In the rapidly evolving landscape of networking technologies, one term gaining prominence is FCoE, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet. As businesses seek more efficient and cost-effective solutions, understanding the intricacies of FCoE becomes crucial. This article delves into the world of FCoE, exploring its definition, historical context, and key components to provide a comprehensive understanding of how it works.

What is FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)?

• In-Depth Definition

Fibre Channel over Ethernet, or FCoE, is a networking protocol that enables the convergence of traditional Fibre Channel storage networks with Ethernet-based data networks. This convergence is aimed at streamlining infrastructure, reducing costs, and enhancing overall network efficiency.

• Historical Context

The development of FCoE can be traced back to the need for a more unified and simplified networking environment. Traditionally, Fibre Channel and Ethernet operated as separate entities, each with its own set of protocols and infrastructure. FCoE emerged as a solution to bridge the gap between these two technologies, offering a more integrated and streamlined approach to data storage and transfer.

• Key Components

At its core, FCoE is a fusion of Fibre Channel and Ethernet technologies. The key components include Converged Network Adapters (CNAs), which allow for the transmission of both Fibre Channel and Ethernet traffic over a single network link. Additionally, FCoE employs a specific protocol stack that facilitates the encapsulation and transport of Fibre Channel frames within Ethernet frames.

How does Fibre Channel over Ethernet Work？

• Convergence of Fibre Channel and Ethernet

The fundamental principle behind FCoE is the convergence of Fibre Channel and Ethernet onto a shared network infrastructure. This convergence is achieved through the use of CNAs, specialized network interface cards that support both Fibre Channel and Ethernet protocols. By consolidating these technologies, FCoE eliminates the need for separate networks, reducing complexity and improving resource utilization.

• Protocol Stack Overview

FCoE utilizes a layered protocol stack to encapsulate Fibre Channel frames within Ethernet frames. This stack includes the Fibre Channel over Ethernet Initialization Protocol (FIP), which plays a crucial role in the discovery and initialization of FCoE-capable devices. The encapsulation process allows Fibre Channel traffic to traverse Ethernet networks seamlessly.

• FCoE vs. Traditional Fibre Channel

Comparing FCoE with traditional Fibre Channel reveals distinctive differences in their approaches to data networking. While traditional Fibre Channel relies on dedicated storage area networks (SANs), FCoE leverages Ethernet networks for both data and storage traffic. This fundamental shift impacts factors such as infrastructure complexity, cost, and overall network design.

” Also Check – IP SAN (IP Storage Area Network) vs. FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) | FS Community

What are the Advantages of Fibre Channel over Ethernet?

1. Enhanced Network Efficiency

FCoE optimizes network efficiency by combining storage and data traffic on a single network. This consolidation reduces the overall network complexity and enhances the utilization of available resources, leading to improved performance and reduced bottlenecks.

2. Cost Savings

One of the primary advantages of FCoE is the potential for cost savings. By converging Fibre Channel and Ethernet, organizations can eliminate the need for separate infrastructure and associated maintenance costs. This not only reduces capital expenses but also streamlines operational processes.

3. Scalability and Flexibility

FCoE provides organizations with the scalability and flexibility needed in dynamic IT environments. The ability to seamlessly integrate new devices and technologies into the network allows for future expansion without the constraints of traditional networking approaches.

Conclusion

In conclusion, FCoE stands as a transformative technology that bridges the gap between Fibre Channel and Ethernet, offering enhanced efficiency, cost savings, and flexibility in network design. As businesses navigate the complexities of modern networking, understanding FCoE becomes essential for those seeking a streamlined and future-ready infrastructure.

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused several companies to shut down, and the implications were reduced production and altered supply chains. In the tech world, where silicon microchips are the heart of everything electronic, raw material shortage became a barrier to new product creation and development.

During the lockdown periods, some essential workers were required to stay home, which meant chip manufacturing was unavailable for several months. By the time lockdown was lifted and the world embraced the new normal, the rising demand for consumer and business electronics was enough to ripple up the supply chain.

Below, we’ve discussed the challenges associated with the current chip shortage, what to expect moving forward, and the possible interventions necessary to overcome the supply chain constraints.

