Data Center Strategies for the CIO
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State of the Data Center: 2011
Special Report
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Choosing UPS systems for the data center
Selecting the right UPS for data centers is complex. This buying guide can help you sort through the features offered by today's UPS systems. Buying guide
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The causes and costs of data center system downtime: Advisory Board Q&A
System downtime may be unavoidable, but planning and training can help restore operations sooner and mitigate the impact on most organizations. Q&A
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Preventing data center system downtime: Advisory board Q&A
Preparing for system downtime can help IT staff reduce the frequency and duration of costly outages. Q&A
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Getting the IT and facilities relationship on track
Expert advice on bringing together the IT and facilities departments can improve efficiency and save the company money. Q&A
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Finding untapped power in the data center
Many data center managers think they're out of power in their facility, or close to it. But there are many ways to regain capacity. Some of them are on the facility side, and some of them are on the IT side, and none of them are that difficult. Slideshow
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Does all your IT load need to have immediate backup power?
Different areas of the data center can have different levels of redundancy Slideshow
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Load balance your data center to find untapped power capacity
Load balancing data center power can be a good way to gain untapped capacity. Slideshow
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DC power in the data center: A viable option?
DC power is being actively investigated for use in the data center, but the alternative to the ubiquitous AC power platform hasn't yet been proven more effective for the data center. Learn the advantages to DC power as well as the drawbacks from two ... Face-off
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ASHRAE 2009 data center winter conference coverage
SearchDataCenter.com is on site covering data center issues from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) winter 2009 conference in Chicago. Special Report
- See More: Essential Knowledge on Data center backup power and power distribution
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DC power: Coming soon to a data center near you?
As data center operators look for new ways to improve energy efficiency, a move to DC power is all but inevitable, some experts say. News | 08 Dec 2011
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Fuel cell technology pitched as data center power source
An Oregon startup is positioning fuel cell technology for targeted use in data center environments. News | 30 Nov 2011
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Raritan tracks data center assets: News in brief
Raritan’s new asset management tags help data center managers keep tabs on their infrastructure; and other data center facilities news. News | 14 Sep 2011
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APC links to HP Operations Manager: News in brief
APC infrastructure management software integrates with HP Operations Manager for real-time power and cooling monitoring; and more news in brief. News | 03 Jun 2011
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Terremark sees value in containerized data center modules
The flexibility and reduced lead time offered by containerized data center infrastructure has won over colocation provider Terremark. News | 31 May 2011
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Raritan tool finds spare data center capacity: News in brief
Raritan dcTrack helps managers unearth spare data center capacity; Wave2Wave intros a data center on wheels; and iTRACS and TBD Fusion strike partnership. News | 31 May 2011
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HP upgrades NonStop with Intel Itanium 9300: News in brief
HP’s fault-tolerant NonStop platform now runs on a quad-core NB5400c Integrity BladeSystem running Intel’s Itanium 9300 processor. News | 28 Mar 2011
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CA Spectrum replaced by AccelOps: News in brief
Texas radiology clinic replaced CA Technologies’ Spectrum monitoring suite with AccelOps to save on maintenance. News | 22 Mar 2011
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APC ties data center management tool into VMware: News in brief
APC’s InfraStruxure 6.2 now correlates location of VMware VMs back to their physical hosts; and SIOS is promoting SteelEye Protection Suite for marooned HP Serviceguard shops. News | 15 Mar 2011
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Intel dishes on Itanium "Poulson" chip: News in brief
Intel discussed key details about its upcoming Itanium processor, code-name Poulson, and other data center news. News | 24 Feb 2011
- See More: News on Data center backup power and power distribution
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How to balance three-phase power to maximize UPS capacity
Apply these techniques to balance the three-phase power load and avoid unnecessarily buying a costly new UPS. Tip
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Arc-flash hazards could lead to deadly consequences in data center
Arc-flash hazards can cause fatal injuries, equipment damage and unnecessary shutdowns in the data center. Tip
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Why monitoring data center power consumption is vital
Monitoring data center power consumption is the first step to reducing energy expenses, but many facilities still lack key monitoring capabilities. Tip
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Avoiding single point of failure design flaws
Redundancy can help a data center avoid downtime, but sometimes hidden flaws in the electrical design can still create a single point of failure. Tip
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Addressing the EPO switch and data center downtime
An EPO switch can be a major liability, potentially leading to accidental downtime, but electrical code doesn’t require all data centers to have a big red button. Tip
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Limitations of the EPO switch and the danger of downtime
An EPO switch is not required in all data centers. Data center owners should consider whether the risk of unplanned downtime is worth the advantages that installing an EPO can offer. Tip
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Best practices for backup power maintenance
Testing generators and inspecting batteries are just part of maintaining a backup power system that can help prevent unexpected data center downtime. Tip
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Data center management using DCIM tools
DCIM tools can help facilitate data center management and energy monitoring, but DCIM software does not come without its own set of challenges and limitations. Tip
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Addressing data center power failure and its root causes
Data center downtime is most often a result of human error. But with proper capacity planning and battery selection, among other steps, a data center power failure can be averted. Tip
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Addressing data center power path issues and common failure points
The loss of power in the data center is often troublesome and unexpected, but knowing these common failure points and ways to mitigate power path issues can ease the burden. Tip
- See More: Tips on Data center backup power and power distribution
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Powering modems with SMPS-based power supplies
Data center physical infrastructure expert Robert McFarlane discusses SMPS-based power. Ask the Expert
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Weighing centralized versus modular UPS in the data center
Power and cooling expert Robert Macfarlane explains the differences between central and modular UPS systems and discusses their merits and shortcomings. Ask the Expert
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UPS maintenance outage
A reader wrote in asking what the best practices were for running a data center when maintenance is being done to the UPS. See what expert Robert McFarlane had to say. Ask the Expert
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More on power supplies
One of expert Robert McFarlane's answers has stirred up even more questions. Read this answer to find out more about power supplies. Ask the Expert
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The Big Red Button
Expert Lance Harry explains the significance of the "big red button" and how it relates to fire safety in response to a reader's question. Ask the Expert
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Dual power question
We're building an existing room into a high thermal density datacenter. Our facilities HVAC rep intends to supplement the new CRAC Units with existing general house HVAC registers, to assist with managing the high heat loads. Will this arrangement ca... Ask the Expert
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How important are isolated grounds?
