, you'll might come up with a plan that is good enough to get yourself on the watch list someday.
  
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11. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by EvilSS · 2014-09-15 08:40 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  While any nuclear detonation creates an EMP, it's really only high-altitude detonations that you need to worry about for EMP effects. Their interaction with the magnetosphere can amplify and spread their EMP effects over a very large area . By contrast the effective range for a normal ground or airburst nuclear EMP is less than its thermal and overpressure damage radii. When you are pincushioned by debris and on fire, you tend to re-evaluate your level of concern about your electronics.
  
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12. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 09:54 · Score: 0
  
  To combat this, there was a program to mandate and retrofit all motor vehicles with radiation detectors and GPS. These devices would be checked for operation with vehicle inspection programs.
  This comes close.
  "http://www.google.com/patents/US7999233
13. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 15:09 · Score: 0
  
  While any nuclear detonation creates an EMP, it's really only high-altitude detonations that you need to worry about for EMP effects. Their interaction with the magnetosphere can amplify and spread their EMP effects over a very large area . By contrast the effective range for a normal ground or airburst nuclear EMP is less than its thermal and overpressure damage radii. When you are pincushioned by debris and on fire, you tend to re-evaluate your level of concern about your electronics.
  You would think so but no.
14. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by theshowmecanuck · 2014-09-15 17:49 · Score: 1
  
  Because you would be dead.
  
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15. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by MobSwatter · 2014-09-15 18:25 · Score: 1
  
  EMP permeation is relative to the event that created it. No blanket can be created to cover the actual lock (materials created to deflect the charged particles created by an event not foreseen). Only a couple of methods of creating one have been documented, but many are there, same with working in any limited perception in the aspect of energy. Hey uncle sam, think gagging the scientist was all that smart now?
16. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-16 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  Ummm..... your satellite attack scenario has a few holes in it. Orbital mechanics is well understood. Also NORAD finds and tracks items as small as a bolt in space. Keep dreaming, you'll might come up with a plan that is good enough to get yourself on the watch list someday.
  Wait, are you telling us the US military is actually intelligent, circumspect and capable, and not the knuckle dragging thick-headed over-confident morons that Hollywood usually portrays them to be? My life is a lie!
17. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-16 04:22 · Score: 0
  
  EMP is not biologically dangerous, unless you are wearing something like a pacemaker.
  In which case, it's still not biologically dangerous. It's just dangerous to you because you have non-biological parts performing essential functions.
  Pedantic much?
18. Re:Solar storm EMP vs nuclear weapons by thechemic · 2014-09-16 05:11 · Score: 1
  
  Also detonating a nuke would be a full fledged war
  Lets ponder the stupidity of that statement for a moment...
  Several different nations have detonated over a combined 2000 nukes throughout history, and none of them resulted in a "full fledged war". Furthermore, only two nukes have been detonated during wartime, however it was a "full fledged war" that resulted in the detonation of the nukes. It was not the detonation of the nukes that resulted in the full fledged war. In fact, throughout history exactly ZERO detonated nukes have ever resulted in a full fledged war. Since there is ZERO evidence to support your claim, I'd say you look pretty stupid right about now.
  Before you troll around the interwebs looking for "stupidity" in other people, you should check the mirror first.
  
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2000 square feet? by mbone · 2014-09-15 05:54 · Score: 1

That's it? With a datacenter that small, I wonder they didn't put it deep underground (unless this is a typo).
Can I convert my basement into a data center and get it on slashdot too?
1. Re:2000 square feet? by __aaclcg7560 · 2014-09-15 06:13 · Score: 2
  
  Can I convert my basement into a data center and get it on slashdot too?
  Putting your kids out on the streets wouldn't be good for society.
2. Re:2000 square feet? by decep · 2014-09-15 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  This is basically a closet in the data center world. It is certainly not nothing, but there are probably still satellites in operations that could not discern a building of this size. :-)
Yeah, so? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 05:58 · Score: 0

The company that built the facility isn't disclosing exactly how the data center was constructed or what materials were used. But broadly, it did say that the structure has an inner skin and an outer skin that use a combination of thicknesses and metals to provide EMP protection.

