Colocation FAQ

Thank you for your interest in our colocation services. Below is a list of common pre-order sales questions. However, if you have any questions that are beyond the scope of this list, please contact our sales department, and they should have an answer for you right away.

How to Purchase Colocation Space?

How do I order?

Ordering single server space (1u/2u/3u/Tower) is easy using our MaxNOC Order Form. If you are interested in rack space or cabinet pricing please request a quote, and a sales representative will get in touch with you for a no-obligation consultation regarding your colocation requirements.

How can I pay?

MaxNOC accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. Your card will automatically be charged each month. For businesses that wish to use a company check, we can accept check payments from US banks, but this may delay setup until after the check is received and processed. Wire transfers and verified PayPal accounts are also accepted for quarterly and annual payments.

Are there any hidden fees?

There are absolutely no hidden fees. We offer affordable yet powerful and full-featured products. There are additional managed services and options that we do offer on a fee basis, but they are purely optional.

What is 95th Percentile Bandwidth billing?

The per Mbps bandwidth is based upon 5 minute averages of your actual usage, then subjected to 95th percentile adjustment. You pay based on this average in 1 Mbps increments at a set rate, depending on your commitment level.

Here's how it works: We sample your actual usage every 5 minutes, we then average the total and post the result as a 5 minute usage point on your usage graph. Over the month, we will continue to plot the 5 minute averages, which total about 8,640 points plotted on the graph. We then take the top 5 percent of your usage (432 points) and throw it out! Your usage is determined based upon the highest remaining usage plotted. If your usage is at or lower than your committed bandwidth AFTER we've taken off the top 5%, you will not receive any additional billing. Any usage over the minimum will be billed at the appropriate rate.

You are automatically placed on a burstable 100 Mbps link. You'll be able to monitor your bandwidth usage to understand exactly what your usage is. At the beginning of the following month, you will get a bill for actual 95th percentile usage.

This method of billing provides you with a number of advantages. First, this equates to receiving your highest 36 hours of bandwidth usage free each month. Second, like our network, our billing is scaleable - the cost of entry is reduced and your bill will only increase as actual bandwidth usage occurs. Finally, you only pay for the higher of the upstream or downstream traffic.

Network Infrastructure

How are you connected to the Internet?

MaxNOC Headquarters network is established at the Nap of the Americas, Miami FL. Please refer to infrastructure pages for more information.

Who are your peering providers?

MaxNOC has a multihomed and decentralized network topology and have links to all major tier-1 providers such at SBC, Internap, Cogent, Level3, Savvis and ATT. The total capacity we have at the MaxNOC Headquarters is 2Gbps.

Do you provide an uptime guarantee?

MaxNOC guarantees 99% uptime, and backs it up with and insdustry standard service level agreement. If your equipment should ever fail to perform due to infrastructure or network failures within our control we will fix the problem and grant you a credit towards future service for the lost time. Our goal is ensure your satisfaction by delivering reliable service with awesome performance.

How many IP addresses do I get?

Each MaxNOC plan includes a set number of IP addresses, normally from 8 to 32. Additional IP addresses are available for $1/each per month, subject to justification.

Are your facilities carrier neutral?

Yes and No. In other words, depends on the preferred gateway location.

What type of backup power systems do you have to guard against a power failure?

MaxNOC delivers service to Tier-1 Facilities only. MaxNOC HQ and MaxNOC POP networks are built to resist disasters of any kind. Please visit infrastrucuture pages for more information about the standards we comply.

Technical Issues

Will I have 24 hour access to your San Francisco Data Center?

Yes, the MaxNOC facility allows 24/7 access. Building security guards and our system administrators are on site at all times.

How can I monitor my bandwidth?

The customer portal at http://www.maxnoc.com/portal provides complete bandwidth reporting, as well as support ticket and invoice history, server reboots, free security scanning, and a variety of other services.

How does remote power cycling work

You can log in to our secure, password protected customer portal and instantly reboot your equipment. All MaxNOC racks feature BayTech remote power controllers (RPCs), each of which has twelve individually controlled AC power receptacles. These RPCs interface with a private network of remote switch modules that allow you to turn-on, turn-off, or reboot your server over a secure interface to get you back up and running quickly and without requiring a trip to our facility.

How quickly can I install my server?

Once you have signed a quote from a sales representative and made the initial payment, we can usually have IP addresses assigned and space ready for installation in as little as 24 hours. Larger cabinet installations and custom cages may require additional time for parts and labor.

Will I get DNS support?

Most of our customers handle DNS themselves on their own servers for maximum flexibility. MaxNOC can provide support for DNS and primary or secondary DNS services for you if you wish. We will setup primary and secondary domain name service for as many domains as you submit to us at no charge.

Does MaxNOC provide support?

Yes! Please visit our support page. We have lots of information and resources available online. We also provide free technical support via toll-free phone, online ticketing system, and live chat. Whenever possible we ask that you open a support ticket first so that we can track your issue. Please note that you are expected to maintain your server and any software you wish to run on your server.

Where will my server be colocated?

Your server can be colocated at MDV of Miami, FL where our headquarters is. Alternatively, you can choose to colocate in any of the data centers we have POP locations. For a complete list, please visit colocation page.

What size server(s) can I colocate at MaxNOC?

You can colocate any size server at MaxNOC. We recommend a rack-mountable 1U (1.75" tall) server as your account will be billed for the space your hardware occupies.

Can I colocate a desktop (mid-tower or full tower) box?

Although we would greatly prefer that your servers come in a rackmount case, you can colocate a regular desktop PC. For this option, you must select the 4U option when you buy a colocation package. In the long run, however, converting your desktop system to utilize a 1U or 2U case will be more cost-effective. We can help you do this — just ask!

What managed services do you provide with purchase of a colocation package?

We include the following services with your hosting package:

• Remote reboot ports so you can reboot your servers through the web if they crash
• Reverse DNS service
• Forward DNS service for your domain names

Other managed services, such as backup service, firewall protection, load balancing and more are available for additional fees. If you would like a custom quote for any of these services, please feel free to contact us.

What managed services do you provide for additional fees?

We can provide you with nearly any managed service you need, including:

• VPN service
• Firewall service
• Load-balancing
• Data storage and backup
• System administration (fully-managed servers)
• Additional Internet connections (voice/T1) or phone lines

Please contact our sales staff for a custom quote if you require any of these services.

May I visit your colocation facilities?

Absolutely! We enjoy giving our customers a tour of our facilities. If you're in the Bay Area, we will be happy to arrange a tour.

Will you grant me access to your facilities to administer my own servers?

Yes. However, If you are colocated at MaxNOC headquarters, a MaxNOC employee must be on-site with you at all times.

How can I get a server to you?

Send it to us by a reputable courier, such as UPS, FedEX or DHL. Ensure you get a receipt and tracking number. Servers must be insured while in transit or bring it in to us. Call or email us for an appointment.

How high is 1U?

A "u" is a small footprint form factor for convenient deployment of computer and telecom equipment in standard data center racks. 1.75". Racks are a standard 19 inches wide, with depth to 80cm.

Do you allow hosting of Email Marketing (aka SPAM) type services?

Nope, MaxNOC Colocation does not promote nor support companies who send out advertisement related email messages. Please do not attempt to use our service for these purposes.

What is the difference between Colocated and Leased or Dedicated Servers?

With colocation, you may access the datacenter (escorted by our technical staff), you use your own server, and you are billed based upon physical cabinet space usage per unit [U], i.e. a 2u case. With a Leased Server you have no physical access to the datacenter; the hardware is leased from MaxNOC rather than the cabinet space.