Information Support Concepts May Newsletter
ISCDFW.com May Newsletter
Information Support Concepts (ISC) announces the launch of a new product: The Alert-A-Rack.
The Alert-A-Rack bundles two great products together to achieve a great price on a server cabinet with temperature and humidity sensors.
The Alert-A-Rack is available in three heights and two depths. Each cabinet has the following features:
Adjustable stainless steel vertical mounting rails with U markings and square untapped holes
Fully perforated locking front and rear doors
Solid side panels with quick latches
Casters and levelers
Vented top panel that can host a dual fan unit (optional)
30 M6 cage nuts and screws
Added to the cabinet is the SH-2+ sensor hub with temperature and humidity sensors. The resulting combination is a cabinet optimized for high density servers, that can alert you in the event either the temperature and humidity exceed your pre-determined parameters for normal operation. See this month’s feature article on high density servers.
Call 800-458-6255 for more information. Mention the May newsletter article for 5% off*!
*The 5% discount will be applied to retail customers only, and cannot be combined with other offers. Valid through May 31, 2007.
Adding High-Density Servers
How Preparation Tames These Hot, Powerful Beasts
When you think of caustic combinations, several pairs easily spring to mind. Bleach and ammonia. Dogs and cats. High-density servers and older data centers. Each brings its own set of pitfalls that can be avoided through separation.
But for many companies, today’s IT climate demands the introduction of high-density servers into aging data centers, particularly when existing equipment no longer gets the job done or space requirements beg for smaller equipment. Unfortunately, blades and other high-density equipment can’t simply be inserted into open floor space without serious consideration for cooling and power.
Companies familiar with the massive heat output and power draw of high-density servers might suppose it’s not worth the trouble of adding such equipment to existing data centers, but experts in the field feel it’s possible—as long as the implementation follows a careful path.
Proper Planning
Bill Clifford has observed the evolution of data centers for 40 years, starting when people could peer through the glass windows, spy some free tiles, and plan on placing new equipment on those tiles. But now, says the Aperture Technologies CEO, new metrics require an exceptionally different strategy.
“With adequate planning—and that requires comprehensive understanding of all the equipment that’s currently on the data center floor and what its heat and power requirements are—you can introduce blade servers on an intelligent basis,� Clifford says. “But you cannot do it in the happenstance, ad-hoc manner along the lines that old data centers were designed.�
Clifford explains that technicians at Intel, AMD, and other component and equipment manufacturers treat the semiconductor chip as a precious asset on which they continue to increase the clock speed of processors. But each time clock speed is boosted, the need for additional electrical power also rises, in turn increasing heat output. “As technology shrinks in terms of its footprint and the opportunity exists to pack more and more servers into a given rack, what you’re essentially doing is introducing little Coleman stoves on the data center floor.�
Many data centers designed from the ground up to support high-density servers have few problems delivering enough power and cooling to support the equipment. But when those servers are mixed among tightly spaced racks that have lower power and cooling requirements, problems can occur quickly. Although the process varies depending on the data center’s architecture, some companies can easily address the power issue by simply adding 30-amp circuits to support the increased loads in high-density cabinets. However, dealing with the increased heat isn’t quite so easy.
“Older data centers—particularly smaller ones—were designed to provide a general level of cooling throughout the entire facility,� says Jack Funchion, project manager at Align Communications. “They generally weren’t packed tightly with enough stuff that it was an issue. What happens with the high-density cabinets is that you need a lot of cooling in one spot.�
Because these cabinets require plenty of cold air pumping out of the floor and into the front of them, one solution is to remove the cabinets on either side of the new high-density cabinet. In fact, Funchion says that the amount of cold air required to cool five low-density cabinets is the same amount that’s needed to cool one high-density cabinet. In addition to removing cabinets from the sides, companies can also benefit from replacing older floor tiles with tiny perforated holes to newer tiles that boast significantly more open space. Funchion also stresses that hot and cold aisles are a necessity because without them, all of the hot air coming out the back of cabinets will go into the front doors of other cabinets.
