From data center to main internet(bandwidth)

[jsmoke]

Anyone know how the internet can handle the bandwidth coming from a DC or server farm, take a FB SF for example, 100' s of thousands of servers and their own private optical network onto the local loop of the internet. Each farm much traffic a massive about of bandwidth hence their own optical route will be tailored to cope and will be extreme. However the main internet cabling system must be many times capable of handling much more bandwidth than a SF needs, is this correct, is it just a case of laying many more optical fibre in the ground or how does it all work?

How much bandwidth can the main internet fibre system handle.

 

[jsmoke]

Read Tubes by Andrew Blum (yes it's a meme title )

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13036199-tubes

Very interesting, light book about one man's research into 'where is the internet?' Holiday reading really but full of well researched stuff and he visits all the places he talks about (data centres in the USA, intercontinental cable landing spots, the Amsterdam Internet Exchange, etc.).

Looks good, think I will pick this up, thanks.

 

[jsmoke]

What kind of device would connect say a DC or SF to the main internet, in other words where to the cables(or fibers) meet to be routed, are the fibers physically laid direct to an exchange or are there routers/boosters dotted around the place in security cabinets.

 

[jsmoke]

Amazing how it all works in harmony like that, some smart engineers out there and nobody knows who they are, they don't get any credit. If only Joe public knew some of what goes on behind the scenes to make their lives more comfortable..