| Assuring your data and communications systems are available all the time.
Pay attention to temperature. Every kind of electronic device will have a reduced lifespan when operated at higher temperatures. In the computer center, the variation in temperature from one place to another can easily be 10-15 degrees Celsius (19-29 degrees Fahrenheit). It is particularly important to pay attention to the air temperature at the air inlet for electronic systems. Monitoring temperatures is just one of the useful functions of this Environmental Monitoring System and the Monitoring Accessories to go with it.
Pay attention to air flow. Every kind of equipment depends on air flow to remove its self-generated heat. Obstructions, such as cable bundles or blocked inlet/outlet holes, can allow internal temperatures to rise to dangerous levels. For suggestions about improving air flow, click to see this APC White Paper: Avoidable Mistakes that Compromise Cooling Performance in Data Centers and Network Rooms .
Pay attention to how chilled air circulates in the data center. It is often the case that the average temperature of the data center air is 68 degrees F, yet the air temperature at the front of some servers is 95 degrees F! This comes about due to poor control of the chilled air circulation. "Mixing": the re-circulation of hot air from the back of the server rack to the front without being re-cooled is a common occurrence. "Short-cycling": the recirculation of cooled air from the outlet of the cooling system back to its own inlet without going through any equipment is wasteful, and potentially harmful to the equipment that should be cooled. This APC white paper: Cooling Audit for Identifying Potential Cooling Problems is an excellent source of information to identify and avoid these problems.
And for the latest implemenation of efficient, effective cooling see: The Advantages of Row and Rack- Oriented Cooling Architectures for Data Centers
More information about cooling solutions is available form APC starting here.
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