Challenges Caused by the Current Chip Shortage

As technology and rapid innovation sweeps across industries, semiconductor chips have become an essential part of manufacturing – from devices like switches, wireless routers, computers, and automobiles to basic home appliances.

To understand and quantify the impact this chip shortage has caused spanning the industry, we’ll need to look at some of the most affected sectors. Here’s a quick breakdown of how things have unfolded over the last eighteen months.

Automobile Industry

in North America and Europe had slowed or stopped production due to a lack of computer chips. Major automakers like Tesla, Ford, BMW, and General Motors have all been affected. The major implication is that the global automobile industry will manufacture 4 million fewer cars by the end of 2021 than earlier planned, and it will forfeit an average of $110 billion in revenue.

Consumer Electronics

Consumer electronics such as desktop PCs and smartphones rose in demand throughout the pandemic, thanks to the shift to virtual learning among students and the rise in remote working. At the start of the pandemic, several automakers slashed their vehicle production forecasts before abandoning open semiconductor chip orders. And while the consumer electronics industry stepped in and scooped most of those microchips, the supply couldn’t catch up with the demand.

Data Centers

Most chip fabrication companies like Samsung Foundries, Global Foundries, and TSMC prioritized high-margin orders from PC and data center customers during the pandemic. And while this has given data centers a competitive edge, it isn’t to say that data centers haven’t been affected by the global chip shortage.

Some of the components data centers have struggled to source include those needed to put together their data center switching systems. These include BMC chips, capacitors, resistors, circuit boards, etc. Another challenge is the extended lead times due to wafer and substrate shortages, as well as reduced assembly capacity.

LED Lighting

LED backlights common in most display screens are powered by hard-to-find semiconductor chips. The prices of gadgets with LED lighting features are now highly-priced due to the shortage of raw materials and increased market demand. This is expected to continue up to the beginning of 2022.

Renewable Energy- Solar and Turbines

Renewable energy systems, particularly solar and turbines, rely on semiconductors and sensors to operate. The global supply chain constraints have hurt the industry and even forced some energy solutions manufacturers like Enphase Energy to

Semiconductor Trends: What to Expect Moving Forward

In response to the global chip shortage, several component manufacturers have ramped up production to help mitigate the shortages. However, top electronics and semiconductor manufacturers say the crunch will only worsen before it gets better. Most of these industry leaders speculate that the semiconductor shortage could persist into 2023.

Based on the ongoing disruption and supply chain volatility, various analysts in a recent CNBC article and Bloomberg interview echoed their views, and many are convinced that the coming year will be challenging. Here are some of the key takeaways:

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corp., noted in April 2021 that the chip shortage would recover after a couple of years.

DigiTimes Report found that Intel and AMD server ICs and data centers have seen their lead times extend to 45 to 66 weeks.

The world’s third-largest EMS and OEM provider, Flex Ltd., expects the global semiconductor shortage to proceed into 2023.

In May 2021, Global Foundries, the fourth-largest contract semiconductor manufacturer, signed a $1.6 billion, 3-year silicon supply deal with AMD, and in late June, it launched its new $4 billion, 300mm-wafer facility in Singapore. Yet, the company says its production capacity will only increase component production earliest in 2023.

TMSC, one of the leading pure-play foundries in the industry, says it won’t meaningfully increase the component output until 2023. However, it’s optimistic that the company will ramp up the fabrication of automotive micro-controllers by 60% by the end of 2021.

From the industry insights above, it’s evident that despite the many efforts that major players put into resolving the global chip shortage, the bottlenecks will probably persist throughout 2022.

Additionally, some industry observers believe that the move by big tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to design their own chips for cloud and data center business could worsen the chip shortage crisis and other problems facing the semiconductor industry.

article, the authors hint that the entry of Microsoft, Amazon, and Google into the chip design market will be a turning point in the industry. These tech giants have the resources to design superior and cost-effective chips of their own, something most chip designers like Intel have in limited proportions.

Since these tech giants will become independent, each will be looking to create component stockpiles to endure long waits and meet production demands between inventory refreshes. Again, this will further worsen the existing chip shortage.

Possible Solutions

To stay ahead of the game, major industry players such as chip designers and manufacturers and the many affected industries have taken several steps to mitigate the impacts of the chip shortage.

