The Fedora Project is preparing for a significant move to a new datacenter, marking another milestone in its evolution. Currently, most of Fedora’s infrastructure is housed in a Red Hat-sponsored datacenter in Virginia, USA. However, increasing demands on space, power, and hardware have prompted the need for a new facility near Raleigh, North Carolina.
This transition aims to ensure that Fedora can continue to grow and provide enhanced performance for developers and users alike.
Why Move?
The decision to relocate stems from several key challenges at the current site:
- Lack of Physical Space: The current datacenter has reached its capacity, leaving no room for hardware expansion to support growing needs, such as RISC-V builders.
- Power Limitations: Some racks are operating near critical power limits, risking abrupt outages if one of the circuits fails.
- Hardware Renewal: Many machines in the current setup were purchased during the previous relocation in 2020. The move provides an opportunity to upgrade to faster, more power-efficient, and denser hardware.
What’s New in Raleigh?
The new datacenter near Raleigh, NC, offers several advantages:
- More Space: The facility provides ample room for expansion to accommodate future growth.
- Increased Power Availability: Higher power capacities allow for denser and more powerful configurations, supporting cutting-edge technologies.
- Upgraded Hardware: Most of the new hardware has already been procured, promising improved speed and efficiency.
How the Move Will Happen
The transition is being carefully planned to minimize disruption. Here’s how the move will unfold:
- New Hardware Setup: The new hardware will be installed and configured at the Raleigh datacenter.
- Logical Switchover: The Fedora team will transition operations to the new site temporarily, albeit with slightly reduced capacity, primarily affecting staging environments.
- Relocation of Existing Hardware: Machines from the current Virginia datacenter will be shipped to the new site to bring operations back to full and expanded capacity.
The move is expected to take a few weeks, with the goal of completing it with minimal impact on Fedora’s operations.
Timing and Goals
The Fedora Project plans to begin the relocation after the release of Fedora 42, tentatively in mid-May 2025. The timing will be finalized closer to the event, based on milestones such as the Beta Go/No-Go decision. Once the move is complete, users and developers can look forward to:
- Faster Builds and Tests: Improved hardware and infrastructure will enhance performance.
- Scalability: The new facility ensures room for further growth and innovation.
- Stability: Enhanced power and space availability will reduce risks of outages and downtime.
Looking Ahead
This relocation underscores Fedora’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technology and ensuring a seamless experience for its community. By investing in modern infrastructure and planning for future growth, Fedora is positioning itself to continue delivering high-quality open-source solutions.
via: Fedora Project
