Inhibiting the IT equipment from overheating in winter

December 21, 2012 By

Many IT businesses face a new kind challenge that may take them by surprise completely. The challenge that we are talking about is keeping the heat-sensitive IT equipment in the server room or telecom closet cool during the cold-weather months, when the building is actually heated. Every kind of IT business andIT organization depend on the servers, telecom switches and other equipments. So this problem has become critical. If the  IT building is in design stage, then steps can be taken to prevent damage to the servers by creating a separate room with its own air-conditioning system. But most of the IT companies cannot afford to build a new server room in an already constructed building. To tackle this problem, IT companies have started using self contained ceiling-mount air conditioners to keep server room and closet cool, while the rest of the building is heated.

 

The Working of Self-Contained Air Conditioners

Conventional air conditioners consist of two separate units, one which contains a condenser and the other an evaporator coil. But self-contained air-conditioner has both a condenser and evaporator coil in a single unit. Inside the unit, cold refrigerant flows through copper tubing from the condenser to the evaporator coil. A fan blows over the coil thus pushing cold air out. A second fan pushes the hot exhaust air out through

the system’s built-in duct, which is directed into the crawl space above a drop ceiling. The excess moisture is removed from the air is automatically pumped out to a drain and in the portable units, disposed of manually. When there is no available space to direct the hot exhaust air into, self-contained, water-cooled units are now available.

 

Advantages of ceiling-mount air conditioners are

The benefits of self-contained, ceiling-mount air conditioners are:

• Low cost compared to other air-conditioners

• Quick and easy installation

• No extra condensing unit to install and maintain

• Flexible placement of air supply and return

• Easy connection to building control and fire alarm systems

 

Self-contained, ceiling-mount conditioners are notable for their low cost and quick, easy installation. Unless there are any special circumstances, an installation may take up to 4 hours. Self-contained, ceiling-mount air conditioners are smaller than other cooling systems, so they are much easier to fit into the limited crawl space.

Self-contained, ceiling-mount air conditioners are available in smaller capacities than precision-cooling systems, and have higher sensible cooling capacities than mini-split systems. Self-contained, ceiling-mount air conditioners use flexible air ducts for both supply and return. This helps the air conditioner itself to be placed anywhere in the crawl space.

Important conditions to look for in a Self-Contained, Ceiling-Mount Air Conditioner

Reliability: An air conditioning must be always reliable and that is a system built to the

highest quality standards.

The fan motors should be fully enclosed in protective housings to prevent dust from building up.

And then the sheet-metal panels should be checked to see if they have stress-relief notches at the bends and is the refrigeration unit hermetically sealed or has service valves which result in leakage.

These are the quality-oriented details which are indicators of high-quality equipment that is designed and manufactured with long-term reliability in mind.

 Established manufacturer: Look out for a company which has established itself in the market and also are the market leaders. They should also provide the service and support throughout North America and globally.

 

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The Best Data Center Cooling Accessories

December 12, 2012 By

               Data centers will invest large capital to build efficient cooling systems. The demand for efficient cooling system has heated up and data center managers are thinking to implement alternate ways to increase efficiency at a relatively low cost. Following are some of the accessories which yield huge efficiency.

High Perforation Floor Tiles:

                This accessory is designed to deliver cool air from AC units to the floor system. In past floor tiles were considered as a commodity item. Nowadays data centers are forced to include higher racks at small places to increase the number of customers. To increase efficiency floor system’s weight capacity has to be maintained and ensure sufficient air flow. Through a combination of experience and innovation in accessories, our solutions can meet the demands of data center managers. These solutions can be implemented on both new and existing flooring projects.

                Cooling specialists will analyze the floor system and determine which tiles either solid or perforated will be suitable for your existing floor set up.

Triad ICE Airflow Tile:

                This tile is designed to provide optimal cooling capacity. This panel is available in 1500, 3000, 4000lbs concrete load capacity. This panel can either be used vertically or horizontally. ICE Airflow Tiles are integrated with dual handles which are safe to place without danger of trapping fingers.

