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Case study · Cloud Computing

High-availability hosting infrastructure for 50,000 customers: Proxmox cluster, ZFS NVMe storage and a 100 GbE network

A large Czech hosting provider with more than 50,000 customers moved from leased servers with no redundancy to enterprise-grade infrastructure. We built a 100 GbE MLAG network, a Proxmox cluster with 5,120 AMD EPYC cores and 280 TB of ZFS NVMe storage, migrated customer services and now run the whole environment.

PROXMOX HA · ZFSHosting

Client

The client is a large hosting provider operating in the Czech Republic. It serves more than 50,000 customers with shared hosting, VPS and dedicated server environments. Rapid customer growth exposed the limits of its existing setup: classic dedicated servers with no redundancy, no enterprise-grade security and no high availability. The client’s name is covered by a non-disclosure agreement.

Challenge

The client ran on leased infrastructure that lacked:

  • high-availability (HA) mechanisms,
  • data redundancy,
  • fast, modern storage,
  • a consistent security layer and the ability to scale,
  • flexible workload management.

For a hosting business this is a direct commercial risk: downtime, loss of customer data, no resilience to failures and difficulty meeting SLAs. Our task was to build modern, enterprise-grade server infrastructure from the ground up on proven technologies — Fortinet, Proxmox VE, ZFS, Proxmox Backup Server and Supermicro servers — then migrate customer services onto it and take over its operation.

Scope of work

We designed the project using our standard approach, in three layers: network → compute → storage.

  • Network layer: the core network runs on two FS S8550-32C switches (32 × 100 GbE QSFP28 ports, MPLS, MLAG and EVPN support) configured for high availability. MLAG and full redundancy remove single points of failure and deliver low latency and stable communication between the Proxmox cluster and the ZFS storage. More: network administration.
  • Compute layer: a Proxmox VE cluster of 20 Supermicro servers. Each has 2 AMD EPYC 9745 processors (Turin, 128 cores each, so 256 cores per server), 24 × 96 GB DDR5-6400 ECC RDIMM modules (2,304 GB of RAM per server) and a 100 GbE network card. In total the cluster provides 5,120 cores and 46.08 TB of RAM. In-line memory deduplication (KSM) further increases effective RAM capacity.
  • Storage layer: customer data lives on 4 ZFS storage arrays built on Supermicro BigTwin SYS-222BT-DNR servers with 3.84 TB NVMe drives. Each array has 2 controllers and about 70 TB of usable capacity, around 280 TB in total. ZFS compression and deduplication mean the data takes up considerably less space in practice.
  • High availability: redundancy at the network, compute and storage layers. The failure of any single component does not stop customer services.
  • Security and backups: a consistent security layer based on Fortinet, and virtual machine backups in Proxmox Backup Server.
  • Migration: we moved customer services — shared hosting, VPS and dedicated environments — from the leased servers to the new infrastructure.
  • Operations: after go-live we administer and maintain the entire environment: network, Proxmox cluster, ZFS storage and backups.

How the engagement worked

Assessment and designReview of the existing environment’s limitations and an architecture designed in three layers: network, compute, storage.
100 GbE networkA core built on two FS S8550-32C switches in MLAG, with no single points of failure.
Proxmox cluster20 Supermicro servers with AMD EPYC Turin: 5,120 cores and 46 TB of RAM in a single HA cluster.
ZFS NVMe storage4 arrays with dual controllers, compression, deduplication, snapshots and replication.
Security and backupA Fortinet security layer and backups in Proxmox Backup Server.
Service migrationCustomers’ shared hosting, VPS and dedicated environments moved onto the new infrastructure.
Managed operationsRemote Admin administers and maintains the entire environment as a managed service.

Why ZFS and Proxmox for a hosting environment

  • Data integrity: ZFS checksums every block and automatically detects corrupted data.
  • Snapshots and replication: fast snapshots and data replication improve resilience to failures and mistakes.
  • Compression and deduplication: more customer data on the same NVMe capacity.
  • Proxmox VE HA cluster: customer virtual machines restart on another node when a server fails.
  • Open source with no per-core licence fees: at 5,120 cores, a real saving compared with platforms licensed per CPU.

Resources available to the client

  • CPU cores: 5,120 (20 servers × 256 cores)
  • RAM: 46.08 TB (20 servers × 2.304 TB)
  • ZFS storage (usable): around 280 TB (4 arrays × 70 TB), effectively more thanks to compression and deduplication
  • Network: 100 GbE on every server, HA core (MLAG)

Results and value for the client

The client now has high availability across its entire infrastructure, with redundant network, storage and compute, so its hosting services run reliably 24/7. 5,120 cores and more than 46 TB of RAM support thousands of VPS instances and customer environments, and the architecture lets the company add resources smoothly as it grows. ZFS combined with high availability gives customer data a high level of protection. Services for more than 50,000 customers now run on the new infrastructure, and Remote Admin handles its administration and maintenance, so the client’s team can focus on sales and customer care. Supermicro BigTwin servers and AMD EPYC Turin processors are among the most energy-efficient server platforms on the market, which lowers energy and operating costs. The infrastructure is stable, fast, secure, ready to scale and aligned with industry best practices.

Planning to build or expand your hosting infrastructure? Let’s talk about your project.

Frequently asked questions

What is high-availability hosting infrastructure?

It is an environment in which every critical component — network, servers, storage — has a standby. If a switch, server or storage controller fails, services keep running because another component takes over.

Why Proxmox VE instead of VMware?

Proxmox VE is a mature open-source platform with built-in HA clustering, ZFS support and backups through Proxmox Backup Server. It has no per-core licensing, which significantly reduces costs at thousands of cores.

What are the benefits of ZFS for hosting?

ZFS protects data integrity with checksums and offers snapshots, replication, compression and deduplication. On NVMe drives it gives very fast access to customer data.

Can this infrastructure be expanded?

Yes. The three-layer architecture lets you independently add servers to the Proxmox cluster, more ZFS arrays and ports on the 100 GbE network.

Do you migrate customer services and operate the infrastructure after go-live?

Yes. In this project we moved customers’ hosting, VPS and dedicated environments onto the new infrastructure, and after go-live took over its administration and maintenance.

Do you build infrastructure for companies outside Poland?

Yes. We delivered this project for a hosting provider in the Czech Republic. We design, deploy and operate infrastructure for clients across the European Union.

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