In two years, my oldest daughter will go off to college. I wish I could go with her. Not because I'm a "helicopter" parent hoovering to keep her from making mistakes but because the entire college environment is so exciting! With all the creativitiy, technology and entrpeneural spirit, universities are hotbeds for innovation and industry. OK....there are lots of other fun reasons to go back to college, but that's for another post.
I just read about Purdue Unix Systems Administrator, Patrick Finnegan, who came up with the idea of harnesing the capabilities of the server software and the Linux operating system to slow down processing in a cooling emergency. The program puts large clusters of servers into power-saving mode -- they draw less power and generate less heat. That's important when you have a server room cooling emergency.
Many server room and data center managers rely on portable spot coolers to provide emergency air conditioning for planned and emergency service of the air conditioning systems. Since we manufacture, rent and sell portable air conditioners, we're glad to work with data center managers during cooling emergencies but you gotta' love Finnegan's new ground-breaking approach. Even more impressive is that it actually worked not once, but twice -- in June and July. You can read about Purdue's data center cooling crisis here.
Even more impressive is that Purdue is making the procedure available to others on the Folio direct website. The program includes notes on implementation so data center managers can see the process brought into production.
Bottom line is the data center needs to stay online to maintain productivity. Data center managers can use portable air conditioners to provide emergency cooling and try out Purdue's new software that will slow server activity as the temperature rises. Two plans for a cooling crisis are better than none!
What so you do when the data center temperature rises? Comment here and let me know.
Good question. And one we often receive.
The "size" of a spot cooler or portable air conditioner is rated in terms of British Thermal Units, commonly known as BTUs.
The British Thermal Unit is a measure of the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
There are 12,000 BTUs to 1 Ton. Don't panic.... this has nothing to do with the actual WEIGHT of the unit! A ton of refrigeration (remember... that's 12,000 BTUs) is the amount of heat required to melt a ton (2,000 pounds) of ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sorry you asked? The main thing you need to know (so you have some idea what the AC tech is talking about) is that 1 ton of air conditioning = 12,000 BTU.
Spot coolers come in several different sizes. To figure out what size spot cooler you need there is a three step process. Think of the three "S" process.
- SIZE -- What is the physical size of the space you need to cool? Is it an office area, a wedding tent, a retail space, a health care facility?
- SURROUNDINGS -- What is the evironment and construction of the space? Is the room an interior space with no ezterior walls and windows? Is the tent on asphalt or a grassy meadow? Is the surrounding space conditioned or is this a contained room in an unconditioned warehouse?
- STUFF -- What stuff do you need to cool? Are we talking about critical servers, dressy wedding guests, shoppers in a store, lab equipment?
Once you have this information, you figure out your heat load which is a fancy term for the heat you have to get rid of. This is nothing more then plugging numbers in and applying some general rules of thumb.
The Cooling Guides below will get you started. We're anxious to help you keep cool.
Planning can be paralyzing. Especially when you plan a new server room or data center. There is no shortage of experts but the time and money needed can be daunting.
Let's face it. Not all businesses need a state-or-the-art data center or server room facility. 
I like to use the analogy, "Why take a Cadillac to the corner store when you can get there in a VW Bug". No offense intended for the brands mentioned, please! I'm speaking figuratively. When you separate the NEED to have from the NICE to have it's not so overwhelming.
There are lots of guides and numerous experts who will walk you through the process of designing your server room or data center -- everything from the air conditioning to the power. I came across an article that offers a high-level overview that you can actually apply right away. As a matter of fact, many of Rick Freeman's recommendations in Best Practices for Data Center Design are improvements you can implement immediately in your own server room or data center. Freeman mentions having a single, secured entrance and gives tips on keeping your cable runs separate from electrical wires.
The first topic mentioned when Freeman addresses the Server Room Environment is the air conditioning system. He recommends having an independent server room air conditioner and also suggests having redundant server room cooling. Liebert sets the standard for reliable, precision cooling computer-grade air conditioning systems. But you'll pay a pretty penny and may not need many of the features.
Here's where my analogy comes in! Liebert makes great equipment but it may be overkill for your server room. Portable spot coolers may be an option for you. Adding the make-up air plenum ensures you have a complete server room air conditioning system by bringing condenser air in from outside the space you are cooling.
So if Liebert is the Cadillac, guess you could say portable air conditioners are the VW Bug of server room air conditioners! You have to admit, VW Bugs just have that coolness factor! Plus, in today's economic climate, saving money and going with the NEED to have rather than the NICE is pretty cool, too.
Bottom line -- portable spot coolers can be a "cool" solution for your server room or data center air conditioning design....in more ways than one. You can't tell me that VW Bug isn't cool!
Do you have simple, practical solutions you've implemented in your server room or data center? Comment here, please and share your thoughts.
P L A N. It's a four-letter word. Maybe that's why most of us tend to avoid it! Truth is, it takes lots of research, time and energy to adequately plan for your data center or server room. So you spend weeks (worse yet, months) selecting the hardware that will support your application software and manage all the traffic on the network. Now you make sure you have enough power and backup UPS to handle the load. Think you're done, right?
Think again.
Now it's time to think about the air conditioning in your data center or LAN room.
Read an interesting article about how the 2008/2009 recession has created a need to build new data centers with more reliable and redundant infrastructure. You can read the full article on How to Keep the Server Room Cool here.
In the article, Steve Kolbe and Eric Silva point out how the current trend of centralization, and in some cases outsourcing to off-site hosted facilities, has led to the increased need for larger, more dependable facilities. Interesting point about the centralization of data centers providing an avenue for new construction of more reliable infrastructure. Planning is paramount with any critical environment. But it seems we need two plans -- one for what works in a perfect world, and another for what to do when the plan doesn't work! Guess that's the back-up plan!
As a US manufacturer of portable air conditioning systems, we have witnessed tremendous growth in the data center and telecommunications market. Portable air conditioners can be used as primary server room air conditioners for small data closets and are often used in data centers for hot spots when the original plan encounters a speed bump in the road to the perfect data center environment. And of course, you can rent spot coolers for emergency cooling when the air conditioning system goes down or has to be interrupted for maintenance.
I like Silva's approach.... take time and evaluate the entire system. That really will save money in the long run. Not to mention downtime and aggravation.
Need an emergency air conditioning plan? Contact AirPac. We'll evaluate your needs so you know how much cooling you need for the next cooling crisis.
As a result of the recession, there is increased demand for construction of new, more reliable, and redudnant infrastructure. Can you believe it? I smirked when I read this claim but it makes sense. Seems centralization, and in some cases outsourcing to off-site hosted facilities, has fueled this trend bringing a greater amount of technology into the data center facility.
All this "togetherness" can pose a problem for current computer facilities, so there is an increased need to build "bigger and better" data centers. Check out the article by Steve Kolbe and Eric Silve here.
You'll also find helpful tips for "greener computing" on the greenercomputing site. Not sure if I believe in the science behind global warming... or guess the current terminology is "climate change" to be more PC. I do believe we should all do our part to minimize our impact on our beautiful, bountiful planet. Being environmentally concious never hurt anyone! Plus, makes me feel good when I put out my huge pile for recycling collection!
Bottom line on this trend toward centralized computer facilities is more equipment + more power consumption = more heat generation. It's important to think about server room cooling. Want to keep your server room cool? The article on How to Keep the Server Room Cool has some good ideas. Let me know what you think.
Not sure how much cooling you need?
Download our Clues to BTUS worksheet for your server room.