Data Center Journal

VOLUME 49 | APRIL 2017

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Feature 2 Data Center InFrastruCture: OlD, new anD Future By Jeffrey R. Clark, PhD Although IT equipment is the heart of the data center, supporting infrastructure makes it all possible. Because infrastructure incurs costs in dollars, floor space, maintenance and more, staying up to date on what's out there is important to efficient operation. With that in mind—and with help from Ed Spears, technical marketing manager in the Critical Power Solutions Division at Eaton—let's take a look at some of what's the same, what's new and what's to come in this market. 8 BaCkup pOwer OptIOns FOr Data stOrage anD servers By Ilyas Ayub On average, a typical American will experience one power outage per year that lasts about three hours.1 This duration translates into an uptime of 99.97%, which many systems can never achieve. Although our electrical grid is reliable, there is still a 0.03% chance that our power is lost. That chance of losing power leads us to have backup batteries in our alarm clocks so we don't oversleep and miss critical business meetings, backup batteries in our smoke alarms so our houses don't burn down and backup batteries in our sump-pump systems so our basements don't flood. The need for backup batteries for data storage and servers is also critical. 14 aC versus DC vOltage In the Data Center By Yves Bouhadana There has been a lot of discussion about energy savings and sustainability at a global level, in all industries. The IT community, through conventions, seminars and user groups, is always considering ideas on how to increase efficiency and enhance sustainability while maintaining high levels of continuity. An important topic associated with increased efficiency is the use of DC power to distribute power to the loads. This article reviews the topic in detail and provides a conclusion on the basis of available technology and economics. 16 CautIOn: prOprIetary hvaC COntrOls By Jeffrey R. Clark, PhD Advertisements often toss in the word patented to increase the appeal of a product. If something about the product is patented, it must be new, innovative and (ostensibly) worth the price premium. The word proprietary, although not necessarily the same, nevertheless performs a similar function. Proprietary technologies are unique and may seem attractive to certain customers. But such technologies, even though they may have advantages, also carry certain risks. 20 Flash stOrage anD the new rOle OF the stOrage aDmIn By Kong Yang Storage technology was once the go-to scapegoat for data center performance hiccups, and it was often considered the most conservative element of IT infrastructure. It has evolved in the last several years, however. Although hard-disk drive (HDD) storage will likely remain a data center staple owing to its relatively low costs and the need to support legacy applications, flash technology has turned the storage landscape on its head. 24 hyper COnvergeD InFrastruCture: what COmpanIes shOulD rethInk By Subbiah Sundaram Most organizations have peak workloads and normal day-to-day workloads. As operations- management experts will tell you, planning for the peak workload is inefficient because it causes your systems to be ineffectively utilized about 80 percent of the time. Today's organizations are better off planning for normal workloads, employing other options for burst capacity. Now, although this operations theory sounds good, the question that's surely on IT decision makers' minds is, how do we better manage our in-house infrastructure more cost efficiently while still remaining modular, simple and scalable? 27 ImpOrtant COnsIDeratIOns In ups testIng By John Steele When it comes to ensuring the highest level of data center continuity, it's vital to thoroughly test infrastructure systems at the onset of any installation or build-out to develop a baseline of performance parameters. This is especially true when it comes to power equipment and three-phase uninterruptible-power-supply (UPS) systems. UPSs may be protecting any number of mission-critical systems, including computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment, medical diagnostic laboratories or other equipment, where an unexpected power disruption could cause major losses to the business. venDOr InDex All rights reserved. No portion of DATA CENTER Journal may be reproduced without written permission from the Executive Editor. The management of DATA CENTER Journal is not responsible for opinions expressed by its writers or editors. We assume that all rights in communications sent to our editorial staff are unconditionally assigned for publication. All submissions are subject to unrestricted right to edit and/or to comment editorially. AN EDM2R ENTERPRISES, INC. PUBLICATION ALPHARETTA, GA 30022 PHONE: 678-762-9366 FAX: 866-708-3068 | WWW.DATACENTERJOURNAL.COM DESIGN : NEATWORKS, INC., JOHNS CREEK GA 30022 TEL: 678-392-2992 | WWW.NEATWORKSINC.COM

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