Data center classification

The below table gives a quick overview of Datacenter Qualification and what are the requirements for each of the different tiers

 

1	Single non-redundant distribution path serving the IT equipment Non-redundant capacity components Basic site infrastructure guaranteeing 99.671% availability
2	Meets or exceeds all Tier 1 requirements Redundant site infrastructure capacity components guaranteeing 99.741% availability
3	Meets or exceeds all Tier 1 and Tier 2 requirements Multiple independent distribution paths serving the IT equipment All IT equipment must be dual-powered and fully compatible with the topology of a site's architecture Concurrently maintainable site infrastructure guaranteeing 99.982% availability
4	Meets or exceeds all Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 requirements All cooling equipment is independently dual-powered, including chillers and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems Fault-tolerant site infrastructure with electrical power storage and distribution facilities guaranteeing 99.995% availability

 

Please be aware that there are only a few classified Tier4 Datacenter out there.

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Thanks Wilfried! What is the tier level of MS Azure DCs? Do all DCs of MS Azure have the same tier classification?