DATA CENTRE MANAGEMENT FEATURE The best things in life are free Below left: an
Mark Hirst, head of T4 Data Centre Solutions at Cannon Technologies, explains the growing popularity of free form aisle cocooning and its ability to offer a flexible and highly effective way of overcoming design and implementation challenges
increasingly popular way of configuring a data centre infrastructure is free form aisle cocooning
between the cabinets if necessary, and attaching the doors at both ends of the aisle. This ensures that the cold air emitted from the floor is sealed in and remains unaffected by hot exhaust air, while the cooling air can only exit through the equipment for which it is intended. Systems can be configured to be
anything up to 52U in height, meaning that they will be able to accommodate the largest server cabinets, while in buildings with lower ceilings, they can be specified accordingly. When it comes to retro- fitting, it always helps if the cabinets are the same height but in reality this is rarely the case, leading to a ‘Manhattan skyline’ type appearance. Specially designed ceiling and side
coupled airflow, negating the C
onstructing a data centre typically involves the adaptation of existing
space that was probably not originally designed for such a purpose. This brings with it a number of design and space utilisation challenges in areas that have integral features such as low ceilings, beams, pillars, doors and non-parallel walls. In addition, it is almost always necessary to build-in room for expansion, so space to carry out moves, adds and changes (MACs) must also be factored in from the outset.
ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE An increasingly popular way of configuring a data centre infrastructure that addresses all of the above issues is free form aisle cocooning, which unites cost effective cabling and airflow system containment to create a single integrated solution that also has a low energy footprint. It supports an end to end edge beam infrastructure, supporting overhead panels above the aisle without being individually dedicated to any one rack. To deal with climate control, most free
form aisle cocooning systems utilise cold aisle containment, which encloses the cold aisle and prevents the mixing of cold air and hot exhaust air. It ensures that climate control units are sited in a way that keeps the airflow path as short as possible, improves the efficiency of the computer room air conditioning (CRAC) system and limits the energy it demands, resulting in an overall power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of as low as 1.1. Within row cooling (WIRC) units can also be used to offer close
need for long ducting runs or large powerful fan systems. When used in a free form aisle cocooning system, cold air emitted from the floor is sealed in and cooling air can only exit through the equipment for which it is intended. What’s more, components such as overhead panels and aisle end doors are fixed to the cabinet bay structure alone, and not connected to the room structure. This means that MACs can be carried out uninhibited - even the swap out of complete racks and cabinets can be completed in a live, fully operational facility.
SPOT CHECK Where legacy cabinet installations exist, it provides a cost effective retro-fit solution that maintains the integrity of the cold aisle, even when different makes and models of cabinets are in-situ. However, making a free form aisle cocooning solution work with multiple vendors’ cabinets requires careful design and consideration of possible ‘day two’ changes - something that usually requires the help of experienced experts. For example, cabinets with raised feet
for levelling can create a backwash of air underneath them, while there may be gaps either down the sides or where there is missing equipment. Blanking plates should be used to cover these as part of any best practice policy, and there are a variety of options available. A retro-fitted aisle containment system
involves fixing the ceiling edge beams to the top of the cabinets, installing ceiling panels, fitting air skirts under and
/ ELECTRICALENGINEERING
Below: when it comes to retro-fitting, it always helps if cabinets are the same height but in reality this is rarely the case, leading to a ‘Manhattan skyline’ type appearance
panels create a uniform height both sides of the aisle and provide a snug fit, which maintains the effectiveness of a cold aisle. Side sealing panels, when used in conjunction with secure integrated cable trays and brush sealed raceway bridges, add another level of protection to the infrastructure. It is also possible to use these panels around pillars and assimilate them into the overall design with minimal loss of floor space.
ALL BASES COVERED Free form aisle cocooning offers a flexible, scalable and secure solution that is perfect for use in a wide range of environments due to its ability to negate some of the common problems encountered when integrating third party equipment. However, to maximise the potential of this technology, it is advisable to carry out an extensive site survey, understand any constraints, and choose a partner that can take these into account and configure the best possible solution. A full version of this story can be found at
www.connectingindustry.com/cant4.
Cannon Technologies
www.cannontech.co.uk T: 01425 632 600
Enter 227 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING | OCTOBER 2014 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64