So THEY say.
See folks, if said event happens and knocks out the data, what are your options?
Your data is gone.
Sue for damages? Sue a corporation?
Said corporation goes bankrupt and of course, the principals behind the corp have been collecting nice salaries and what have you for years, so they personally are set up.
You get nothing.
See the mining industry (for one example) and folks who try to sue for environmental damage and health consequences of the mining and waste.
Me, I'd want proof of their claims before I fork over money because anyone can make big claims.
1. Re:Yeah, so? by mbone · 2014-09-15 06:15 · Score: 1
  
  Generally, in the data centers guarantees really mean that you get a payment (or a reduction in fees) if the guarantee is violated. (You might get 1 day's service fee off if you lose power for X minutes, for example). So, if it doesn't work, expect a reduction in the bill, as specified in the contract.
  So, if you bet your business on something like this, you had better have a plan B in case of outages.
Poor comparison... by Mister+Transistor · 2014-09-15 05:58 · Score: 5, Interesting

A "Carrington-level" event nowadays would most likely be much less disruptive, as back then all the early radio and spark gap stuff was well under 50 MHz, which is where almost all of the natural noise winds up in the spectrum. Ever notice, for example you can hear your shaver motor on an AM radio but not an FM one. This is not due to AM vs. FM, (well, it is a little) but mostly due to the fact that AM is about 1 MHz and FM is about 100 MHz, well above the "static line" around 50 MHz.
It would take a much stronger signal than back then to cause the same level of disruption. Not saying that can't happen, but modern radio communications are quite a bit more robust than they were back over 100 years ago.

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1. Re:Poor comparison... by Bengie · 2014-09-15 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  I would be more concerned about power lines or transformers melting.
2. Re:Poor comparison... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:37 · Score: 0
  
  AM isn't measured in Mhz.
3. Re:Poor comparison... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:51 · Score: 0
  
  You are correct in that AM frequency is generally labeled in khz... in the US the range is 535-1605 khz ... of course any one who isn't from the US could tell you that 1000 khz is equal to 1 mhz....
  which means the parents statement about AM being "around 1Mhz" is a fairly accurate statement, more accurate would be 1Mhz plus/minus ~600 khz.
  Ultimately weather something is measured in Kilo-Hertz, Mega-hertz or Giga-Hertz, is a matter of scale, is something oscillating at of thousands of time per second, or millions, or billions?
4. Re:Poor comparison... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 07:09 · Score: 0
  
  Eh... it is wideband white noise, it is going to blanket 100MHz just as much as 60Hz.
  But the noise is not the real problem, the high dV/dsdt *is*. Almost everything can deal with noisy channels and large packet losses. It will go back up, often automatically. The power grid shutting down if a microwave protection channel goes down and trips an old-style negative-feedback loop is annoying as all heck (and the blackouts it can cause are dangerous), but it can be brought up in a few hours.
  Shit blowing up right and left due to the high dV/ds, is the big deal. If too many substation transformers get damaged, you could be in the dark for months/years. Note that too many might be as little as "thee per state" (!!).
  And if every unshielded CAT5e/6/6a port in the city gets fried, it is going to be hell as well, even if the power grid doesn't suffer...
5. Re:Poor comparison... by jdschulteis · 2014-09-15 07:39 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  A "Carrington-level" event nowadays would most likely be much less disruptive, as back then all the early radio and spark gap stuff was well under 50 MHz, which is where almost all of the natural noise winds up in the spectrum. Ever notice, for example you can hear your shaver motor on an AM radio but not an FM one. This is not due to AM vs. FM, (well, it is a little) but mostly due to the fact that AM is about 1 MHz and FM is about 100 MHz, well above the "static line" around 50 MHz.
  It would take a much stronger signal than back then to cause the same level of disruption. Not saying that can't happen, but modern radio communications are quite a bit more robust than they were back over 100 years ago.
  The concern is not so much about the disruption of radio communications, but the power grid. Our society might not survive a massive, long-term (months or even years) blackout (a huge number of transformers might be destroyed all at once by the induced EMF).
6. Re:Poor comparison... by rubycodez · 2014-09-15 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  sure it can be, USA AM band is 0.540 to 1.710 MHz
  Also, US FM band is 87,500 to 108,000 KHz.
7. Re:Poor comparison... by chihowa · 2014-09-15 08:32 · Score: 1
  
  You are correct in that AM frequency is generally labeled in khz... in the US the range is 535-1605 kHz ... of course any one who isn't from the US could tell you that 1000 kHz is equal to 1 MHz....
  which means the parents statement about AM being "around 1MHz" is a fairly accurate statement, more accurate would be 1MHz plus/minus ~600 kHz.
  Ultimately weather something is measured in kilohertz, megahertz or gigahertz, is a matter of scale, is something oscillating at of thousands of time per second, or millions, or billions?
  Anyone who isn't from the US probably needs to fix their intermittently failing shift key, though. SI actually assigns meaning to capitalization in units and there is a big difference between mHz and MHz.
  
