Google datacenters represent diferents locations where google is keeping their servers for protecting their system from possible overloading. Inothers words, a user from Romania will be served by a different serverthat a user from California, even they type the same url of http://www.google.com



!!!How come they do this?! By entering www.any-domain-name.com into your webbrowser will take you to one IP address. (www.any-domain-name.com representthe domain name, the address of the website , and the IP address,represent the physical adress of a real computer. [Actualy every computeron the internet has an IP address, including yours, but not everycomputer must to have a domain name pointed on it's IP, but this is anatherstory! ] )

How do you see what's your current google datanceter?!Very simple! Just click on Start ---> Run -> write : "command"(without "" of course ;) and write down ping www.google.com in the blackscreen that's apearing. You will be able to see the IP address of yourcurent google datacenter.

Why should I care about using different Google datacenters?!

Some datacenters are updating faster then others, some datacenters maycontain diferents results from others, some datacenters have "freshmeal" , so Search Engine Optimisers can quickly see more the results of thier efforts.

How do I set up my default Google datacenter?!

Setting a default google datacenter for when you call-up www.google.commight be simpler then you ever dreampt of.

Now, you will only edit your HOST file!

In Windows 98 the file resides in C:Windowshosts

In Windows XP it is in C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DRIVERSetchosts

So if you have Windows XP, go to Start ---> Run , and write down this :"notepad

C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DRIVERSetchosts " and press enter!

Okay, now add this lines on the end of HOSTS file:

216.239.53.104 google.com

216.239.53.104 www.google.com

Now go to , Start ---> Run , write : "command" (without "" !!!) ,and press enter! write down ping www.google.com and press enter.You will see that the returned IP it's 216.239.53.104.

You may now delete those 2 lines, and replace them with :

66.102.9.104 google.com

66.102.9.104 www.google.com

Now ping again the www.google.com and see what IP you have.

Now let's pass in something more advanced, maybe you will want to change the google datacenters 100 times a day , so you may wishto add some virtuals domain names , like :

216.239.51.104 result1.google.com

216.239.57.104 result2.google.com

216.239.59.104 result3.google.com

216.239.51.104 www.result1.google.com

216.239.57.104 www.result2.google.com

216.239.59.104 www.result3.google.com

Try to access result1.google.com in your web browser to see about whatI am talking about , and result2.google.com , etc , you may also pingthem.

Here is a cool list of Google datacenters you may wish to add :

216.239.37.99

216.239.39.104

216.239.51.104

216.239.51.105

216.239.51.147

216.239.53.104

216.239.57.98

216.239.57.99

216.239.57.104

216.239.57.105

216.239.59.99

216.239.59.104

66.102.7.99

66.102.7.104

66.102.7.147

66.102.9.104

66.102.9.99

66.102.11.99

66.102.11.104

66.249.93.99

66.249.93.104

64.233.179.99

64.233.179.104

Just add them one by one, and call them however you want.

For Example :

66.102.9.104 www.google.softgroups.com /// if you wish so

66.102.9.104 google.softgroups.com

Feel free to also modify the hosts files for others domain names as well.

The host file may also help you to access your web server while you didsome DNS chanes (You won't nead to wait for those 48 hours)

For example, if I changed my www.softgroups.com to anather hostingprovider, that are hosting my websites on websites on : 70.86.140.11I will do :

70.86.140.11 www.softgroups.comM

70.86.140.11 softgroups.com

Where I can find a list of more google datacenters?!

Here is a good list : http://softgroups.com/gcenters.php