Get a sneak peek into the data center at facebook, the world's largest social network!

1. A Glimpse of the Server Farm (Photos)

2. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME

3. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Contained These rows of servers are set up to minimize the energy required to keep the data center running.

4. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Stacked up A close up of the servers in two racks.

5. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Temperature Controlled The center includes sophisticated cooling systems and back up power supplies.

6. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Lines of Communication Cables connect servers in the center with each other and the entire facility with the outside world.

7. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Plan B and C and... The center was constructed using a "layered replication" model that makes failure almost impossible, even if a regional power system blacks out.

8. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Ops The facility where photographer Martin Schoeller took these photos is located 25 minutes by car from Facebook's headquarters. The company is currently building a state-of-the-art data center in Prineville, Oregon, among other sites.

9. A Glimpse of the Server Farm Martin Schoeller for TIME Webs – The servers process updates to Facebook users' pages as quickly as possible, so that a comment or post is live within seconds. Multiply that across 550 million (and counting) users and the power of the data center becomes awesome indeed.