Making Connections, Lots of Connections

I got to chat with information technology officers Dave McGouldrick and Henk de Jong and see their very complex setup. Together, they have vast experience at sea that surpasses as long as I have been alive! McGouldrick and de Jong are responsible for the entire setup of all on-board connectivity such as the computers, ship server and “the core,” where all of the electronic traffic goes through.

David McGouldrick (left) and Henk de Jong

The server runs all the applications for the ship. Within the server is a Virtual Machine, “VM,” and Holland America Line was the first cruise line to use such technology. VM technology is composed of a hardware server that runs multiple virtual servers using software versus hardware. By using software that creates virtual servers, less hardware equipment is needed and the existing hardware can be used more efficiently.

The server (left) and the core

This is what it takes to get Eurodam connected:
100 personal computers
45 laptops
20 servers
5,000 feet of fiber-optic cable
60,000 feet of network cable