Features of ICE Airflow Tile:

  • Includes optional damper kit
  • Integrated with lift-lock handle
  • Compatible with hollow steel, cement fills woodcore and aluminum
  • No special hardware is required

Ceiling Grid Vent System:

                Ceiling grid vent system is designed to pass air from the equipment to closets. Ceiling grid vent system is included with nine professional grade fans. These fans are automated by two independent temperature controllers. Fans are automated to run when necessary, which saves energy and increase the life of the system.  The fan speed can be adjusted to reduce the noise. Fans can be implemented with more advanced temperature control system which can automatically vary the fan speed or change on offset points.

               

Features of Ceiling grid vent system:

  • Includes 9 top quality fans
  • Aluminum finish
  • Attractive white enamel finishing
  • Temperature range: 14 to 160 deg F

Cool Shield Plenum:

                These are the barrier to block or return air to maximize cooling efficiency. Plenum easily attaches to the structure and can be bent to any angle and can be easily cut to any size.

                Features of cool shield plenum:

  • Flexible material
  • Maximizes efficiency by reducing cooling footprints
  • Material can be easily cut and resealed
  • Increases under floor pressure

HotSpotr Floor Fan:

                HotSpotr is an improved airflow product which channels chilled data center air to precisely where it is needed and also revert back the heated air to computer room air conditioners. HotSpotr is the best solution to overcome hot spots without any downtime. HotSpotr is bit less expensive and can be controlled by operators. Under floor pipes, cable trays, cabling etc. might reduce the overall efficiency of the system due to low static pressure and reduces air flow.

                Hope these tools will help data center managers to get clear idea about improving efficiency of the cooling systems.

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Data Center Credentials for a Green Environment

November 13, 2012 By

Knowing the importance of taking measurements in your Data Center, what elements are useful to measure to evaluate how green a room is and to quantify the impact of various upgrades? The sections that follow address this question.

Energy Usage

The single-most important resource for you to measure in your Data Center is energy. How much power the facility has and how much power is consumed by both IT equipment and supporting infrastructure such as cooling systems and lighting.

It’s vital to measure energy for several reasons:

Power is a Data Center’s most precious resource: The small form factor and big energy demands of today’s high performance servers mean most Data Centers will run out of power well before cabinet space or cooling. Even if you aren’t interested in green considerations, measuring energy usage is critical to understand the true capacity of the room.

Power is the common element among disparate Data Center subsystems: Air handlers, servers, and overhead lighting are all different infrastructure of a Data Center — so different that they’re each installed and maintained by personnel that are trained in separate disciplines — yet they all need power to function. Measuring energy consumption creates a common standard by which you can tell how much they’re each drawing upon your overall Data Center capacity.

Power consumption largely defines a Data Center’s environmental impact: The amount of power that a Data Center uses on a day-to-day basis determines how much irreplaceable fossil fuels it consumes and the quantity of carbon emissions it is responsible for.

Because of these conditions, green Data Center improvements that conserve energy provide some of the largest benefits to your business. Measuring power in your Data Center is, therefore, also the best way to appraise that value and understand the real impact of those green improvements.

Carbon Footprint

Another benchmark of a Data Center’s environmental impact is its carbon footprint — the amount of carbon dioxide produced as part of the ongoing operation of the facility.

Carbon dioxide is one of a handful of substances dubbed greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun and warm the Earth. (Water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons.)

That warming effect is necessary to a certain degree. Without it, the Earth’s mean surface temperature would be –2 degrees Fahrenheit (–19 degrees Celsius) rather than today’s 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius).

Many scientists and environmentalists today are concerned that human activity is causing such problems, prompting them and various government agencies worldwide to call for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Although carbon dioxide occurs naturally — people, animals, and plants all produce it; volcanoes and hot springs emit it as well — carbon is also a byproduct of burning fossil fuels.

More than 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, for example, are energy-related carbon dioxide — originating from the combustion of petroleum, coal, and natural gas — according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The links from energy production to carbon dioxide to climate change mean that the less energy your Data Center uses, the smaller its impact upon the environment.

