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Lightning Wipes Storage Disks At Google Data Center

Posted by samzenpus on from the come-on-thunder dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Lightning struck a Google data center in Belgium four times in rapid succession last week, permanently erasing a small amount of users' data from the cloud. The affected disks were part of Google Computer Engine (GCE), a utility that lets people run virtual computers in the cloud on Google's servers. Despite the uncontrollable nature of the incident, Google has accepted full responsibility for the blackout and promises to upgrade its data center storage hardware, increasing its resilience against power outages.

4 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Whaaa? by sexconker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All datacenter class storage devices should be backed by battery units with enough capacity to flush all pending writes to disk.
    I have never bought a server that didn't have battery-backed hardware RAID.

    Google, however, runs the cheapest, commodity parts, often refurbished / purchased used, and relies on software RAID and massive replication schemes. Such schemes don't work for new data, as they've found out.

    I wouldn't blame them if their shit got directly hit by lightning and that caused damage (you can't expect anything to survive that), but if we're saying the extended power outage caused data loss, then it's absolutely Google's fault.

  2. Re:What do you mean permenantly erased...only 1 DC by bledri · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thats no excuse. It should be distributed amongst seperate machines in seperate centres instantaniously.

    So faster than the speed of light using the infinitely-wide infinite improbability data bus?

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    Some privacy policy Slashdot.
  3. Re: Cannot be trusted by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know that's what I base my critical data storage choices on - how fast a tangentially-related service's static front page loaded 15 years ago on dialup.

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    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  4. Re: lightning strike by MasterOfGoingFaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Bullshit. I used to design high voltage connections, and tested using a 300kV impulse generator. I've seen a lot of crazy stuff analyzing field failures. You can greatly reduce the risk, but you cannot remove all risk in an above ground facility, as a practical matter.

    I do see lots of silly stuff done, based on myth and lack of knowledge.

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    Place nail here >+