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Consider Console Servers for Your Data Center Makeover

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Recent research proves that data center power usage will be the top concern facing IT professionals over the next few years, increasing the need for remote power management solutions such as remote console servers.  A dramatic rise in power consumption and the rising price of electricity are the driving factors powering this concern.

Just five years ago, the average power required for a single rack PDU was 2 – 3 kilowatts.  With additional power now needed for memory and storage and the increasing density of the equipment being packed into each rack, that average has risen to the 5 – 7 kilowatt range.

Businesses can’t ignore efficiency concerns and energy costs are surely not going to decrease anytime soon, so this situation is leading many IT professionals to explore a redesign – or complete rebuild – of their data center.

While focusing on data center power design, IT managers must examine the cooling factors. Consider that one PDU rack that consumes 24 kilowatts of power requires about 78,000 BTUs, of cooling capacity.  And that’s only one part of the equation; the equipment in a 24-kilowatt rack will require almost 4,000 CFM of airflow to maintain operating temperatures within required manufacturer requirements.

In light of the fact that power and cooling costs are escalating, IT managers must assess equipment efficiency as a critical component of their decision process.  They’ll need to estimate power required based on projected growth, added to the amount of power they’re currently utilizing.  When using this methodology, it’s important to base calculations on the power required to run the equipment, not the amount of power that can be produced at indicated on the equipment nameplate.

Even if a design or rebuild of your data center is a year away, IT managers should invest in power usage-monitoring equipment as soon as possible.  Precise and detailed reports regarding existing power consumption over a period of time will serve as the best indicator of your center’s actual needs and provide a basis for estimating future growth needs.

Most vendors who supply data-center PDUs (power distribution units) and UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) offer systems that can be outfitted to deliver 25% to 50% of total capacity.  As the needed level of power increases, additional PDUs can be easily installed without adding floor space or creating downtime.  The power delivery chain (including circuits, emergency power and generation) must be able to adequately support the power delivery chain.

Instead of initially installing a fully loaded PDU-UPS combination, IT managers should consider deploying two or more sparsely configured units while keeping future expansion in the equation. It will initially require more floor space and operating capital, but the data center’s upgrade path will be more clearly defined and downtime will be minimized.

Also to be considered is a switch from AC to DC-powered console servers and storage. Today’s AC power supplies are inefficient, so DC-powered units can result in significant savings.  The typical AC to DC-power supply found in most servers is 70% to 80% efficient, which means that 20% to 30% of every watt delivered to a piece of equipment produces nothing but heat. So not only are businesses paying for the wasted electricity to run the equipment, but they’re also paying for the electricity to cool the heat produced by that wasted electricity.   While IT professionals are AC-savvy, they know relatively little about DC power, so any plan to implement a DC-powered data center should include retraining costs.