Data Center Thesis

[poluskinha]

Hello,

Thank you for reading my post. I am writing a thesis on Data Centers, like what is, how to build and the rest. I hope this is the right forum because I don't know where else to ask for help.

Please keep one thing in mind: "I Am Not Asking You To Do This FOR Me, Just For Your Suggestion". Sorry for the capital letters.


1. I would like to ask you if it is possible to do a System Analysis for a Data Center . I learned that System Analysis is used when you wish to develop a software, with the use cases and UML diagrams and all but...I am not developing anything, I want only to write about what a DC is, adv/disadv, you know the drill, absolutely no programming.

2. Is there a methodology o framework to build and/or design Data Centers? Academically speaking?

3. Some say that a DC is to best build underground but I read about something Plaza with a DC on the 72th floor. Is this possible? Which is false?

4. Is there a place where I can find more information on DCs, academically? Just so I can ground my approach on the subject. There are no similar thesis at my school's library.

I already dug out everything from APC, Cisco, Sun, SearchDataCenter.com and trust me when I say that it is helping me a lot. I only have those three questions from above.
Also, I was assigned a supervisor/tutor/teacher to help me, but...well he teaches DW, so this is not his field, and I kinda had no choice.

Again, if I did something wrong please point it out and I will remove this thread. Thank you for reading.




----------------
Now playing: System Of A Down - Toxicity
via FoxyTunes

[sirplank]

Hi Poluskinha,

Don't know what the System Analysis you're mentioning is but as for analysing a data center I would recommend you to have a greater look at a data centers electrical efficiency. Fire management, security, accessability, redundancy, et cetera are all customized to reach your customers expectations, while your electrical efficiency is something you attain for your own sake.

Electrical efficiency can be measured by your data centers total electricity consumption devided by IT load power.

Example: a data center consisting of only one 200W server have a total 400W power consumption. This because of UPS, cooling, lightning, ventilation, et cetera.

The example above has a crappy electricity efficiency, 400/200 = 2.

I recommend you to write a lot about how you can achieve good electric efficiency, both for economic reasons as for environmental reasons.


For your question about whether you should build a data center underground I say it's just a matter of your customers needs.

I've always build our data centers at ground level or a few floors up. Easier and cheaper installations of cooling, electrical, ventilation and fire extinguish system. Haven't yet had a customer that demands an underground data center but I bet it's cheaper and better synergy redundancy effect that you have 2 data centers at different locations then to build one underground.

You can find a lot of information in White Pages, to get you started. Look here for example:
APC - Product Information

[hrh1353]

Hi Poluskinha,

1- The requirement analyses or requirement engineering that have to done at first stage in designing process can be interpreted conceptually below of system analysing term.

2-the concepts of Top-Down Design Methodology can be used.

3-I had both of them in my projects. it depend on the designing criteria.

4-we have a similar research project in our university and may be share our documents.