With the heat generated by current denser technologies such as Blade Servers, understanding the role that a server rack play in your complete data center cooling strategy is essential. The type of rack you choose will depend on the cooling methods used in your environment. The baseline kW of heat output per rack varies widely, depending on type and density of equipment, and can be anywhere from 4 kW-12 kW or more per rack, with some experts estimating that the rise of high-density environments and designs for future equipment will result in an output of 30-50 kW per rack.
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Select a fully perforated rack for maximum air flow if the primary method of cooling in your data center or server room will be ambient air cooling (fans, air handlers, blowers, and/or Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units and a raised floor).
Choose a fully-sealed rack if a liquid cooling unit or rack air conditioner will be used in your environment.
Other ways to improve cooling include using blanking panels to manage air flow efficiency, selecting a rack with built-in channels for better cable management and improved air flow, and removing any obsolete or unnecessary equipment from the rack. In addition, consider that 3-phase power can significantly increase available amperage into the server rack, reducing the overall number of PDUs needed to power equipment and leaving more space for airflow.
Rising energy costs are compelling many to rethink their IT practices and reduce power consumption by implementing energy efficiency best practices. Proper planning including hot / cold isles containment strategies, managing current and future hot spots, and continued monitoring the heat dissipation in your data center will help you increase existing cooling capacity. Sealing cable openings in the raised floor with grommets is also key.
Power Distribution Units (PDUs) evenly disperse power to servers over the entire power strip. Rack mount power strips are specifically made for server racks and mount vertically or behind mounting posts in the back portion of a cabinet. Power strips fall into two categories: standard and intelligent.
While standard power strips have some features that can provide valuable information, such as fuse replacement indicators and current output displays, they must be managed in-person and on-site. In contrast, intelligent power strips provide remote power control, which allows administrators to perform a cold reboot of servers and devices and troubleshoot problems from any location with an internet connection, reducing server downtime and getting vital business functions back online quickly. Remote power products not only provide intelligent control of attached systems, they also allow administrators to leverage leading advances in power distribution, such as 3-Phase power.
Three-Phase power technology is not exclusive to remote power management products, but many solutions can accommodate or incorporate it. Compared to single-phase power, 3-Phase power uses fewer circuits, provides a more balanced power load, reduces the overall number of PDUs needed to power equipment, and significantly increases available amperage into the server rack. As an example, in a traditional rack environment, (4) 20-amp circuits would be required for 64 amps of available power (assuming a maximum 80% load). In contrast, a 3-phase circuit can provide up to 51.6 amps per circuit, or more than 82 amps of available power, while only requiring 2 circuits (assuming a maximum 80% load). The cost savings of 3-Phase power is beneficial, especially since experts estimate that in the future, electricity costs could rise from current levels of 10 percent or less of IT budgets to 20-30 percent (3). Other power-related aspects to keep in mind include the number of outlets you will need, plug/receptacle requirements, and redundancy requirements.
Select a server rack with sufficient internal space to house your current equipment and ensure that you have ample space to accommodate planned future expansion as well as any unplanned equipment purchases. Rack mount equipment is measured in the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) standard “Rack Units” or Rack “U”. One “Rack Unit” is equal to 1.75″ in height.
Keep in mind that space for accessories, such as environmental monitoring devices, remote power management devices, rack mount LCD monitors, and battery back-up, may be necessary. For example, if you need to accommodate 20 2U servers, you would likely want to choose a rack with a height of 44U to accommodate accessories such as a 1U patch panel, as well as a 2U UPS back-up battery. A rack’s internal height is measured from the tallest point of any side rail to the bottom chassis; internal depth is measured from the insides of both front and rear doors; and internal width is measured from one side panel to the other.
Be sure that the rack’s external dimensions can be accommodated in the floor space allotted for it, check that it can be safely moved through all doorways, and ensure that its placement meets any relevant clearance or safety regulations.
As a note, always use appropriate rack-loading techniques, including placing heavy items at the bottom of the rack to prevent a rack from becoming too top-heavy, have a plan about what you want to put toward the front and back of the rack (based on how much you will need to access or remove equipment), and have someone help load equipment that is heavy and/or above the height of your head.
