Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/860140
the site's initial system benchmarks can aid in the determination of more- effective alternatives that not only improve operations performance but also reduce the time and cost associ- ated with their implementation. wHy don't All dAtA center operAtors use cfd softwAre? Although operators can cite any number of reasons for eschewing the ongoing use of CFD tools, those reasons fall under two main themes: 1. No one on staff has the skills to effectively use the soware 2. We can't afford it e lack-of-skills argument strains credulity, since the average data center tech tends to be a little more computer literate than your grandmother. When this high degree of computer literacy is coupled with the training programs that most CFD vendors offer, mastery of the soware is achievable. e second most common reason for not acquiring a CFD platform is cost. Although "it's too expensive" tends to be an acceptable excuse for most data-center-related soware applications, DCIM springs to mind. is excuse rings hollow compared with the ongoing costs of efficiently cooling your company's multi-million-dollar investment. To put this ratio disparity into perspec- tive, a 2015 IDC data center survey found that 24% of a data center budget is associated with cooling. When this percentage is applied to an average annual data center budget of $1.2 million, the cost of cooling is $300,000. ose who still cling to list price as the reason for not add- ing CFD to their repertoire should reacquaint themselves with the adage "penny wise, pound foolish." i still don't need cfd; How do i deMystify? When your favorite football team is on a losing streak, you'll fre- quently hear the head coach say, "We need to get back to basics." is is certainly a good strategy and one that applies to data centers as well. Even those operators who still find CFD to be an unnecessary luxury demon- strate their basic understanding of the mysteries of airflow by using the following strategies. (If you haven't implemented them in your data center, following these guidelines will at least take your mystification level down a few notches.) 1. Recheck your number of perforated tiles. Frequently this problem arises ow- ing to data center reconfigurations and hardware refreshes. e main areas to look at are your hot aisles and whitespace areas. Diagnosing the problem is straightforward, since these locations should have no perf tiles. 2. Seal your unsealed openings. Just when you thought you were done with this one, it oen turns out you aren't. Common leakage areas are under electrical gear, such as PDUs and power panels. Be vigilant. 3. Make blanking panels your friend. You just can't have too many of these guys covering the open spaces in your racks—and chances are you don't. Recirculation issues due to uncovered slots can raise the tem- perature of IT equipment as much as 15°F. 4. Check your temperature settings. If you're still wearing a sweater when you reset a server, you might want to review ASHRAE's expanded oper- ating-temperature guidelines to see where you fall along the psychomet- ric chart. en evaluate how much you would save by increasing your facility's operating temperature a few degrees. 5. While you're at it, check those humidity settings, too. We all know that cooler air is drier air, and that means a higher poten- tial for static-electrical discharges. But your facility shouldn't feel like a tropical rain forest either. Review these settings as part of item 4 above. A 2015 IDC data center survey found that 24% of a data center budget is associated with cooling. When this percentage is applied to an average annual data center budget of $1.2 million, the cost of cooling is $300,000. Those who still cling to list price as the reason for not adding CFD to their repertoire should reacquaint themselves with the adage "penny wise, pound foolish." 16 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com