hot/cold aisle

Hot/cold aisle (or hot aisle/cold aisle) is a method of cooling servers in data centers in which every aisle between rows of racks is bounded with exclusively hot-air outlets or exclusively cool-air intakes. Air is brought into the cool aisles from underneath and exhausted from the hot aisles overhead. This produces constant air circulation through the racks, provided there are no "holes" through which cool air can leak without encountering hardware.

In a hot/cold aisle configuration, the hot aisles are always at a much higher temperature than the cool aisles. Equipment racks are arranged in parallel rows. Air flows generally upward throughout the center with a constant "breeze" through each row. For optimum design, internal fans that bring air into or exhaust it out of individual units should be disabled or configured to act with, not against, the overall pattern of air flow in the center.

Read more about hot/cold aisle: - Robert Sullivan describes hot/cold aisle technology. - The U.S. Department of Energy provides a clear illustration of hot/cold aisle geometry. - SearchDataCenter.com discusses cooling strategies for data centers.

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