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8. Re:Poor comparison... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 08:36 · Score: 0
  
  A big concern is the power grid. A concern with much larger impact could be all the nuclear reactors that simply could start blowing up in many different interesting ways, all at once.
  Think globally: Fukushima x 100 x 100.
  Captcha: atheism
9. Re:Poor comparison... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 11:00 · Score: 0
  
  This storey is irrelevant.
  Any event that would take out NON bunkered equipment is going to take out the entire internet, at least in the affected hemisphere.
  So great, you have a bunker full of perfectly functioning equipment but no place for the data to go... for MONTHS. Whoopie.
  Best is to have backup tapes bunkered. Note even those use tiny FRYABLE circuits nowadays.
10. Re:Poor comparison... by cyberchondriac · 2014-09-16 04:31 · Score: 1
  
  in the US the range is 535-1605 khz ... of course any one who isn't from the US could tell you that 1000 khz is equal to 1 mhz.... w
  Is that an anti-american dig? Just because we don't use metric for everything doesn't mean we're clueless about it. Most people I know would know that 1000k=1M, and millions of us work or study in IT or other scientific fields where kilo, mega, giga, micro, pico, tera, etc..prefixes are common knowledge, despite our continued use of the Imperial system. Anyone who's graduated from a decent high school should know that.
  
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Um. by caffeinated_bunsen · 2014-09-15 06:03 · Score: 1

They do know that solar storms can do absolutely nothing to a data center but maybe cause power outages, right?

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1. Re:Um. by killkillkill · 2014-09-15 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  Sure they know, but the suckers they sell hosting to at a premium won't.
What about the pipes? by __aaclcg7560 · 2014-09-15 06:03 · Score: 1

Protecting the data center from EMP is one thing. If the pipes to Internet aren't protected against EMP, data entering and leaving the data center will get corrupted. Garbage in, garbage out.
1. Re:What about the pipes? by Bengie · 2014-09-15 06:22 · Score: 1
  
  You can detect corruption and it would probably cause a completely loss of network connection, which is still better than complete loss of some data and hardware.
2. Re:What about the pipes? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:27 · Score: 0
  
  It's for protecting the pron
3. Re:What about the pipes? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:55 · Score: 0
  
  Fiber optic pipes don't need much EMP protection...
4. Re:What about the pipes? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 07:10 · Score: 0
  
  All optical channels are EMP-safe, as long as you protect the equipment room. The power lines are the real problem.
Just wondering by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:09 · Score: 0

Just wondering what use is data that's protected if rest of the world is thrown back to dark ages by massive solar storm hitting our planet... It will not run very long when all power grids are fried by massive magnetic storm induced over voltages on wires...
Must be wonderful feeling to know your data is secure and save, but you have no way to access it or use it...
Protection from Nuclear EMPs by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:11 · Score: 0

I highly doubt that. Unless they have a device capable of simulating the EMP from a nuke and is itself NOT a nuke... then it's just PR-speak. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_Nuclear-Test-Ban_Treaty
1. Re:Protection from Nuclear EMPs by disambiguated · 2014-09-15 09:58 · Score: 2
  
  If only there were some way to simulate physical systems like that. Where will they find the computing power? Plus the software probably costs a fortune.
2. Re:Protection from Nuclear EMPs by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-16 03:21 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, too bad that nuclear weapons became one-point safe by actually conducting physical tests (read: detonations). So the only way to tell if this data center is EMP-proof would be to set off a nuke. No amount of simulation, no matter how grounded in reality, will ever reveal all of the hidden variables. We can only assume via inference that it will work, and you know what assumptions do...
3. Re:Protection from Nuclear EMPs by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-16 06:22 · Score: 0
  
  "Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell on the drawing board how this will play out. Nor is it possible using a dummy pit of U-238 and high-speed x-ray cameras, although such tests are helpful. For final determination, a test needs to be made with real fissile material. Consequently, starting in 1957, a year after Swan, both labs began one-point safety tests." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_design#Warhead_design_safety
  They can't claim that the thing is nuclear EMP-proof without actually bombing the thing with a nuke. The data center itself needs to be one-point safe in this regard, and due to test ban treaties, it will never be. So them making the claim that it would withstand a EMP from a nuclear warhead of undisclosed yield is a line of PR BS and will always be a line of BS no matter how hard they simulate EMP events.
  They have ultra-sensitive neutrino detectors buried a mile or so under the earth that can still detect EM. So, no, the data center is not EMP proof, despite what you may subjectively believe.
Hardened Site by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:45 · Score: 0

