ASIC Mining Colocation Service

[PeterChang]

I've finished building out a web site for more info about the ASIC colocation idea(started on the BFL boards)-- Kick Ass Colocation, www.kickasscolocation.com  you can contact me on there as it's much easier than Private Messaging everyone  I've also set up payments with BitPay to make things easier for future colocation users.

Also thanks to all of the forum members that I've reached out to for helping me out with all of my Linux heavy lifting questions  Here's to working more with you guys in the future, and I hope that we can turn this into full-time work for all of us.

[rudrigorc2]

Ha. Nice.

[wtfvanity]

What's a BRC? And how do I get 16 of them for a mini rig?

[MrTeal]

16BTC for an Avalon?
$435/month for hosting is a little pricey considering that even at $0.1/kWh an Avalon would only use 1/10th that in power costs. What kind of infrastructure do you have in place already that makes you a serious colo center worth of the premiums as opposed to just hosting a bunch of equipment in your office?

[PeterChang]

Thanks the page is updated

What's a BRC? And how do I get 16 of them for a mini rig?

[PeterChang]

Yes, it's 16 BTC for an Avalon --someone has to be around to restart the unit when it goes down Also, we're accepting Bitcoins which fluctuate in price, if the Bitcoins go down in the exchange we're taking a hit until the price rebounds

We're hosting out of the Grainbelt Studios in Minneapolis, MN which is zoned as industrial, the building is brick, has concrete floors, and it's also home to a few other Internet based companies in Minneapolis, MN

16BTC for an Avalon?
$435/month for hosting is a little pricey considering that even at $0.1/kWh an Avalon would only use 1/10th that in power costs. What kind of infrastructure do you have in place already that makes you a serious colo center worth of the premiums as opposed to just hosting a bunch of equipment in your office?

[wtfvanity]

So you have multiple internet connections with different geographic entries?

Multiple power sources?

If not why wouldn't I just stick it in my basement? I could by cable internet and DSL from two different companies for under $100 a month in case one of them went down. Could buy a crappy generator in case the power goes out. All significantly cheaper than what you are offering.

http://www.amazon.com/DuroStar-DS4000S-4-Cycle-Portable-Generator/dp/B004918MO2/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1360955289&sr=1-1

[PeterChang]

Yes we have multiple power connections and backup generators

Yes you can do this cheaper, we're offering an effortless way of running an ASIC and assisting with colocation needs. How much is your time worth? Some of us are doctors, lawyers, college professors, stock brokers, hedge fund managers, software engineers or electrical engineers whose time is better spent thinking about other things Not everybody can sit around all day and make sure that their ASICs are up and running. Also, with ASICs a lot of newer users are coming onboard and they wouldn't want to mess around with the technical side of things Some users would love to have racks of gear at their homes or offices but their spouses will disagree. Essentially we are the perfect solution for users who want a hands-free mining experience

So you have multiple internet connections with different geographic entries?

Multiple power sources?

If not why wouldn't I just stick it in my basement? I could by cable internet and DSL from two different companies for under $100 a month in case one of them went down. Could buy a crappy generator in case the power goes out. All significantly cheaper than what you are offering.

http://www.amazon.com/DuroStar-DS4000S-4-Cycle-Portable-Generator/dp/B004918MO2/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1360955289&sr=1-1

[wtfvanity]

Yes we have multiple power connections and backup generators

Yes you can do this cheaper, we're offering an effortless way of running an ASIC and assisting with colocation needs. How much is your time worth? Some of us are software engineers or electrical engineers whose time is better spent thinking about other things Not everybody can sit around all day and make sure that their ASICs are up and running. Also, with ASICs a lot of newer users are coming onboard and they wouldn't want to mess around with the technical side of things Some users would love to have racks of gear at their homes or offices but their spouses will disagree. Essentially we are the perfect solution for users who want a hands-free mining experience

Redundant connections or something you have to switch over on the power?

You also didn't answer the redundant internet connection question.

Staffed 24/7?

[PeterChang]

Redundant connections to UPS + Switch over to generators (no one has ever tested the generators to the building, I'm told that we haven't had to test them yet)

Internet Connection is straight to Century Link + redundant connection to the local internet company in the same building... redundant access to Comcast once they lay down their cables near us this summer

Staffed 8a-5p central time, 7 days a week,  we are working on the 24/7 staffing--we could have 24/7 staffing with some one in India or Thailand to answer the phones because I have friends there, but I don't want to outsource and would rather that our users actually have access to real live Minnesota English speakers   I know that staffing isn't perfect at launch, but we are starting small and I would rather keep things local


[/quote]

Redundant connections or something you have to switch over on the power?

You also didn't answer the redundant internet connection question.

Staffed 24/7?
[/quote]

[wtfvanity]

Redundant connections to UPS + Switch over to generators (no one has ever tested the generators to the building, I'm told that we haven't had to test them yet)

If no one has ever tested the generators I bet you don't have generators. Generators need test started and maintained. Unless your local power company is amazing I have a hard time the power has never gone out in however many years the generators have sat there.

[PeterChang]

The power in the building has gone out a few times--this is Minneapolis, Minnesota after all! We've had storms and bad weather Each time the UPS did kick in successfully. Things haven't gotten so terminal that we had to test to see if the generators really work.

You have the right to believe whatever you like, as we're probably not going to be the best solution for you. We're not going to be as fault tolerant as you would like,  we don't have a super large staff, etc... You might be happier with RackSpace colocation.

We're just trying to offer a new service that complements our ad agency/graphic design business, have tons of fun, meet new people, help our clients and customers make more money/Bitcoins, and help out our local economy by building out our data center and create more local jobs  

We are located in Minneapolis, MN and we're a small business with a big idea! We'd hope to change the way people think about colocation and Bitcoin mining

[wtfvanity]

If you really plan to offer a service like this, these are questions your customers should be asking. Better to post it now and attract people with your offer than hiding behind we're awesome colocate your machine with us.

Besides the trust factor, here is why I wouldn't consider it:

Your internet is no different than what I have at my house. No back up internet currently. Once you do, it's a manual switch.
Power generator is questionable. Power bumps might be okay, but long term black out.
No SLA listed.
Not staffed 24/7

Your selling point is people don't want to manage their own machines, difficult, resource reliability. But I don't know that you offer any of that. I'm a little confused.

I like your website, it's pretty though.

[PeterChang]

Thanks for your feedback