My facilities manger doesn't think I need isolated grounds in my data center. I thought they were necessary for high-performance hardware. How do I convince him I need them? Ask the Expert
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What is the kVA/rack limit?
According to the latest studies, power consumption per rack is increasing. What do you think about a boundary (or limit) in kVA per rack in near future? Ask the Expert
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Obtaining reasonably accurate numbers for actual power consumption is difficult enough
A reader questioned our expert on one of his responses. See how he defended himself. Ask the Expert
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Dual power supplies and power grids
A reader asked: Following on an earlier question about dual power cords, do the power supplies have to be of the same phase? Or can they be from entirely separate power grids. (We will have effectively two supply systems with inline diesel rotary UPS... Ask the Expert
- See More: Expert Advice on Data center backup power and power distribution
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green data center
A green data center is a repository for the storage, management, and dissemination of data in which the mechanical, lighting, electrical and computer systems are designed for maximum energy efficiency and minimum environmental impact... (Continued) Definition
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power usage effectiveness (PUE)
Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data center. PUE is determined by dividing the amount of power entering a data center by the power used to run the computer infrastructure within it. (Continued.... Definition
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intelligent power management (IPM)
Intelligent Power Management (IPM) is a combination of hardware and software that optimizes the distribution and use of electrical power in computer systems and data centers. While the installation of IPM involves up-front cost and ongoing maintenanc... Definition
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uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows your computer to keep running for at least a short time when the primary power source is lost. Definition
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Electric plugs for each country
Definition
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Power production and cogeneration options for data centers
In this Q&A, an expert discusses the feasibility of implementing independent power production or cogeneration systems, and speculates on future trends in data center power use. Podcast
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Backup power in a shipping container: Active Power's PowerHouse
Active Power demonstrates PowerHouse, its data center backup power product in a shipping container, at the HP Technology Forum in Las Vegas. Video
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Common data center hurdles: Cooling and power distribution problems
A data center manager discusses his primary problems: aging AC units and not-so-green hardware. Video
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Reducing data center power consumption: Data Center Decisions conference
At Data Center Decisions, keynote speaker Matt Stansberry explained the importance of metrics and benchmarks to reducing power consumption. Video
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Data center power consumption: Key theme at DCD
At Data Center Decisions, keynote speaker Matt Stansberry explained the importance of metrics and benchmarks to reducing power consumption. Video
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Power and cooling in the data center
Uptime Institute Executive Director Ken Brill breaks down best practices for data center power and cooling strategies and discusses some poor practices that have actually increased energy consumption. Video
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APC exec discusses data center voltage options
Rob Bunger of APC discusses different voltage options for data centers, including alternating current (AC) options to increase power distribution efficiency. Video
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How to balance three-phase power to maximize UPS capacity
Apply these techniques to balance the three-phase power load and avoid unnecessarily buying a costly new UPS. Tip
-
Arc-flash hazards could lead to deadly consequences in data center
Arc-flash hazards can cause fatal injuries, equipment damage and unnecessary shutdowns in the data center. Tip
-
Why monitoring data center power consumption is vital
Monitoring data center power consumption is the first step to reducing energy expenses, but many facilities still lack key monitoring capabilities. Tip
-
DC power: Coming soon to a data center near you?
As data center operators look for new ways to improve energy efficiency, a move to DC power is all but inevitable, some experts say. News
-
Fuel cell technology pitched as data center power source
An Oregon startup is positioning fuel cell technology for targeted use in data center environments. News
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Avoiding single point of failure design flaws
Redundancy can help a data center avoid downtime, but sometimes hidden flaws in the electrical design can still create a single point of failure. Tip
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Power production and cogeneration options for data centers
In this Q&A, an expert discusses the feasibility of implementing independent power production or cogeneration systems, and speculates on future trends in data center power use. Podcast
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Raritan tracks data center assets: News in brief
Raritan’s new asset management tags help data center managers keep tabs on their infrastructure; and other data center facilities news. News
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State of the Data Center: 2011
Special Report
-
Choosing UPS systems for the data center
Selecting the right UPS for data centers is complex. This buying guide can help you sort through the features offered by today's UPS systems. Buying guide
- See More: All on Data center backup power and power distribution
About Data center backup power and power distribution
Find news and tutorials on power management in the data center, including how to manage data center backup power and saving energy.