The other factor in a server environment’s carbon footprint is the makeup of the electricity powering the facility. Several sources of energy are used to create electricity, and each generates a different amount of carbon dioxide. Turning coal into electricity produces more carbon dioxide than natural gas, for instance, so your Data Center will have a larger carbon footprint if your regional power company provides electricity derived from coal rather than natural gas. Cleaner energy sources, such as nuclear or hydroelectric power, create minimal amounts of carbon dioxide, so any Data Center powered by those sources, either directly or by way of a utility provider, will have an even smaller carbon footprint.

Carbon Offsets

One strategy for dealing with carbon emissions is to employ carbon offsets, measures that reduce carbon dioxide. In simple terms, you compensate for the amount of carbon that you (or in this case, your Data Center) generate by sponsoring a project that prevents an equal amount from being created.

Examples of carbon offsets include

Providing a source of renewable energy, such as biofuels, hydroelectric, solar, or wind power

Planting trees, which serve as natural carbon sinks

Capturing and eliminating more potent greenhouse gases, such as methane produced by landfills or pollutants (that is, hydrofluorocarbons or perfluorocarbons) created during industrial processes

Although it’s possible to directly introduce carbon-offsetting measures at your Data Center facility — building a wind farm on land that you own, for example — the more common approach is to pay an environmental organization to do the activity.

Other Data Center Elements

Energy usage and carbon footprint are the features most commonly discussed and measured to determine how green a data center is is; however, other elements warrant attention as well. Other green details to consider include the following:

Generator emissions: Standby generators, used to keep a Data Center running when commercial power fails, consume fuel when in operation and can emit a range of pollutants including nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter.

Water consumption: Major Data Centers consume millions of gallons/liters of water per month through standard cooling processes as hot water is vaporized from a Data Center’s cooling tower and has to be replaced. (Water used to replace what has evaporated is known as makeup water.) Although this consumption hasn’t received the same level of attention from governments and the public in recent years as energy use and carbon emissions, removing such large amounts of water from local supplies is a tremendous environmental impact.

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Data center efficiency-Is it size dependent?

November 9, 2012 By

Data centers for a long time have taken their own stand when questioned about the efficiency of operations. Some data centers follow the conventional methods of strategy implementation while the others take a different route. For example, Google has adopted custom built servers and batteries, Facebook uses a unique evaporative cooling method to save power, and Yahoo has adopted an outdoor cooling design.

Data centers can be generally divided into two primary classes based on size that is the large data centers and the small data centers. Large data centers have an inherent advantage in implementing energy efficient strategies as they can shift operations to another facility as and when the situation demands. It could be a failure in the data center or an expansion plan adhering to all energy saving norms.

“Large centers can operate at a higher risk of failure with the offset, but smaller data centers can’t do that as easily,” said Fluegeman, who specializes in facilities, power and cooling, and is also the principal engineer with PlanNet Consulting.

“It’s following the sun or the moon, because they can very easily shift their traffic to different locations depending on whether it’s night or day in a particular location,” he said. “Especially if you’re using outside air and free cooling or air-side economy as it’s called, this is a concept that’s used to some degree by larger companies with data centers worldwide, where they shift traffic.”

In the case of smaller data centers (data centers that lack the infrastructure and resources of its larger counterparts) energy efficiency strategy implementation along with reducing costs is a difficult task.

So how does one cope with such a scenario?

According to Fluegeman, three quintessential parameters to be followed by a small data center are-

Design of the IT structure: it is essential to design the data center in a way that it helps in consolidation of the files. For example using file duplication or compression. This would automatically reduce the amount of space required for the storage of files. Enterprises can modify or make alterations to the network configurations from their own data centers as well as allowing the users to access data from anywhere at any time.

“There are ways to architect your system to deal with duplication and keep things lean and mean and trim with good housekeeping,” he said. “This allows data centers to be smaller and greener by using as little power as possible.”

Tiered storage can be used as another remedial measure: with this files are stored in servers, and the servers run on sleep mode. The files can be pulled up or retrieved only when necessary, thus saving a lot of power.

Restructuring the cooling method: It is imperative that small scale enterprise data centers make use of hot and cold aisle containment for data center cooling. This is to ensure that hot air is isolated from the cold air. But the crucial aspect of this design is to keep the hot air from nixing with the cold air. This would create a 30 degree difference in the temperature of the data center, says Fleugeman.