For many chip makers, expanding their production capacity has been an obvious response. Other suppliers in certain regions decided to stockpile and limit exports to better respond to market volatility and political pressures.

Similarly, improving the yields or increasing the number of chips manufactured from a silicon wafer is an area that many manufacturers have invested in to boost chip supply by some given margin.

Here are the other possible solutions that companies have had to adopt:

Embracing flexibility to accommodate older chip technologies that may not be “state of the art” but are still better than nothing.

Leveraging software solutions such as smart compression and compilation to build efficient AI models to help unlock hardware capabilities.

LED Lighting

The latest global chip shortage has led to severe shocks in the semiconductor supply chain, affecting several industries from automobile, consumer electronics, data centers, LED, and renewables.

Industry thought leaders believe that shortages will persist into 2023 despite the current build-up in mitigation measures. And while full recovery will not be witnessed any time soon, some chip makers are optimistic that they will ramp up fabrication to contain the demand among their automotive customers.

That said, staying ahead of the game is an all-time struggle considering this is an issue affecting every industry player, regardless of size or market position. Expanding production capacity, accommodating older chip technologies, and leveraging software solutions to unlock hardware capabilities are some of the promising solutions.

Added

This article is being updated continuously. If you want to share any comments on FS switches, or if you are inclined to test and review our switches, please email us via media@fs.com or inform us on social media platforms. We cannot wait to hear more about your ideas on FS switches.

Article Source: The Chip Shortage: Current Challenges, Predictions, and Potential Solutions

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Impact of Chip Shortage on Datacenter Industry

As the global chip shortage let rip, many chip manufacturers have to slow or even halt semiconductor production. Makers of all kinds of electronics such as switches, PCs, servers are all scrambling to get enough chips in the pipeline to match the surging demand for their products. Every manufacturer, supplier and solution provider in datacenter industry is feeling the impact of the ongoing chip scarcity. However, relief is nowhere in sight yet.

What’s Happening?

Due to the rise of AI and cloud computing, datacenter chips have been a highly charged topic in recent times. As networking switches and modern servers, indispensable equipment in datacenter applications, use more advanced components than an average consumer’s PC, naturally when it comes to chip manufacturers and suppliers, data centers are given the top priority. However, with the demand for data center machines far outstripping supply, chip shortages may continue to be pervasive across the next few years. Coupled with economic uncertainties caused by the pandemic, it further puts stress on datacenter management.

According to a report from the Dell’Oro Group, robust datacenter switch sales over the past year could foretell a looming shortage. As the mismatch in supply and demand keeps growing, enterprises looking to buy datacenter switches face extended lead times and elevated costs over the course of the next year.

“So supply is decreasing and demand is increasing,” said Sameh Boujelbene, leader of the analyst firm’s campus and data-center research team. “There’s a belief that things will get worse in the second half of the year, but no consensus on when it’ll start getting better.”

Back in March, Broadcom said that more than 90% of its total chip output for 2021 had already been ordered by customers, who are pressuring it for chips to meet booming demand for servers used in cloud data centers and consumer electronics such as 5G phones.

“We intend to meet such demand, and in doing so, we will maintain our disciplined process of carefully reviewing our backlog, identifying real end-user demand, and delivering products accordingly,” CEO Hock Tan said on a conference call with investors and analysts.

Major Implications

Extended Lead Times

Arista Networks, one of the largest data center networking switch vendors and a supplier of switches to cloud providers, foretells that switch-silicon lead times will be extended to as long as 52 weeks.

“The supply chain has never been so constrained in Arista history,” the company’s CEO, Jayshree Ullal, said on an earnings call. “To put this in perspective, we now have to plan for many components with 52-week lead time. COVID has resulted in substrate and wafer shortages and reduced assembly capacity. Our contract manufacturers have experienced significant volatility due to country specific COVID orders. Naturally, we’re working more closely with our strategic suppliers to improve planning and delivery.”

Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom, also acknowledged on an earnings call that the company had “started extending lead times.” He said, “part of the problem was that customers were now ordering more chips and demanding them faster than usual, hoping to buffer against the supply chain issues.”

Elevated Cost

Vertiv, one of the biggest sellers of datacenter power and cooling equipment, mentioned it had to delay previously planned “footprint optimization programs” due to strained supply. The company’s CEO, Robert Johnson, said on an earnings call, “We have decided to delay some of those programs.”

