By John Consoli

At AFCO System we often say that you can’t manage what you can’t measure when it comes to airflow in your data center. That’s why we were pleased to see that the Data Center Metrics Task Force (DCMTF) places a huge emphasis on measurements its recent report, “Recommendations for Measuring and Reporting Overall Data Center Efficiency: Version 1 – Measuring PUE at Dedicated Data Centers.”

The recommendations come from a prestigious task force representing 7×24 Exchange, ASHRAE, The Green Grid, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, U.S. Department of Energy Save Energy Now Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Program, United States Green Building Council, and Uptime Institute.

Here are the guiding principles the DCMTF agreed to:

• Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) using source energy consumption is the preferred energy efficiency metric for data centers. PUE is a measurement of the total energy of the data center divided by the IT energy consumption.

• When calculating PUE, IT energy consumption should, at a minimum, be measured at the output of the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). However, the industry should progressively improve measurement capabilities over time so that measurement of IT energy consumption directly at the IT load (i.e. servers) becomes the common practice.

• For a dedicated data center, the total energy in the PUE equation will include all energy sources at the point of utility handoff to the data center owner or operator. For a data center in a mixed-use building, the total energy will be all energy required to operate the data center, similar to a dedicated data center, and should include cooling, lighting, and support infrastructure for the data center operations.

You can download a copy of the complete report here: http://www.7×24exchange.org/DataCenterMetricsTaskForceRecommendations7-15-2010_final.pdf

What does this mean for you and your data center? Simple, by focusing on the power consumption, including computing equipment, lighting and cooling in your data center you can develop your own PUE rating. Then, by making small, measureable changes to each of these variables – reducing power loads, reconfiguring cabinets, managing airflow and controlling other variables – you can reduce your PUE and in doing so, reduce your overall rate of energy consumption.

If you’d like some help with ways to manage and control your power and cooling, we’re always here to help!

In this recent magazine interview, John Consoli, AFCO Systems CTO says: “Most network switches wreak havoc in a data center, generating heat loads of 1,500kW for each switch. That is a major power and cooling challenge right there. Add to that the network switch cables running into the unit, problems hot-swapping parts because of how the cabinet is positioned, and worry about exhaust out the back of the system. This is the industry’s first active airflow management network switch enclosure.”

Read the complete interview at Processor magazine

John Consoli, chief technology officer at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com), says administrators should understand their overall cooling strategy, whether it is a hot aisle/cold aisle layout, aisle containment, in-row cooling, or active airflow management. Each of these approaches, says Consoli, has positives and negatives, so administrators should become familiar with the pros and cons of their chosen course of action and plan accordingly.

Read the article at Processor Magazine

In the article, “Get A Better Handle On Data Center Costs”, AFCO CTO John Consoli discusses the benefits and necessity of taking a granular approach to power monitoring:

Want to get a grip on energy costs? IT managers will need to monitor energy use and record it for each piece of IT equipment, says John Consoli, chief technology officer for AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com).

“The more granular the monitoring, the more precise the number,” he says. “Power strip monitoring is more precise than branch circuit monitoring for instance.”

With power use numbers in hand, managers can better make decisions on how to control and manage energy costs, he adds.

Read the full article here

In the article, “Use Computational Fluid Dynamics To See How Changes To Your Data Center Will Affect Cooling”, AFCO CTO John Consoli discusses the merits of CFD modeling:
Because data center conditions can be so complex and variable, data center managers need all the help they can get. Without sufficient visibility, they’re flying blind—and wasting resources.

“Many data center managers have basic information on what power and cooling is being used,” says John Consoli, CTO of AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com). “CFD modeling can provide a very detailed picture of what the cooling resources are actually accomplishing.”

Consoli continues, “Many data centers that seem to require additional cooling are often using existing cooling inefficiently—the cooling is being wasted. CFD modeling can show where cooling inefficiencies exist and model improvements in airflow to improve data center cooling.”

Read the full article

What’s in Your Datacenter? Sigma-T

AFCO CTO John Consoli discusses the importance of Sigma-T to datacenter cooling.

Ed Koplin, a Principal in X-nth’s Mission Critical line of business, has more than 26 years experience in data center electrical and mechanical design. He was recently interviewed by Rami Rihani, a consultant with Accenture, for his views on datacenter power and cooling. In this interview, Koplin points out that “All data center resources converge at the computer enclosure. Understanding, testing, and modeling the coordination of power, space and cooling at the enclosure is essential for optimizing energy conservation.”

Read the complete article (PDF)

A recent request by Processor magazine to discuss datacenter temperature concerns got AFCO CTO John Consoli thinking. Here are John’s tips for staying on top of temperature in your datacenter:

Know the CURRENT ASHRAE TC 9.9 Guidelines: Most data centers are kept much colder than necessary.

Know the AVERAGE and PEAK loaded PER CABINET in your data center: Planning by “watts per square foot” can be very inefficient.

Know WHERE the air in your DC is going: Most “cooling” problems are attributable to poor air flow management. CFD modeling is a good investment.

Know the basic rule of cooling: Every WATT of power you put in the DC will be converted into a WATT of HEAT that needs to be cooled.

Know your cooling STRATEGY: Whether you use Hot/Cold Aisle, Aisle Containment, In Row Cooling, or Active (Cabinet) Airflow Management, every approach has positives and negatives.

It may be more important to ensure good cooling in small data centers than in big ones. John Consoli, CTO at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com), draws an analogy to protecting fine cigars. “The cigars I keep at my cigar club are preserved in a big, walk-in humidor. I have never had one go bad on me there,” he says. “Yet, if I neglect the small humidor I keep in my office for even a few days, I will have a bunch of dried tobacco sticks! The smaller the environment, the less tolerance for error.”
Read the complete article

Temperature is a critical factor in the modern data center, and it is only becoming more so. Increased processor speeds, smaller server form factors, and higher server rack densities have all contributed to tremendous challenges for data center administrators in the areas of cooling and air movement.

Read the complete article.