Top Ten Data Center Tips
September 13th, 2023
TOP TEN DATA CENTER TIPS
SUMMARY
More than ever, businesses are requiring their CIOs and data center managers to do more with less. Efficiency in data center management, layout, and operation is key. The following are some tips to assist you and your team in maximizing your facility and its ongoing operation.
- Mitigate Inefficiencies
Small changes when implemented holistically can result in substantial improvements.
As an example, it is easy to improve floor pressurization and reduce leakage within the data center white space. Install draft stopping including cold locks or pillows at under rack and cabinet penetrations. Seal openings at pipes, conduits, cable trays, fiber troughs, and other penetrations through the data access floor plenum and partitions. Verify that floor slabs and perimeter rated partitions are properly fire stopped with rated caulk, mineral wool, or other appropriate rated and recognized methodology and replace missing firestopping as needed.
Install baffles between cabinets, walls, and column gaps as well as rack unit sized blank-off panels or continuous sheet solutions in racks that are not fully populated.
- Fill Your Racks
Resist the urge to expand horizontally.
Strive for efficient rack utilization. Expand vertically filling your racks to maximize cabinet fill, minimize cabinet usage, and provide for efficient use of the data center as a whole.
- Maximize Your Environment
Efficiently populate your racks, working towards achieving your cabinet design load objective. When you achieve your kW/cabinet design load, you make best use of your cabinets and the data center as a whole.
Additionally, your critical infrastructure (heat rejection and electrical plant) will also benefit as they will be operating within their design parameters, with improved efficiency.
- Right Size You Cable Plant
While it may be convenient to re-use your old cable plant, oversized cables (both length and diameter) is likely to cost you more money and result in a reduction in efficiency.
Thinner (smaller OD cables) take up less space, are more easily installed, and managed. Excessively long cables result in snaked and spooled cabling under the floor. Outdated and excess cables create cable dams resulting in poor airflow that starves your equipment of needed cooling and heat rejection.
- Mind Your PUE
Keep a mindful eye on Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). While we all strive to be a “10;” when it comes to PUE, achieving a “1” the holy grail - and virtually impossible to achieve.
A PUE of 1.0, equates to each and every unit of power being consumed, within the data center, is utilized solely by the IT equipment.
A PUE in the range of 1.2 to 1.5 is considered to be very efficient .
- Keep the Hot Side HOT and the Cold Side COLD
Thermal efficiency is key component for efficient data center operations. A well-organized data center with delegated HOT and COLD aisles is a must to maximize the efficiency of your cooling, heat rejection, and IT equipment.
If you are operating in a raised floor environment utilize your floor plenum for cooling and ceiling plenum for the return of hot air. This will minimize recirculation, mixing, and dilution of your heat rejection solution within the white space.
Be mindful of equipment that does not intake in the front and discharge from the rear (side discharge equipment).
- Implement Containment
Containment of your hot or cold aisles further contributes to the overall efficiency and operation of your heat rejection system. There are many strategies that can be implemented, even after the initial installation and deployment.
Options include end of row doors, vertical rack extensions, horizontal panels, or rack mounted chimneys.
- If a Little is Good, More is Better, and Too Much is Never Enough
Unfortunately, this golden rule does not apply to data center operations.
Oversized equipment is not beneficial as it will operate inefficiently. Heat rejection equipment constantly cycle on and off and failing to dehumidify the air.
Select the right system(s) based upon your environment and operational model. There are many types of plants, systems and applications to choose from, including but not limited to dry coolers, air cooled chillers, water cooled chillers, adiabatic coolers. Rack level cooling can be provided by CRACs, CRAHs, in-row cooling, cooling doors, etc.
Leverage technology, such as CFD modeling, to test and validate your operational model as well as aid in the identification and resolution of hot and cold spots.
- Leave No Cable, Cabinet, or Server Behind
Please don’t abandon equipment in place.
Careful extraction of IT cables, power whips, unused equipment, and related appurtenances should be systematically removed during refresh cycles and new project deployments. Prior to removal, power down all offline IT equipment.
Don’t turn your plenums into a junkyard and your data center into an IT museum.
- The Three “R’s”
Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle
Be responsible with your old equipment while contributing to your organization’s ESG and circular IT economics. Can your decommissioned IT assets be Reused in a non-data center application within your facility (test, dev lab, or other)? Is it possible to Repurpose components for use in other equipment, applications or environments? Is donating your old equipment to a school or other facility viable?
If Reuse and Repurposing are not an option, seek a Recycling solution. Check with your manufacturers, vendors, municipality, and carter for other Certified E-Waste Recycling options. You might even get paid for your trash!
Lastly, don’t forget to ‘sanitize and wipe’ the data from all of your equipment as part of your decommissioning process.
BONUS TIP
Update and Maintain your Documentation
A data center is an ever-changing environment. Equipment frequently goes in and out of the facility. Maintaining proper up-to-date and accurate documentation of your facility is key.
Documentation should be available in hard (paper) and soft (digital) formats. Keep at least three (3) binders of compiled information, namely the master, a field copy, and a reference copy. Digital copies should be stored in an accessible location (off of your cloud, in the unlikely event of a failure). A dedicated laptop or tablet should be part of your emergency to go kit.
Don’t wait for an event or emergency to realize your documentation is out of date and inaccurate.
ABOUT US
SIGMA7, a full service integrated architectural and engineering firm, provides professional services to clients in the public and private sectors. Our clients are Fortune 500 ranked organizations in the technology, insurance, banking, and financial markets.
Still curious or want to learn more about SIGMA7, our integrated A/E approach, or see how we can assist you and your team?
Please visit SIGMA7design.com, email us at contact@sigma7design.com, or call our office at 212 779.7100 we are here to listen, answer your questions, and would like to learn more about you and your organization as well.