Supply chain constraints combined with inflation would cause “some incremental unexpected costs over the short term,” he said, “To share the cost with our customers where possible may be part of the solution.”

“Prices are definitely going to be higher for a lot of devices that require a semiconductor,” says David Yoffie, a Harvard Business School professor who spent almost three decades serving on the board of Intel.

Conclusion

There is no telling that how the situation will continue playing out and, most importantly, when supply and demand might get back to normal. Opinions vary on when the shortage will end. The CEO of chipmaker STMicro estimated that the shortage will end by early 2023. Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger said it could last two more years.

As a high-tech network solutions and services provider, FS has been actively working with our customers to help them plan for, adapt to, and overcome the supply chain challenges, hoping that we can both ride out this chip shortage crisis. At least, we cannot lose hope, as advised by Bill Wyckoff, vice president at technology equipment provider SHI International, “This is not an ‘all is lost’ situation. There are ways and means to keep your equipment procurement and refresh plans on track if you work with the right partners.”

Article Source: Impact of Chip Shortage on Datacenter Industry

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Datacenter infrastructure refers to all the physical components in a data center environment. These physical components play a vital role in the day-to-day operations of a data center. Hence, data center management challenges are an urgent issue that IT departments need to pay attention to. On the one hand, it is to improve the energy efficiency of the data center; on the other hand, it is to know about the operating performance of the data center in real-time ensuring its good working condition and maintaining enterprise development.

Data Center Infrastructure Basics

The standard for data center infrastructure is divided into four tiers, each of which consists of different facilities. They mainly include cabling systems, power facilities, cooling facilities, network infrastructure, storage infrastructure, and computing resources.

There are roughly two types of infrastructure inside a data center: the core components and IT infrastructure. Network infrastructure, storage infrastructure, and computing resources belong to the former, while cooling equipment, power, redundancy, etc. belong to the latter.

Core Components

Network, storage, and computing systems are vital infrastructures for data centers to achieve sharing access to applications and data, providing data centers with shared access to applications and data. Also, they are the core components of data centers.

Network Infrastructure

Datacenter network infrastructure is a combination of network resources, consisting of switches, routers, load balancing, analytics, etc., to facilitate the storage and processing of applications and data. Modern data center networking architectures, through using full-stack networking and security virtualization platforms that support a rich set of data services, can achieve connecting everything from VMs, containers, and bare-metal applications, while enabling centralized management and fine-grained security controls.

Storage Infrastructure

Datacenter storage is a general term for the tools, technologies and processes for designing, implementing, managing and monitoring storage infrastructure and resources in data centers, mainly referring to the equipment and software technologies that implement data and application storage in data center facilities. These include hard drives, tape drives and other forms of internal and external storage and backup management software utilities external storage facilities/solutions.

Computing Resources

A data center meter is a memory and processing power to run applications, usually provided by high-end servers. In the edge computing model, the processing and memory used to run applications on servers may be virtualized, physical, distributed among containers or distributed among remote nodes.

IT Infrastructure

As data centers become critical to enterprise IT operations, it is equally important to keep them running efficiently. When designing data center infrastructure, it is necessary to evaluate its physical environment, including cabling system, power system, cooling system to ensure the security of the physical environment of the data center.

Cabling Systems

The integrated cabling is an important part of data center cable management, supporting the connection, intercommunication and operation of the entire data center network. The system is usually composed of copper cables, optical cables, connectors and wiring equipment. The application of the data center integrated wiring system has the characteristics of high density, high performance, high reliability, fast installation, modularization, future-oriented, and easy application.

Power Systems

Datacenter digital infrastructure requires electricity to operate. Even an interruption of a fraction of a second will result in a significant impact. Hence, power infrastructure is one of the most critical components of a data center. The data center power chain starts at the substation and ends up through building transformers, switches, uninterruptible power supplies, power distribution units, and remote power panels to racks and servers.

Cooling Systems

Data center servers generate a lot of heat while running. Based on this characteristic, cooling is critical to data center operations, aiming to keep systems online. The amount of power each rack can keep cool by itself places a limit on the amount of power a data center can consume. Generally, each rack can allow the data center to operate at an average 5-10 kW cooling density, but some may be higher.