One way is to line up the servers such that the front faces one direction and the exhaust side faces the back. This forms the hot aisle and the cold aisle. Another way of doing this, in case of parallel arrangement of servers is to stack servers with alternate hot and cold aisles. Front faces of two servers face each other while the back faces the front of another line of servers

Use uninterrupted power supply to reduce excessive power costs: The use of the UPS is a radical transformation in the deployment of energy efficient measures. UPS is normally used when there is a power outage, but this can be prove to be an advantage for data centers as UPS wakes up from the sleep mode only when the power fails.

The difference in power drop and the UPS turning back on is so minimal that the equipments fail to pick up the drop in power and continue to operate continuously.

Switching to higher voltage equipments can result in a lot of power savings since it is more efficient and the physical conductors are smaller.

“If you look at power lines on big poles on the hill side, those wires are small- they’re far apart, but the power voltage is very high,” he said. “This is being applied to data centers now. Higher voltage is slightly more dangerous and in the U.S we have a lot more attorneys. That’s what keeps voltage lower, in my personal opinion.”

 

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REQUIREMENTS FOR DATA CENTER COMPETENCE

October 26, 2012 By

 

Comprehending the factors and parameters required for choosing a data center expects a completely innovative method of research. Usually different companies have their own distinctive approach. They take parameters like Energy efficiency, cooling systems and the all important power supply into consideration. With the economic meltdown underway, it has become important to implement solutions which will save energy and money. But often, the goal of operating an energy efficient data center can get a little overwhelming to deal with. The reason is, the big data centers can operate with high failure risks when dealing with energy efficient methods as they can shift their operations to another facility in case of a failure, but the small ones cannot afford to mainly due to lack of resources.

So the question is how can these data centers which lack the perks of the large data centers achieve the requirement of being energy efficient data center without compromising on the quality and that too at low costs? Well, the key to this is a list of top 3 essential pointers which you should consider while designing a data center which offers efficient performance without loading you up with long bills.

 Go Back to Basics:

Industry experts suggest that designing the data center by structuring the different components can help in more efficient energy flow in the data center. Keeping everything organized will largely help you in tasks like data duplication.

Another method of lowering the power use is to implement the tiered storage method .In this method, older data is stored by archiving them in a storage device from where information can be retrieved as and when needed.

Cool the Facility with the Right Tools:

Usually, data center facilities implement the hot aisle/clod aisle method as a cooling strategy. In this method hot and cold air are contained separately. The process to keep these airs separate creates a considerable temperature difference which is sensed by the A/C system. As a result, less energy is consumed to fulfill the cooling needs.

The question which arises here is how to keep this air from mixing. A simple alignment arrangement of the servers in the same direction solves the problem i.e. all the backs of the servers in one direction and all the fronts face one direction thereby creating a hot and cold aisle.

Use Offline Power:

Though it is a controversial process, it is a method which has been repeatedly encouraged by industry experts to try out. The logic is sound. Data centers have UPS for offline power supply in case of a failure. Experts suggest that using the same emergency supply kit to operate the data center can reduce the power consumption considerably. This is because the system is dormant unless there is a power failure. So the power lag between the power outage and the UPS taking control is negligible and that is why the IT equipments don’t even pick up the power drop.

Now, this method completely depends upon the person implementing it. So whether the person is operating it at high or low efficiency, there is a risk factor which includes the safety and the performance of the data center.

Some Other Methods:

Also, minimizing the number of transformers will lower the number of UPS which will elevate the risk factor. But experts state that transformer provides isolation between input and output, which can be achieved with circuit breakers and other tools.

Switching to higher voltage equipment is also believed to offer decent energy savings as these equipments have smaller physical conductors. Though higher voltage is a little dangerous, once implemented, it can do wonders in the field of energy savings.

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NEW DATA CENTER DESIGN BOASTS ‘WORLD’S MOST EFFICIENT COOLING SYSTEM’

October 24, 2012 By

A new kind of data center claiming to employ “the world’s most efficient cooling system” turns the traditionally unbearable “hot aisle” between server racks into a rather pleasant air-conditioned hallway, all the while using significantly less energy.

