Google Finally Lets Us See Where it Keeps the Internet

[JonB]

Google Finally Lets Us See Where it Keeps the Internet

Google has posted information about, and even a guided tour of, its mysterious data centers.

Previously reluctant to share details of its data centers, Google is now offering up a wealth of information about where they keep all those adorable cat videos. A new section on their redesigned data centers page, aptly titled Transparency, leads to a collection of photos and information about what's contained within Google's various worldwide installations. There are also two guided tours of Google facilities. One, a video, details some of the locations in a typical data center. The other uses Google street view, normally used to traverse pictures of your favorite neighborhoods worldwide, to lead you around the facility in Lenoir, North Carolina. The site also includes information about Google's multi-step information security system.

Featured on the datacenter tours are networking and data storage rooms, offices full of Google employees, cooling towers, and hydraulic spike presses that crush spent hard drives. For the curious, there are a few paragraphs about the various worldwide centers. You're able to use a world map view to find the closest center to you and find out how many employees work there, see a photo, and learn about Google's various community involvements in the area.

The street view tour of the Lenoir, NC data center includes some Easter eggs in typical Google style. Can you spot the Stormtrooper working security, or the giant Android robot?

Source: Google [http://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/]

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[Froggy Slayer]

...you gotta be shitting me.

 

[Vanbael]

All the pictures were shown in my networking class, and dayum. Hell, I didn't even know that they kept the internet in a former paper mill in Finland, but it was cool.

 

[Quaxar]

Looks nice, but where are all the cats?

All these boxes are cat homes, connected by tubes, right? That's a lot of kitten tubes.

 

[Rad Party God]

Top men working at Google. Top. Men.

 

[Kmadden2004]

In before somebody else posts it;

http://youtu.be/iDbyYGrswtg

Actually, I'm sure this is the second time Google have put the data facility on view. The last time they did, we were more distracted by the Cigarette Smoking Man walking down its aisles...

 

[tmande2nd]

How many of those servers are filled with porn?
I mean think about it....how many terabytes of porn are out there in the world?

On second thought I dont want to know.....

 

[Scarim Coral]

I always picture their server room abit more colourful, well ok it is during daytime (I saw the photos) but not when the lights are off.

 

[Guffe]

All the pictures were shown in my networking class, and dayum. Hell, I didn't even know that they kept the internet in a former paper mill in Finland, but it was cool.

Finland? seriously?
I knew google had something to do with us but in a papermill the whole thing?
Well I'll be of

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Am I the only one a little disappointed that they don't have little Post-Its labeling the servers? You know, things like, "Cuddly Panda Videos" and "Porn, Unforgivable (server 1/23414)".

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

It's like seeing the face of God.

Ok I've spent ten minutes looking for that damn droid and nothing, are you screwing with us?

 

[David Bray]

Please don't say this is going to lead to hacking. That would suck

 

[JonB]

It's like seeing the face of God.

Ok I've spent ten minutes looking for that damn droid and nothing, are you screwing with us?

I'm not. Check out secure data tape recording!

 

[GenGenners]

Cooling towers? Hydraulic spike presses?

I DETECT VILLAINY!

 

[Thedutchjelle]

It's like seeing the face of God.

Ok I've spent ten minutes looking for that damn droid and nothing, are you screwing with us?

I found it.

I also found the employee watching Rick Roll

 

[Tiger Sora]

In the event of WW3, these data centers will be of vast importance to the survivors of the world. Surely some would survive the destruction. Granting them the much needed fix of internets. Along with useful knowledge it contains past the porn and cat videos.

Google, you must EMP shield those buildings!

 

[Kellogs Fried Chickn]

Hey, I know that place! That's Earth, I live there! How awesome is that? Super awesome.
Delay the launch! I want to go see something first.

 

[UltraXan]

Everyone, on your knees and clasp your hands for here we have the true omnipotent, omniscient... God o____o

Captcha: rocket science. Indeed.

 

[DugMachine]

I think I saw the Escapist somewhere in there.

 

[Eiv]

Has no-one noticed the stormtrooper yet? or the little R2 unit?

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