Data Center Infrastructure Management Solutions

Due to the complexity of IT equipment in a data center, the availability, reliability, and maintenance of its components require more attention. Efficient data center operations can be achieved through balanced investments in facilities and accommodating equipment.

Energy Usage Monitoring Equipment

Traditional data centers lack the energy usage monitoring instruments and sensors required to comply with ASHRAE standards and collect measurement data for use in calculating data center PUE. It results in a poor monitoring environment for the power system of the data center. One measure is to install energy monitoring components and systems on power systems to measure data center energy efficiency. Enterprise teams can implement effective strategies by the measure to balance overall energy usage efficiency and effectively monitor the energy usage of all other nodes.

Cooling Facilities Optimization

Independent computer room air conditioning units used in traditional data centers often have separate controls and set points, resulting in excessive operation due to temperature and humidity adjustments. It’s a good way for helping servers to achieve cooling by creating hot-aisle/cold-aisle layouts to maximize the flow of cold air to the equipment intakes and the hot exhaust air from the equipment racks. The creation of hot or cold aisles can eliminate the mixing of hot and cold air by adding partitions or ceilings.

CRAC Efficiency Improvement

Packaged DX air conditioners likely compose the most common type of cooling equipment for smaller data centers. These units are often described as CRAC units. There are, however, there are several ways to improve the energy efficiency of the cooling system employing DX units. Indoor CRAC units are available with a few different heat rejection options.

• – As with rooftop units, adding evaporative spray can improve the efficiency of air-cooled CRAC units.
• – A pre-cooling water coil can be added to the CRAC unit upstream of the evaporator coil. When ambient conditions allow the condenser water to be cooled to the extent that it provides direct cooling benefits to the air entering the CRAC unit, the condenser water is diverted to the pre-cooling coil. This will reduce or sometimes eliminate the need for compressor-based cooling for the CRAC unit.

DCIM

Data center infrastructure management is the combination of IT and operations to manage and optimize the performance of data center infrastructure within an organization. DCIM tools help data center operators monitor, measure, and manage the utilization and energy consumption of data center-related equipment and facility infrastructure components, effectively improving the relationship between data center buildings and their systems.

DCIM enables bridging of information across organizational domains such as data center operations, facilities, and IT to maximize data center utilization. Data center operators create flexible and efficient operations by visualizing real-time temperature and humidity status, equipment status, power consumption, and air conditioning workloads in server rooms.

Preventive Maintenance

In addition to the above management and operation solutions for infrastructure, unplanned maintenance is also an aspect to consider. Unplanned maintenance typically costs 3-9 times more than planned maintenance, primarily due to overtime labor costs, collateral damage, emergency parts, and service calls. IT teams can create a recurring schedule to perform preventive maintenance on the data center. Regularly checking the infrastructure status and repairing and upgrading the required components promptly can keep the internal infrastructure running efficiently, as well as extend the lifespan and overall efficiency of the data center infrastructure.

Article Source: Data Center Infrastructure Basics and Management Solutions

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Maximizing the uptime should be the top priority for every data center, be they small or hyperscale. To keep your data center constantly running, a plan for redundancy systems is a must.

What Is Data Center Redundancy?

Data center redundancy refers to a system design where critical components such as UPS units, cooling systems and backup generators are duplicated so that data center operations can continue even if a component fails. For example, a redundant UPS system starts working when a power outage happens. In the event of downtime due to hazardous weather, power outages, or component failures, data center backup components play their role to keep the whole system running.

Why Is Data Center Redundancy Important?

It is imperative for businesses to increase uptime and recover more quickly from downtime, whether unexpected or planned. Downtime hurts business. It can have serious and direct impact on brand images, business operations, and customer experience, resulting in devastating financial losses, missed business opportunities and a tarnished reputation. Even for small businesses, unscheduled downtime can still cost hundreds of dollars per minute.

Redundancy configuration in data centers helps cut the risk of downtime, thus reducing losses caused by undesired impacts. A well-planned redundancy design means shorter potential downtime in the long run. Moreover, redundant components also ensure that data is safe and secure as data center operations keep working and never fail.