Proper security is vital to the overall well-being and the function of your business. Knowing how your server rack fits into your overall security strategy is just as important. There are several measures you can take to improve the security of the racks and equipment in your data center.
To begin with, consider purchasing server racks that have locking front and rear doors, as many models offer this option. Some newer racks can have the option for Smart Card – CAC access control.
Second, use environmental monitoring devices to proactively monitor your racks. In addition to allowing administrators to continuously monitor amperage draw per circuit, water leaks, temperature, and other variables, and sending alerts automatically via SMTP/SMS/SNMP when conditions exceed established thresholds, several environmental monitoring devices have door sensors that support “normally open” or “normally closed” conditions and can alert administrators when a cabinet door has been opened. (When a change in state relative to its defined threshold occurs, the device reports an “error” condition.)
In addition, there are devices available that work with docked camera pods and sensor pods to allow administrators to continually visually monitor server racks and rooms, as well as record audio clips. If you are planning a new data center, you might also consider additional physical security measures such as building the data center away from a main road, limiting windows in the data center, and providing secure entrances and exists. (2)
Most manufacturers will allow you to select from many options, so that your server rack meets the specific requirements of your environment. There are several common areas that you should be able to select options from.
There are many other aspects of rack loading that need to be considered in addition to what has been discussed here. Will the rack be in a hot/cold aisle configuration? Will you need blanks to imped air flow? What needs to be monitored within the rack: temperature? Humidity? What method should be used to monitor?
All the answers to these questions can be found by contacting an Access Inc Critical Power Sales Engineer by calling the office or via E-Mail.
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Knowing which server to buy can help save your organizations money, space, and several headaches over the course of the machine’s useful life. In the sections below, we talk about the different types of servers available, and how to decide server hardware configuration based on your unique needs.
Servers can be found in three main configurations:
When I get calls about buying servers, I start off by gaining an understanding of the customer’s infrastructure and what OEM’s they standardize on. We want to get as much information as we can to make sure we can provide the customer with the most cost-effective solution.
The server you select depends entirely on the applications you will be running, and these applications tend to be very robust. If you don’t have the correct hardware to support the application, you can experience latency, errors, and even worse: downtime.
Always refer to each application’s OEM for the hardware requirements that you may need. For companies with many applications (i.e., file, email, CRM and database), you will need a stronger tower, rack, or blade server.
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When it comes to processors, consider the application you are using. In most cases, the application will require a particular type of processor, core, and speed. The last thing you want is to buy a processor that is too powerful—you don’t want to spend money on something you don’t need. Worse yet, you don’t want to get a processor that doesn’t provide a balanced server because it will give you a bottleneck instead.
Yes, the latest x86 processors up performance levels substantially, but do you need all that horsepower to fuel core business applications? Most enterprises still sport relatively low overall server and CPU utilization across their infrastructures. One study of large enterprises (with more than 100 physical servers) showed an average x86 server CPU utilization of between 8% and 20%.1
Depending on the task, you may be paying for performance you don’t really need. So, carefully assess what type of processor, core, and speed are needed to keep applications running in optimal order. Processors can represent 30% or more of the total cost of server hardware.2
Avoiding the highest-performing processor model in favor of a lower-premium choice can deliver hardware savings of about one-third while only impacting peak performance by 10%. This is the kind of informed tradeoff that most end-users can accept.
The bottom line: High-end processors are pricey, and there’s no valid reason to pay for capacity you won’t use or really need.
Additionally, customers will sometimes order too many servers only to find that they don’t have enough ports on their switch to plug it into. Remember: do an empty port count in your existing network to see if you need to buy another switch to support your new deployment of servers.
As far as memory goes, more is better. It will cost initially, but that’s better than taking down your network to install and max out the memory on your server when you could have gotten it done on the initial deployment! It’s best to max out your server with memory to avoid the hassle of taking down your network.
A different approach is recommended when evaluating memory capacity in servers. As a rule, when it comes to memory, more is better. The initial cost may be higher, but it avoids having to take down the network later to max out memory.
That said, prices of dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) can go topsy-turvy, and purchasing can be further exasperated by a seemingly endless menu of models. Be aware that each DIMM may be priced a little differently, so do your homework.
