ServerTech Blog - Information for the Data Center Equipment Manager

Base Partners is Developing New Los Angeles Facility

It seems that not everyone is abandoning California for other data center markets. Base Partners has begun developing a new 116,000 square foot data center it purchased in the Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo.

Chief of real estate operations Jean Ann Krupp had the following to say about this new facility.

"This project will offer Southern California data center users an unprecedented level of security and flexibility. Critical to the success of the project is the ability to provide up to 300 watts of power per square foot, at a price that will be as low as 7.9 cents per kilowatt hour."

Read all of the Data Center Knowledge article by clicking here.

Smart Load Shedding ensures Uptime

Uptime or zero down time is the key driving factor in today’s data center design and operation with companies measuring downtime in thousands of dollars per minute when a system is not available. Many companies operating Tier III and Tier IV data centers also manage remote sites and co-location facilities that are just as critical as their main location. Managing both remote and co-location facilities requires new innovative solutions to ensure uptime. One such solution is using intelligent Cabinet Power Distribution Units (CDU’s) capable of providing Smart Load Shedding capabilities. Smart load shedding allows the operator to load shed based on three key operating parameters; 1) whether the UPS is on battery, 2) the temperature level or 3) the current load. These key parameters allow the user to automatically shed designated, non-critical, devices based on one or all of these conditions ensuring uptime and avoiding damage to the critical devices within the cabinet should a problem occur.

Event based load shedding i.e. UPS status, current level and temperature, is enhanced by the use of a remote shutdown agent. This agent resides on the server and provides a graceful shutdown by letting the server know that it is going to be shutdown and giving the server enough time to run any scripts or perform other operations that are required before the shutdown occurs. This remote shutdown agent is independent of load shedding and a CDU that is capable of working with a remote shutdown agent can provide a graceful shutdown of servers during a standard remote re-boot, if say a server is locks up, or if the other event based conditions occur. The remote shutdown agent provided by Server Technology Inc., has been honed over 15 years of experience with UPS management and server shutdown software. It is capable of operating with many operating systems including Windows, Linux (Red Hat), SLES, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Novell Netware and IBM AIX and is currently being used in tens of thousands of installations.

Even with the best data center design, infrastructure and support, situations will arise that threaten uptime. Implementing switched CDU’s with Smart Load Shedding technology ensures that problems like loss of power to the UPS, cooling problems or over current conditions won’t affect your ability to continue critical operations. Also, knowing that these controls are active 7 x 24 x 365, and will quickly respond to resolve any problems certainly provides piece of mind.

To read more, download the Server Technology Whitepaper on Smart Load Shedding or visit the Smart Load Shedding section of our website .

Modular Power Distribution

The modular power distribution unit came from a custom unit we did for one customer. Essentially we have segmented the CDU into modular pieces to facilitate mounting in dense cabinets.

The master unit contains the power in-feed, LED meters, one temperature/humidity probe input, serial connection, IP connection and link port to connect an expansion unit. The basic units make up the branches and offer 6 C13 and 2 C19 outlets per unit. For each master or expansion  unit we require you to have 3 of the basic units, so you could easily end up with 36 C13 and 12 C19 outlets if you have a master and expansion unit. We offer the basic units with different cord lengths of 18", 36" 54", or 72", allowing you to place the basic units anywhere in the cabinet you need them.

Right now we only have one unit in this Modular Power Distribution family, a 3 phase Wye unit, but we will be adding more very soon. Of course you'll have to keep checking back to find out what they are!

What Did We Do With the Fuses? (And more news from ServerTech)

If you haven't been over to our corporate site, ServerTech.com, in a while we invite to check all the new additions to our product line. The latest being a new 20 amp Switched 16V CDU. Some of you are going to look at that and say,

"Wait! What did you do with the fuses?"

We got rid of them! That's right, this brand new unit removes what some managers consider to be a critical point of failure, the fuse block. By doing so we've made the unit quite a bit smaller (39.5" long) compared to its fused brother (45.75" long), which will give you more flexibility in how and where you mount these CDUs. Of course this unit is also cheaper than its brethren.

I can already see the quizzical expressions... What about UL 60950-1 compliance?

Guess what, branch circuit protection isn't required on 20A units for UL compliance. It's only required on 30A or above. So we encourage you to go check it out and contact your sales representative for more information and to evaluate this cabinet power distribution unit now!

Sentry Firmware Version 6.0 Now Available!

After stumbling a bit to get this out, Version 6.0 of our Sentry firmware is now available. It offers some very cool new features including:

• New “look and Feel”
• Remote Shutdown Agent
• Smart Load Shedding
• Power Information
• LDAPS (LDAP over TLS/SSL)

Load Shedding The Smart Way

Also now available is our Smart Load Shedding feature. Server Technology is the first to offer data center managers the ability to automatically manage CDU power outlets based on key operating parameters. These key parameters include temperature, in-feed load and UPS power status. Each outlet can be controlled by one or more of these parameters. Should the temperature or load current exceed defined thresholds or the UPS lose power and go onto battery all or a portion of the load can be automatically shed to ensure longer operational life of your critical devices.
Check out the flash demonstration of Smart Load Shedding and find out how you can get it for free!

Green California Summit and Symposium

We invite you to join us at the first Green California Summit and Symposium in Sacramento, California March 13 & 14. The show already has quite a list of exhibitors and looks to be very interesting for foward-thinking corporations in green technology.

Green or clean technologies, as they are sometimes called, are nothing new. What's new is a dawning era of creativity and innovation in green technology that is bringing the promise of a healthier planet to government litigation, business practices, even the general public.

No matter which side of the global warming  fence you occupy, you have to agree that we as a species can not continue to sustain this planet without making changes.

So we invite you to join us, share your own green initiatives, and let's get green(er) together!

South Dakota the New Data Center Hotspot?

With cost of land, power, skilled labor, and taxes in and around metropolitan areas shooting through the roof, corporations are seeking other areas for their data center projects. According to John Boyd, president of The Boyd Company, in this Data Center Knowledge article, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and San Antonio, Texas top the list of possible sites for new corporate data centers.

Of course there some drawbacks and limitations to locating in these areas. Staffing capabilities, infrasctructure support, and fiber connectivity top that list. Additional costs are likely as well, such as travel for support and executive visits. However, the cost savings outweigh the drawbacks.

Data centers seem to be setting the trend, but it's only a matter of time before corporations see the cost savings for other pieces of their operations and infrastructure. It won't be too many years before we see major corporate centers for Microsoft or Google in places like Pahrump, Nevada or Mountain Home, Idaho (both of which have low cost of living and close proximity to major airports).