Integrated energy technology company Inertech and construction partner Skanska held a tour of their new data center design last week at Inertech’s headquarters in Danbury, Conn. During the tour, analysts and members of the media walked through a sample hot aisle, which runs between the rear walls of two rows of 60kW server racks filled with fully operating servers.

Though the temperature inside the server racks reached as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which the tour guides proved by briefly opening the rear side of the rack, the aisle itself felt no different than the air-conditioned room where the companies had hosted lunch minutes earlier.

The impressive part, though, is how this feat was accomplished.

Cooling the air while keeping costs low

Dubbed eOpti-Trax, the system reduces energy usage through air circulation in the server aisles. A traditional method of data center cooling is based on the raised-floor design, through which an under-floor air distribution system pushes cold air up and into the server racks. Forcing cold air upward requires heavy use of fans, which consume high amounts of energy.

The eOpti-Trax cooling system works from the inside out. The rear side of the servers generates the most hot air, hence the name “hot aisle” for the area located behind it. In the eOpti-Trax system, the heat is absorbed in a 1.25-inch cooling coil lining the inside of the rear walls of the server racks. This coil operates without a compressor. The compressor system, which is common in traditional data centers, cools the air through an evaporation method, consuming massive amounts of water in the process.

The result is an air-conditioned hot aisle where data center engineers have long endured unbearable temperatures to access wiring and other equipment. The companies claim that tests have shown air can be cooled from 160 degrees Fahrenheit inside the server rack to 75 degrees in the hot aisle.

From there, the cooling system allows the air to distribute itself naturally throughout the hot aisle, employing just two fans to help draw the cooled air into the front of the server racks, or the “cool aisle.”

The companies claim the system requires just 0.5 watts of energy to cool a 300-watt server, compared to the 90 watts needed to cool the same size server with traditional chiller system. Additionally, eOpti-Trax uses estimated 80% less water than more common cooling systems.

As more companies feel the need to expand data centers, the cost benefits of energy efficiency will become more appealing. The question that remains is whether green technology is enough to persuade potential customers.

Interest is high, but barriers to adoption have been a major roadblock.

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FREE-AIR COOLING OPTIMIZED SERVERS

October 23, 2012 By

Depending upon the choice of processors, the new Supermicro Fat Twin 4U server  can operate at temperatures up to 117 F (47 C), allowing the servers to take advantage of free air cooling solutions in a wide range of environments.

Air cooling is a very primitive method employed in cooling systems. The use of this technology dates back to the invention of the fins used in modern day vehicles. They transfer heat to free air. The transfer of heat here occurs by radiation form of heat transfer, where the medium of transfer for heat is air. Generally when heat transfer occurs through radiation principle it involves electromagnetic rays hence the direction of absorbed heat can be altered by using mirrors

The new Fat Twin is a high-density, eight node server solution, the design goals focused on delivering a highly capable server while improving Total Cost Ownership by focusing on power efficiency. Both performance per watt and performance per dollar considerations were applied throughout the design process. This resulted in changes to mother board designs, minimized power distribution losses, and minimization of parasitic issues, such as the power necessary to drive the server fans. Properly implemented, the Fat Twin is capable of reaching a PUE of below 1.1, according to Supermicro.

The Fat Twin systems are highly configurable, fitting in a standard 10” rackmount. While there are standard configurations that optimize the PUE, energy efficiency, and density of the servers, the configuration options allow the customer to customize the fat twin to meet their specific needs.

The system nodes are all hot-swappable, can support up to 512 GB of memory, are available with both hardware and software RAID solutions, have built-in management capabilities via an onboard dedicated LAN port that supports IPMI 2.0, and a pair of GbE ports with an Intel i350 controller.

The standardized form factor and optimized components of the Fat Twin provide additional flexibility for datacenter operators, especially smaller facilities that are not interested in or appropriate for other high-0density solutions such as blade servers. Having some basic information about the efficiency potential of your servers simplifies energy efficiency planning for potential customers.