Redundancy is also a crucial factor in gauging data center reliability, performance and availability. The Uptime Institute offers a tier classification system that certifies data centers according to four distinct tiers—Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. Each tier has strict and specific requirements around data center redundancy level.

Different Levels of Redundancy

There is no one-size-fits-all redundancy design. Lower levels of redundancy mean increased potential downtime in the long run. While more redundancy will result in less downtime but increased costs of maintaining the redundant components. however, if your business model requires as little downtime as possible, this is often justifiable in terms of profit and overall net growth. To choose the right configuration for your business, it is important to recognize the capabilities and risks of different redundancy models, including N, N+1, N+X, 2N, 2N+1, and 3N/2.

N Model

N equals the amount of capacity required to power, backup, or cool a facility at full IT load. It can represent the units that you want to duplicate such as a generator, UPS, or cooling unit. For example, if a data center requires three UPS units to operate at full capacity, N would equal three.

An architecture of N means the facility is designed only to keep a data center running at full capacity. Simply put, N is the same as zero redundancy. If the data center facility is at full load and there is a hardware failure, scheduled maintenance, or an unexpected outage, mission-critical applications would suffer. With an N design, any interruption would leave your business unable to access your data until the issue is resolved.

N+1 or N+X Model

An N+1 redundancy model provides a minimal level of resiliency by adding a single component—a UPS, HVAC system or generator—to the N architecture to support a failure and maintain a full workload. When one system is offline, the extra component takes over the load. Going back to the previous example, if N equals three UPS units, N+1 provides four. Likewise, an N+2 redundancy design provides two extra components. In our example, N+1 provides five UPS units instead of four. So N+X provides N+X extra components to reduce risks in the event of multiple simultaneous failures.

2N Model

2N redundancy creates a mirror image of the original UPS, cooling system or generators to provide full fault tolerance. It means if three UPS units are necessary to support full capacity, this redundancy model would include an additional set of three UPS units, for a total of six systems. This design also utilizes two independent distribution systems.

With a 2N model, data center operators can take down an entire set of components for maintenance without affecting normal operations. Moreover, in the event of unscheduled multiple component failures, the additional set takes over to maintain full capacity. The resiliency of this model greatly cuts the risks of downtime.

2N+1 Model

If 2N means full fault tolerance, 2N+1 delivers the fully fault-tolerant 2N model plus an extra component for extra protection. Not only can this model withstand multiple component failures, even in a worst-case scenario when the entire primary system is offline, it can still sustain N+1 redundancy. For its high level of reliability, this redundancy model is generally used by businesses that cannot tolerate even minor service disruptions.

3N/2 Model

The three-to-make-two or 3N/2 redundant model refers to a redundancy methodology where additional capacity is based on the load of the system. If we consider a 3N/2 scenario, three power delivery systems will power two servers, which means each power delivery system utilizes 67% of the available capacity. Likewise, in a 4N/3, there will be four power delivery systems powering three workloads (three servers). The 3N/2 could be upgraded to 4N/3, but only in theory. This is because such an elaborate model has so many components that it would be very difficult to manage and balance loads to maintain redundancy.

What’s the Right One for You？

Choosing a redundant model that meets your business needs can be challenging. Finding the right balance between reliability and cost is the key. For businesses that require as little downtime as possible, higher levels of redundancy are justifiable in terms of profit and overall net growth. For those that do not, lower levels of redundancy are acceptable. They are cheaper and more energy-efficient than the other more sophisticated redundancy designs.

In a word, there’s no right or wrong redundancy model because it depends on a range of factors like your business goals, budget, and IT environment. Consult your data center provider or discuss with your IT team to figure out the best option for you.

Article Source: Understanding Data Center Redundancy

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What Are Data Center Environmental Standards

Data center environmental monitoring is vital for device operations. The data center architecture is divided into four layers where the equipment placed inside also affects the design of data center environmental standards.

• Tier I defines data center standards for facilities with minimal redundancy.
• Tier II provides redundant critical power and cooling components.
• Tier III adds redundant transmission paths for power and cooling to redundant critical components.
• Tier IV infrastructure is built on Tier Ⅲ and adds the concept of fault tolerance to infrastructure topology.

Enterprises must comply with fairly stringent environmental standards to ensure these facilities remain functional.

