cooling
Moving beyond test loads
to real time data
There are several sources of data that
can be used to help drive models in
a live data centre. The key is to take
advantage of the tsunami of sensors
that have appeared inside the data
centre over the last 20 years. These
are located inside servers, storage
devices, switches, power units, racks
and aisles. So what data can be used
and how?
Using the data from sensors
in the racks and aisles will provide
information on airflow and air
temperature both hot and cold. This
can be used to feed into the model
to see where it is predicting heat
and help make it more effective
with real time data. If linked to
orchestration software then the
data can also be correlated to
workflows. This has the advantage
of providing data that can be used
to carry out predictive analysis of
future cooling needs.
Sensors inside servers can
also provide a lot of key data. For
example, they can provide information
about CPU temperatures which will
show how much processing is being
done. With the increase in analytics
being done in-memory this will
provide information on where certain
workloads are running and the power
and heat they generate.
Information from PSUs will also
enable a greater understanding of
power utilisation across the data
centre. It will show where power
is getting dangerously close to the
maximum capacity in certain racks
and where there is little to no power
drain showing underutilised hardware.
COLOCATION &
OUTSOURCING
As well as its regular range of features and news items,
the September issue of Data Centre News will contain
a major feature on colocation and outsourcing.
data centre news
To make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to advertise
your products to this exclusive readership, call Francesca on
01634 673163 or email [email protected]
Modelling a data centre is a
key part of any design.
All of this not only helps inform the
CFD models but also the longer term
models around data centre design
and utilisation. For IT managers, they
can now see just how effectively they
are utilising resources and the cost of
that level of utilisation.
Conclusion
Modelling a data centre is a key part
of any design. Failing to update that
model with real time data when it is
available ensures that the model is
not only ineffective but can also incur
considerable extra costs.