Whitepaper: Key elements of a successful data center cabinet ecosystem
Thu 14 Jun 2018
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Understanding the cabinet ecosystem is a key part of supporting the availability and efficiency of the IT equipment in your data centre. This whitepaper explores, in detail, everything you need to know about the cabinet ecosystem so that you can make the best decisions for your data centre and in turn, the businesses it supports.
In this area, integration is key. This is true both in the sense of integrating the data centre cabinet with hardware and software into a single platform, and in the sense of integrating IT infrastructure, hardware and software from the same manufacturer, in order to cut out the challenges and confusion that stem from pairing products from different providers.
This whitepaper looks at the elements required for an integrated solution that can help simplify white space management.
First, it covers structure. The purpose of the cabinet is to store equipment vertically, and within this purpose there are two key considerations: cabinet footprint and load-bearing capacity.
This means you need to consider power, cable and airflow management through deep cabinets. Difference sizes are required for servers than for networking and switches, and space requirements are important for airflow management, which is key to IT availability and energy savings.
The static load rating of a cabinet is vitally important, and it should be rigorously tested to international standards. For sites that practice cabinet-level deployment, rolling load and shipping load are also crucially important, especially when these values are different from the static load.
Finally, for those managing data centres in areas with higher than usual seismic activity, cabinets should be tested to even higher standards, including shaker-table testing.
The next aspect the whitepaper explores is cable management. Looking at the importance of specific and physically separate pathways for power and network cables, as well as cable managers, this section explains the importance of organisation.
Power distribution is a vital component of the cabinet ecosystem. Power management within the white space helps to ensure availability of IT systems and reduces energy waste.
The whitepaper’s author, David Knapp of Chatsworth, recommends considering eight points when looking into this. These points are:
- Branch circuit monitoring
- Remote management
- Outlet-level monitoring
- Outlet-level switching
- IP consolidation
- High ambient temperature rating
- High outlet density
- Integration with DCIM
Read the whitepaper for more information about all of these points.
Next, the whitepaper delves into a big cost for data centre operators. Cooling and airflow management is still a big priority, and at the cabinet level, there are many actions that can be taken to improve airflow.
This includes door perforation and internal airflow management, compatibility with both hot and cold containment and vertical exhaust duct.
Environmental monitoring is an important way of preventing temperature and humidity levels rising to a point that can cause hardware failure. Delving into ASHRAE guidelines, the whitepaper explains how to optimise environmental monitoring systems in order to stick to these thermal guides.
One concern that should override all others is security. You need to understand how to comply with numerous strict regulations that ensure data stays safe and secure.
That’s why it’s important to understand the newest access control technologies and systems. Using intelligent integration between the cabinet and PDU interface, as well as smart card integration and integration with the DCIM system can help ensure you are keeping your customer’s data secure.
Integration with DCIM software is a trend that is developing in the data centre more generally as operators come to realise the benefits of the data that comes from these systems.
Trend analysis and monitoring, as well as reporting and testing, down to very specific levels and components gives huge advantages, and this is true in the cabinet ecosystem as it is elsewhere in the data centre.
This whitepaper will provide you with detailed information and crucial learning about all of the above points, as well as important insights into the importance of integration. A single system that can help you achieve all of these goals is crucial to hitting all of your data centre requirements. Download the paper now!