Sure that data Center is still operating, but what about the network to the outside world?
I recall the big blackout of August 2003 (not sure of date). We had a DC that was fine running
on Generators, but the customers could not access the systems because THEY were down...
Totally works but we can't tell you how by GameboyRMH · 2014-09-15 06:50 · Score: 1

My data center is completely safe against tigers. It's due to the construction materials used but I can't go into any detail.

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1. Re:Totally works but we can't tell you how by caffeinated_bunsen · 2014-09-15 06:58 · Score: 1
  
  Lisa, I want to buy your rock.
  
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Only telegraph by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 06:53 · Score: 0

If the EMP disrupts only telegraph, then whats the fuss ?
Or is that a poorly constructed sentence about telegraphs.
Clueless by Animats · 2014-09-15 07:06 · Score: 1

This keeps coming up. The effects of an electromagnetic pulse and a solar storm are completely different. EMP is a big RF pulse with a risetime in the nanoseconds. This is a risk to input transistors connected to external wiring. Twisted pair, coax, and small mobile devices are relatively immune. Fiber optics are totally immune.
Solar storms induce DC voltages across long distances of conductive landscape. This is a risk only to transformers with grounded center taps connected to long transmission lines.
Here are the PJM power grid emergency procedures for geomagnetic events. They had to be implemented for a day two years ago. Almost nobody outside of power grid operators noticed.
1. Re:Clueless by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 08:05 · Score: 0
  
  Fiber optics are totally immune.
  I wonder about the "totally" part. Don't fiber optics cables have repeaters and other electronic junk at each end? So while the optic fiber cable won't induce any current into the electronics, they themselves may be vulnerable. If the EMP hits in the middle of the cable run, you might be OK, but if it wipes out repeaters, routers etc then your communications line is dead anyway.
2. Re:Clueless by rogueippacket · 2014-09-15 08:05 · Score: 2
  
  Interesting slide deck from PJM - what's more interesting is the reference to a piece of damaged equipment for which the manufacturer quoted a two-year timeline for replacement (during normal business operations!), but a suitable spare had been found elsewhere and put in place within 6 months.
  From what I have read on the topic, this is the largest concern - spare parts simply do not exist, and if enough small pieces are damaged at once, they may never be replaced in a reasonable amount of time. Entire communities and cities at greatly diminished power/no power for months and years at a time, and every country on the globe competing with each other for decades to bring everything back.
  Who knows, I'm not an expert. Can you tell us how prevalent these "transformers with grounded center taps connected to long transmission lines" are, and what the damage might look like?
3. Re:Clueless by nblender · 2014-09-15 08:17 · Score: 1
  
  You can design your power supplies to withstand a nuclear event using a NED http://www.maxwell.com/product... and when the pulse is over, your stuff just boots and it's business as usual. At least that's my understanding.
Interesting Claim But... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 17:39 · Score: 0

...how could anyone go about actually testing and proving the claim without releasing an EMP in the vicinity of that data center?
Without proof, the claim is just that...an unproven claim.
With or without the magnetic poles flipping? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 19:02 · Score: 0

The problem is we are about due for both a big solar ME direct hit and the magnetic poles flipping, now if one can trigger the other, and there is a good argument to suggest they do interact enough to have a butterfly type effect, then we could see a direct hit on earth from a ME while the poles are literally all over the place, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal#Magnetic_field so your nice safe data centre at safe latitudes may not be that safe, in fact it could find itself under a temporary pole that is acting like a huge accelerator to funnel particles right at you. fzzzt! I bet they didn't write that scenario into the spec.
The only safe data is everywhere at once plus constantly moving and replicating, well that is how life does it, you know DNA etc.
Lightning is an EMP too by fuzzywig · 2014-09-15 21:37 · Score: 1

A good rule of thumb is that if your equipment is protected from a direct lightning hit, then it'll do fine against any EMP that won't destroy any reason for the equipment. ie a really close nuke could produce enough of an EMP to fry it, but would also destroy so much infrastructure there would be no point in having the equipment there in the first place.