Chapter 17

Data Centers

Data Center
Contains machines that are shared
resources
Put all your eggs in a good / secure basket
Get in right the first time

The Essentials

Environment HVAC
Location
Racks
Disaster Planning
Wiring
Access
Moving equipment into/out of the DC
Working on equipment
Providing Customers access

Security
No Keys

Location
Where in the building
Consider natural disaster possibilities
In area prone to flooding dont locate in basement

Strength of floor
Access to electrical / telecom service
Location of UPS / ATS / generators
Raised floor
Hot Site availability in case of disaster
Must have all necessary electric, HVAC, flooring, Data
communications

Access
A least two entry / exit points
Doors wide enough to move equipment
thru
Ramps may be required if raised flooring
is used
Access to an elevator if on upper floors
Access from the delivery dock

Security
Avoid keys
Easily duplicated
No logging of who has entered
Difficult to use if arms full of equipmrnt

Badges
Bio-Metric
For high security installations use two levels security
Voice recognition
Unique security password

All business/network critical equipment should live in a

secure Data Center

Electrical Power
Condition circuits
Little power flucuations

UPS
On Line
Power is conditioned by the unit
Equipment draws power from UPS all the time

Off Line
Equipment draws power from the UPS only when external source of
electricity has been lost

UPS have short power cycle

Back up with Generators

Automatic Transfer Switch ATS

Compute the Electrical Load
All Components, HVAC, UPS charging then add some

Electrical Power
Overhead power distribution
Racks with Power Distribution Units (PDU)
Keep it all within the rack

Multiple power sources (circuits)

One goes the data center is not dead

ATS
The Automatic Transfer
Switch (ATS)
emergency power system
designed to provide an
alternate source (or
sources) of power
if the primary source fails.

Key element in the

system
enable an orderly transition
from the primary source to
the alternate source of
power

Environment
HVAC
Equipment generates a lot of heat
Necessary to control
Temperature cooling
Humidity

Need to be on power protected circuits

UPS/Generators
Monitoring the environment
Hot spots
Water etc.

Fire Suppression
Water will kill your data center
Considerations
People / environmental safety
Can equipment continue to operate if triggered
Alert mechanism

Train staff what to do in case of a fire

Procedure to be sure fire does not reactivate

Racks
No racks are a disaster
Rack choice influences

Floor space needed

Ease of maintenance
Air circulation to equipment
Ease of mounting equipment
Stability / protection of equipment
Cable Management
Open or closed systems
Vertical and Horizontal Management

Rails, drawers, etc

2-Post vs 4-Post Racks

Network Wiring
Prewired racks
Cable identification
Color coded
By subnets

Serial number
Labels

Have varying length on hand

Machine cables should be long enough that it can be easily
maintatined

Use latest technology that is affordable

Keep it simple and flexible
Punch down blocks or patch panels

Patch Panel

Punch Down

Finally
Label everything
Provide for SA communications inside and outside
the data center
Console Servers / KVM switches
Reduce needed equipment to monitor servers
Some servers allow telnet or web access for
administration
Secure authorization must be in place for remote
administration

Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy

All costs big dollars
Depends on the critical nature of the center

Work Space
Carts with tools and common hardware
Separate room for work space
Provide parking spaces in DC for
workbench carts