The Upsite Temperature Strip uses colored range indicators denote the following:

• Blue: Optimal Operating Range based on recommendations from ASHRAE
• Yellow: Acceptable Operating Range based on equipment manufacturers' recommendations for Class 1 IT equipment
• Red: Outside acceptable operating range, indicates a definite hotspot or potential for condensation, either of which may result in equipment failure.

Data center cooling has become such a complex issue that some data center managers might wonder if they need a meteorologist on staff. Data center cooling discussions – often times led by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) – may touch on issues like humidity, air intake temperatures and computational fluid dynamics.

Whatever data center cooling strategy you use, hitting the hot spots is the most important feat. That's why computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which is essentially a 3-D snapshot of the hotspots in your data center, has recently become such a hot topic in data center cooling; highlighting why the importance of knowing the exact temperature of air affecting your IT equipment.

Once that's figured out, then you need to determine how best to cool things off, and it may require delving into some arenas that could make you a little uncomfortable. Yes, that's right. You might end up pinching your nose and diving into liquid cooling, if you dare.