Price per GB among models may even vary wildly for the same memory capacity. Time spent doing all the calculations upfront could prove eye-opening and put dollars back in your budget. For example, last year, analysts reported finding 30% savings when cost-comparison shopping for 8x 16GB DIMMS vs. 16x 8GB DIMMs – with no ill impact on net memory capacity or performance.3
Such volatility means the best deals can change quickly and do so month by month. Traditionally, server memory prices drop over time, but sudden and unexpected shortages can cause rapid price increases. Consider a best practices approach that includes calculating DIMMs’ current lowest cost option for each purchase. Never blindly place an order based on previous procurement.
Finally, calculate how much power you will need for your server so you can get the adequate power supply. Power consumption—or conservation rather—hot topic in any environment. Don’t ignore the fact that your server may draw a lot of power depending on the components you install. Review the power draw per component, and pick based on the needs of your environment.
Often times we don’t efficiently support the servers that we are running. The processor is not robust enough, we don’t install enough memory, or sometimes we don’t consider port count. In order to ensure the best support for the servers in your network, check out these 5 questions everyone should ask themselves when choosing a server.
The server you select depends entirely on the applications you will be running. Applications tend to be very robust. If you don’t have the correct hardware to support the application, you can experience latency, errors, and even worse: downtime. Always refer to each application’s OEM for the hardware requirements that you may need. For companies with many applications (i.e., file, email, CRM and database), you will need a stronger tower, rack, or blade server.
When reviewing the type of processors for the server that you want to use, consider the application you are using. In most cases, the application will require a particular type of processor, core, and speed. The last thing you want is to buy a processor that is too powerful—you don’t want to spend money on something you don’t need. Worse yet, you don’t want to get a processor that doesn’t provide a balanced server because it will give you a bottleneck instead.
Customers will sometimes order too many servers only to find that they don’t have enough ports on their switch to plug it into. Remember to do an empty port count in your existing network to see if you need to buy another switch to support your new deployment of servers. Verify that you have enough ports on your switch to meet and support the amount of servers you plan on deploying.
Let’s face it… when it comes to memory, more is better. It will cost initially, but who wants to take down their network to install and max out the memory on their server when you could have gotten it done on the initial deployment? It’s best to max out your server with memory to avoid the hassle of taking down your network. Nobody wants to de-rack and re-rack servers on their weekend. NOBODY.
Finally, calculate how much power you will need for your server so you can get the adequate power supply. Power consumption—or conservation rather—hot topic in any environment. Don’t ignore the fact that your server may draw a lot of power depending on the components you install. Review the power draw per component, and pick based on the needs of your environment.
There’s a handful of items that configure a machine. We build everything configured to order. We have CPU, Memory, RAM, hard drive space, and connectivity.
What additional components are there? Well, we build everything specific to the customer’s need. So that’s why we really try to dig in. Sometimes that applications are requiring a large memory count, or sometimes their whole need for a machine is to actually have disc drive space. So we really drill down as best we can.
Contact us for a quote on your business server today!
1 According to Gartner, “However, even with the widespread adoption of virtualization over the last five years, most enterprises still report relatively low overall server and CPU utilization across their infrastructure. One Gartner study of large enterprises showed an average x86 server CPU utilization between 8% and 20%.” Gartner, 10 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Acquiring Servers, Daniel Bowers, 27 October 2017.
2 Gartner says, “On an x86 rack server with two processors, the processors can represent 30% or more of the total cost of the server hardware. In the example shown in Figure 2, avoiding the highest-performing Intel Xeon Platinum 8180 processor in favor of the lower-premium 8168 processor yields a server with a 35% reduction in hardware list price, but only a 10% reduction in peak performance.” Ibid.
3 Gartner reported, “Lower-cost ways to achieve a desired memory amount can be discovered by analyzing the multiple combinations of DIMM counts and sizes available. In one example, on an x86 server model in mid-2017, choosing eight 16GB DIMMs instead of 16 8GB DIMMs resulted in a 30% lower cost for memory, with no difference in net memory capacity or memory performance.” Ibid.
4 According to Gartner: “By revisiting the choice of SSD types, including considering new SSDs built from cheaper or more reliable flash technologies introduced since the initial configuration selection, buyers can save 40% or more on SSDs.” Ibid.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness or a particular purpose.
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