About Supermicro

Super Micro Computer, Inc. or Supermicro® (NASDAQ: SMCI), a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and innovation is a premier provider of end-to-end green computing solutions for Enterprise IT, Datacenter, Cloud Computing, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro’s advanced server Building Block Solutions® offers a vast array of modular, interoperable components for building energy-efficient, application-optimized, computing solutions. This broad line of products includes servers, blades, GPU systems, workstations, motherboards, chassis, power supplies, storage technologies, networking solutions and SuperRack® cabinets/accessories. Architecture innovations include Twin Architecture, SuperServer®, SuperBlade®, MicroCloud, Super Storage Bridge Bay (SBB), Double-Sided Storage™, Universal I/O (UIO) and WIO expansion technology all of which deliver unrivaled performance and value.

KEY TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS SUPERMICRO PROVIDES INCLUDE:

  • Application Optimized Server Solutions
  • Economical Power Efficiency and Thermal Management Systems
  • Flexible Expansion Capabilities – Universal I/O
  • Hybrid CPU + GPU Supercomputing SystemsData Center Talk updates its resources everyday. Visit us to know of the latest technology and standards from the data center world.Please leave your views and comments on DCT Forum
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DATA CENTERS AND POWER CONSUMPTION

October 18, 2012 By

An article in the New York Times carried reports on the enormous amount of energy usage and wastage by data centers across the world. The data centers were infuriated looking at the negative tone and impact that this article was likely to cause. The Forbes magazine came out strong on these allegations, and in support with the data centers listed in the article. Google and Facebook seemed to be on top of the New York Times energy wastage hit list.

On the contrary, it is unfair to just blame the newspaper for the supposedly baseless allegations. Yes, it has missed out on some important facts like the energy efficiency programs imbued by these centers in their facilities. Without sidelining the facts revealed by the newspaper; it can definitely add some spotlight into the amount of resources that these data centers are quietly consuming.

Data centers require energy and power to provide the necessary online services to its end users and clients. It is a different story for the end user to understand when data centers talk about energy consumption. The contemptuous energy wastage by data centers is of least importance or rather hidden from the end user.

Data center operators look for low cost, reliable, and sustainable energy resources when choosing a site to establish a data center. Only when the operations start, do they realize the amount needed (which drastically rises with new service additions), and the energy saving norms that they need to adhere to. Data centers operate full time on full capacity irrespective of their needs. Some servers have found to be operating on a stand-by mode for several months in a row. Data center operators feel the constraint of not being able to fix the problem. This ultimately leads to significant energy wastage.

Operators carry preconceived notions of operating the facility at full blast to enhance their performance irrespective of the massive energy demands. Energy wastage is the only outcome of such audacity.

Air conditioning facilities at data centers are turned on for long hours to keep the servers at a much cooler temperature than needed. Lighting facilities are a major hindrance to the power saving objective.

Looking at these factors, it would in a way be right to say that NYT article has made a conscious effort in annihilating energy wastage.

The article was capable of bringing about some stunning revelations about the data center industry, and not to forget the radical changes in conservation. Facebook’s North Carolina data center has been on top of the list of energy efficient data centers. Microsoft has been touted to remove all the diesel generators used for lighting from its facilities, and replace them with natural lighting (during the day of course) or renewable energy coupled devices.

The top notch companies like Google, eBay, Go Daddy, Apple, Yahoo have pledged to forego exhaustive sources of energy and deploy energy efficient programs. Artificial air conditioning systems are being replaced with natural cooling from outside (keeping the demographic conditions of the region in mind) or some sort of indirect evaporative air handlers.

However, the Internet industry has made and is making some fastidious efforts in reducing their carbon emissions and carbon footprint. The objective of embracing green technologies, to an extent, has been achieved.

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COLOCATION DATA CENTER-BENEFITS

October 11, 2012 By

A colocation center is a type of facility where equipment space and bandwidth are available for rental to retail customers. Colocation facilities house networking equipment of other firms and connect them to a variety of telecommunications and network service providers with a minimum of cost and complexity.

The amount of cooling equipment installed for a data center contributes to the identification of the center.

