Get More from Your Data
Center
Creating
An IT Infrastructure to Support Consolidation &
Virtualization
Server consolidation
and virtualization can increase computing and data center performance
while reducing costs. But they also change the power and cooling profile
of your data center and can introduce potentially crippling power and
cooling challenges.
With consolidation and
virtualization, computing is concentrated on fewer servers, so each unit
becomes more critical, requiring higher levels of protection.
Additionally, new high density servers require more power and generate
more heat that must be removed to avoid server degradation and allow you
to fully utilize rack space.
Adapting your power and cooling
strategy for consolidation and virtualization can help you:
1.
Remove power and heat-density constraints to your
project
2. Put more high-performance servers
in fewer racks
3. Save precious data center
space
4. Utilize less energy
Here are eight steps you can
take to ensure your infrastructure is ready for a virtualized environment.
1. Assess your
situation
Calculate the power required in your consolidated
environment compared to your existing environment, and within each
individual rack to ensure you have adequate UPS and cooling capacity. Look
for points where the failure of one power or cooling component can
threaten the system. For cooling analysis or larger data centers, a
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) assessment can show you exactly how
airflow will occur in your consolidated environment and where hot spots
and other cooling challenges exist.
2. Improve physical
security
IT equipment is vulnerable to failures caused by
unauthorized access, unauthorized adds and changes, and adverse
environmental conditions. Utilize racks with key or card swipe locks so
you can assign access authorizations. Smart PDUs can let you monitor power
at the receptacle level to prevent unauthorized equipment adds and changes
that can lead to circuit overloads, as well as simplifying in-rack power
distribution and reducing cabling.
3. Ensure you have adequate
UPS capacity
Ensure that UPS sizing and backup have the capacity
and scalability required for the upgraded servers. Make sure you calculate
your UPS size based on the full load of protected equipment - not "nominal
loads," which are estimates of average loads and could result in
under-sizing your UPS capacity. When total room load exceeds 15kW,
consider replacing multiple rack-based UPS systems with a single room
system that has higher reliability and is less costly to maintain and
service.
4. Increase the reliability
of your UPSs
The criticality of the consolidated environment makes
it better suited for online UPSs which are twice as reliable as
traditional line-interactive UPSs. Room level UPSs are even more reliable
than rack mount UPSs, with batteries lasting twice as long and predictive
monitoring capabilities.
5. Plan for power
redundancy
Dual corded equipment is designed for redundancy - two
PDUs, two UPSs, two power circuits - to protect availability in case a
single component in the power chain fails. Redundancy down to the dual
corded load, not just the UPS, is required to maintain highest levels of
availability.
6. Increase the criticality
of your cooling systems
Consolidation most likely will create a
need for dedicated, precision or high density cooling which are designed
for computing equipment and operate at higher efficiencies and with fewer
breakdowns than building air conditioning. Precision cooling systems
commonly used in data centers provide tight temperature, humidity and
filtration control. Supplemental high density systems provide spot cooling
of racks in rooms with existing precision cooling.
7. Gain real-time visibility
and control
Use software to connect power and cooling equipment to
your network for monitoring and trend analysis. The goal is to be notified
of potential problems before they adversely impact your equipment. You can
also monitor environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity and
water leakage, to avoid problems.
8. Upgrade service and
maintenance
Before undertaking a consolidation, review and modify
service level agreements with higher criticality in mind, and after adding
new power and cooling equipment, be sure to use factory-certified service
technicians for maintenance. For smaller UPS implementations, consider
assurance packages that include multi-year service and maintenance support
for ensuring higher availability.
Consolidation and
virtualization can pose many challenges for power and cooling. Databranch
can help you assess your IT spaces and determine appropriate power and
cooling solutions. See your Databranch sales representative for
details.
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