Evolution of Data Center Environmental Standards

As early as the 1970s and 1980s, data center environmental monitoring revolved around power facilities. For example, whether the environment where the power supply was located has proper isolation, whether the main power supply affected the operation of the overall equipment, but the cooling problem was rarely monitored. Some enterprises have explored cooling technologies to facilitate cooling in data centers, such as liquid cooling. Typically, enterprises used loud fans to control airflow. In some countries, the cost of electricity was high, so there was a greater emphasis on being able to supply enough electricity for a given system configuration.

In the 1990s, the power density of the rack became a considered issue of enterprise data center environmental standards. In the past, a simple power factor calculation could yield the required cooling value for a data center, but accurate cooling values could not be provided by the increasing rack densities. At this point, enterprises had to re-plan the airflow patterns of data center racks and equipment. This required IT managers to know more statistics when designing a data center, such as pressure drop, air velocity, and flow resistance.

By the early 20th century, power densities were still increasing, and thermal modeling was seen as a potential answer to optimizing the cooling of data center environments. The lack of necessary data implied that temperature data typically was collected after data center construction and then IT managers needed to make adjustments based on that information. Enterprises should choose the correct thermal model of equipment when building a data center to enhance data center environmental monitoring. Here are several environmental control methods when building a data center.

5 Factors in Data Center Environmental Controls

For ensuring the reliable operation of IT equipment within a rack, the primary concerns for monitoring and controlling data center environmental conditions are temperature, humidity, static electricity, physical and human safety. Moreover, data center environmental impact resulted from these factors not only on the ecological environment but also on data center security, energy efficiency, and the enterprise social image.

Temperature Control

Thermal control is always a challenging issue for data centers, as servers emit heat when they are running. If they are paralyzed by overheating, it will cripple data center operations. Temperature control can check if equipment is operating within the recommended temperature range. A temperature sensor is an effective method to solve temperature control. Placing them in strategic locations and reading the overall temperature allows IT managers to conduct temperature control promptly.

Humidity Control

Humidity control is closely related to temperature levels. High humidity can corrode hardware. Low humidity levels can cause electrostatic arcing problems. For this reason, cooling and ventilation systems need to detect and control the relative humidity in the room air. ASHRAE recommends operation within a dew point range of 41.9 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit with a maximum relative humidity of 60%. Datacenter designers need to invest in systems that can detect humidity and water near equipment to better monitor cooling fans and measure the presence of airflow during routine management. Of course, it is also possible to use a set of computer room air conditioner(CRAC) units on larger facilities to create consistent airflow that flows throughout the room. These CRAC systems typically work by drawing in and cooling heat, then expelling it as cool air through vents and air intakes leading to the server.

Electricity Monitoring

Static electricity is also one of the threats in the data center environment, it is an invisible nuisance. Some newer IT components can be damaged or completely fried by less than 25 volts of discharge. If this problem isn’t addressed, it might result in frequent disconnections, system crashes, and even data corruption. Unexpected bursts of energy in the form of electrostatic discharges may be the greatest threat to the performance of the average data center. To prevent such incidents, businesses must install energy monitors that are strategically located to detect the buildup of static electricity.

Fire Suppression

A comprehensive fire suppression system is a must-have feature in data center environmental standards. If an entire data center is to be protected from disaster, data center designers need to take security measures from fire and fire suppression systems to physical and virtual systems. Fire suppression systems are subject to regular testing and active monitoring of the data center to ensure that they will indeed do their job in the clutch.

Security Systems

Data security of data center environmental standards is also very important. IT departments must institute a limit that keeps intruders away from buildings as well as server rooms and the racks they are in. Setting up a complete range of physical security is a desirable method—from IP surveillance systems to advanced sensors. If unauthorized personnel is detected entering a building or server rack, it will alert data center managers.

Summary

The purpose of data center environmental monitoring is to provide a better operating environment for facilities and avoid some unplanned cases that affect the business of enterprises. For the above data center environmental controls, it is beneficial for enterprises to maintain data center security when designing data centers, which is conducive to data center management. Also, it properly controls the data center environmental impact on ecology and energy efficiency.

Article Source: 5 Factors to Consider for Data Center Environmental Monitoring

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