Environment Analysis
Preparing for blades can be a tricky endeavor, particularly when bringing high-density servers into a room filled with older equipment. According to Andrew Hillier, co-founder and CTO of CiRBA, the transition to high-density servers is easier when data center personnel identify common pools of technologies already present.
“You can look for pools of similar things that have the same infrastructure requirements, perhaps the same application functions, and look for things that are somewhat commoditized that can be heavily commoditized,� Hillier says.
If a company isn’t up to speed on the intricate contents of its data center, a solution such as CiRBA’s Data Center Intelligence can assist by delivering a detailed audit of all systems involved with the data center, in turn helping to cross-coordinate configurations. “It’s almost analogous to an inventory process but taking it a level deeper,� Hillier says.
Of course, much of the preparation hovers around power and cooling, and the strategies surrounding those aspects can vary depending on the amount of the risk a company is willing to endure. Clifford explains that some companies assemble a worst-case snapshot of the power consumed and heat generated and base their upgrades on those factors. Others live closer to the edge, preparing their data center according to steady state, or run rate, power, heat, and cooling parameters.
Evolution Continues
There’s no denying that high-density servers can easily throw a wrench into an existing data center if a company isn’t prepared to deal with their hefty requirements. But the performance and space benefits are difficult to ignore, even for those who struggle to accommodate the equipment. In the end, those benefits are bringing both a new look and new attitudes to previously outdated data centers.
“In a lot of smaller data centers, what you see is that a lot of the knowledge is not institutionalized in any kind of a system,� says Steve Yellen, vice president of marketing at Aperture Technologies. “Everything that’s happening with high-density or blade servers is saying, ‘Look, you need to be smart about everything you do.’ It’s really just forcing people to apply better discipline to managing the environment.�
Says Clifford: “I think many users are surprised at the level of sophistication and complexity that the data center proper and accurate data center design now entails. It’s no longer a guy with a ruler; it’s now a guy with a Texas Instruments calculator, a lot of sophisticated modeling, and lots of consultation with all the vendors that will put products on that floor. It’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of time. And often the success of your business is riding on the success of that effort.�
by Christian Perry for Processor (www.processor.com)
Rackmount Ranger Jokes
Since introducing the live version of the Rackmount Ranger in March (see March newsletter), we have been brainstorming on how to take advantage of our new “superhero.” We have planned some video shoots, and there may be some personal appearances upcoming. We have also been playing around with what I call “Rackmount Ranger Jokes.” These jokes are simple, and very similar to the “Elephant jokes” that were popular in the sixties. A typical elephant joke went like this:
Why did the elephant paint his toenails red? So he could hide in Cherry trees.
Rackmount Ranger jokes are a similar question and answer format, but revolve around the Rackmount Ranger’s personal preferences. In addition, there is a theme to these preferences. Here are the first series of Rackmount Ranger jokes so far.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite color? Red.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite professional football team? The Redskins. Note that this puts the Rackmount Ranger in the same company as Kevin, so this is a scary proposition.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite professional baseball team. The Red Sox (American League), and the Reds (National League). Why not the Texas Rangers? It doesn’t match the theme. I hope by now you are starting to pick up on the theme. Here are some other jokes we have thought of.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite perfume (for giving as gifts to his many lady admirers)? Red (from Giorgio).
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite rock band? Simply Red.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite college team? The Carthage College Red Men, although there used to be a lot of choices in this category, this is the only remaining college with a politically correct name for their athletic teams.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite soft drink? Big Red.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite beer? Killian’s Irish Red.
What kind of dog does the Rackmount Ranger own? Irish Setter (sometimes known as the Red Setter).
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite whiskey? Johnny Walker Red.
What is the Rackmount Ranger’s favorite energy drink? Red Bull.
We hope you have enjoyed the list so far. You have probably already thought of one or two that could be added to the list. I am happy to review them and possibly include them in a future newsletter. If you will send them to me, and we publish them, you will get a suitable prize. I am thinking a virtually indestructible keyboard or virtually indestructible mouse (optical, USB) might be nice prizes to award. I look forward to getting your submissions.
As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the newsletter this month.
Jack Burlin