Colocation facilities have many special features:

  • Fire protection systems, as well as implementation of fire prevention programs in operations.
  • Smoke detectors are installed to provide early warning of a fire by detecting development of flame. This allows early detection; measures can be deployed to douse the fire.
  • Cabinets and racks are constructed for physical access over the customer’s equipment.
  • Air conditioning is used to control the temperature and humidity in the space.  The electrical equipment when overworked generates a lot of heat; unless the heat is removed, the ambient temperature will rise, resulting in electronic equipment malfunction. By controlling the space air temperature, the server components at the board level are kept within the manufacturer’s specified temperature/humidity range.
  • Air conditioning systems are few in case of the presence of windows, and ventilation.

SECURITY

Most colocation centers have high levels of security. They may even employ CCTV cameras.

Some colocation facilities require that employees escort customers, especially if the cabinets are not individually segregated for each customer. In other facilities, a PINcode or proximity card access system may allow customers access into the building or the cabinets are provided with unique locks and keys are handed over to the clients. Biometric security measures, such as fingerprint and voice recognition are also becoming more common in modern facilities.

POWER

Colocation facilities generally have generators that start automatically when power fails, usually running on diesel fuel.

Generators do not start instantaneously, so colocation facilities usually have battery backup systems. The operator of the facility provides large inverters to provide AC power from the batteries. In other cases, the customers may install smaller UPS in their racks.

Colocation facilities are sometimes connected to multiple sections of the power grid for additional reliability.

COOLING

The operator of a colocation facility generally provides air conditioning for the computer and telecommunications equipment in the building. The cooling system generally includes some degree of redundancy.

Data centers also have to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Data centers are required to pass through a series of audits to ensure that the facility follows all the required standards.

Some colocation data centers make use of renewable sources of fuel for generators and power systems. Solar lights can be used during the daytime; a measure to harness this form of energy saves a lot of overhead costs. Ultimately colocation centers are beneficial to businesses with a large computing operation database.

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AIRFLOW MANAGEMENT FOR THE EFFICIENT MAINTENANCE OF A DATA CENTER

October 9, 2012 By

Since the inception of the computers in the early 60’s, airflow within the space has been an important consideration from the design perspective. But this aspect has often been misunderstood. Considering the low density of computing that was done

back in those years, this design factor did not make its presence felt. However, today with enormous amount of computing done and high performance servers doing double the amount of work compared to their predecessors, airflow management in a data center becomes important.

The most important principle behind an effective airflow management system is-

  • Minimizing the mixing of inlet and outlet exhaust gases: The purpose of this can be achieved by deploying the following-
  1. Cool air from the cooling units (CRAC) are allowed to reach only the server intakes.
  2. Hot air from the server goes only to the CRAC exhausts.
  • The second important principle to be borne in mind is that the CRAC temperatures from the returns are to be raised to high temperatures while compensating with lower temperatures for the inlet air.

This would in turn allow the servers and the heat rejection systems to operate efficiently. This also makes way for reduced operating costs with greater server accountability.

After the analysis of the principle, it is important to understand the maintenance of these systems on a regular basis. How does the operator know if the cooling systems are operating efficiently? For this purpose we may look into the raised floor data center, whose basics are synonymous with any data center.

Data center layout needs to be cross checked before going ahead with the installation of the cooling systems. The most efficient layout will have the Hot/Cold aisle configurations in racks with an ability to extract hot air from the racks and return to the CRAC exhaust. This means that the CRAC has to be placed perpendicular to the rows.

Rows ideally should be 8 or more racks long with a full 2 tile wide cold aisle. Racks fronts should be even with the tile edges so that any tile in the cold aisle can be removed or replaced to allow adjustment of cold air volume. One of the biggest issues with blanking panels is making sure they are replaced when work is done in racks. Racks should be 3 full tiles away from the CRACs to minimize low flow from tiles that are too close to CRACs. Where possible, place less server load in racks at the ends of the aisles and higher loads in racks towards the middle of the row. Additionally load racks from bottom to top, keeping the highest server loads lower in the racks.

Containment is becoming a popular strategy for airflow management in data centers. Its specialty is that it uses a physical barrier to reduce, or in some cases completely eliminate mixing which allows higher CRAC supply and return temperatures.

Every data center is different and has varied airflow challenges and opportunities but the subset of problems in each has known and proven solutions. Airflow management, properly applied, will reap benefits in energy efficiency, IT capacity and server reliability.

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