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Are You Running Out of Power or Cooling?
June 15th, 2009 : Kevin NormandeauHow do you extend the value of what you have and plan for what you need? Data centers are packing in more power-hungry, heat generating IT systems than ever, and many power and cooling systems are reaching their limits. Older power protection, power distribution and HVAC systems could be bottlenecks to needed expansion. Since these support systems represent 40 percent of the cost of IT equipment, a wholesale upgrade is generally not an option. So, what is the best way to augment and extend existing capacity within the constraints of tight budgets and limited support staff? How can you establish a power and cooling infrastructure that is ready for growth but not over-provisioned for an uncertain future?
This Eaton white paper offers strategies that enable IT managers to:
- Plan a more efficient and adaptable power and cooling infrastructure, starting with an audit of the present state and evaluation of alternative approaches and technologies.
- Monitor and measure power and cooling systems, so they can be managed more effectively and economically.
- Optimize the existing cooling system through mechanical and room layout changes, using relatively inexpensive devices to redirect and concentrate available airflow.
- Augment UPS and power distribution systems by using modular approaches and the latest, high efficiency products.
With simple changes in infrastructure and practices, any data center can extend the value of available backup power and cooling systems—delaying the point where those systems would have to be upgraded to match data center expansion. Click here to download this white paper on data center power and cooling strategies.
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Five Key Attributes of Quality Power
June 8th, 2009 : Kevin NormandeauModern power supply units (PSUs) are more robust than ever, and designed to perform under local electric utility conditions around the world. They operate normally over a wide range of input voltages and frequencies. They have internal energy stores to ride through brief power interruptions. Most ave input power factor correction circuitry and operate at a power factor close to unity, and they handle a broad range of transient power disturbances, as defined by industry standards.
In spite of their robust design, PSUs need protection from power quality problems generated by the electric utility or arising within the facility. To operate properly, IT equipment needs a consistent source of conditioned power that meets industry specifications. Providing that consistent, conditioned power is the job of an uninterruptible power system (UPS).
This Eaton white paper looks at five key attributes or requirements of power quality—as the PSU sees it—and the implications of each for UPS design and selection. Click here to read this white paper.
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Integrated Approach to Energy Management
May 6th, 2009 : Kevin NormandeauIn the quest to more effectively manage the IT infrastructure, many organizations are stymied by a disconnect between IT and Facilities. The two groups rarely collaborate and typically report into different parts of the organization. Apart, neither group can optimize energy consumption and system availability across the big picture. The data center could be consuming more energy than necessary. Essential IT applications could be at risk from infrastructure weaknesses. Inefficiencies could force premature construction of additional power and cooling infrastructure.
If IT and Facilities could work collaboratively, organizations can operate more efficiently and effectively while still meeting their business objectives. This white paper from Eaton describes how a joint monitoring and management solution links IT assets, the data center infrastructure and Facilities assets into a holistic perspective aligned with business processes.
Click here for a copy of this Eaton white paper (free to registered members).
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The Challenges of Data Center Virtualization
April 21st, 2009 : Kevin NormandeauVirtualization brings the potential to deliver dramatic savings in terms of server count, footprint, power consumption and cooling requirements for data centers. For all its advantages though, virtualization also brings some unique challenges:
- Overall power consumption will be lower, but highly variable.
- There will be fewer servers, but each one will be more critical than ever.
- Applications can be dynamically reallocated at will, but the support infrastructure cannot do the same.
- The data center footprint will be smaller, but overall efficiency might still be suboptimal.
The good news is that there are practical and affordable ways to address these challenges and improve data center efficiency in the process. This paper from Eaton in the Data Center Knowledge White Paper Library looks at some of the power-related challenges and technologies that can address them.
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Eaton Debuts Power Distribution Rack (PDR)
December 3rd, 2008 : Rich MillerEaton Corp. is launching a new product at this week’s Gartner Data Center Conference in Las Vegas. In this video, Eaton’s Chris Loeffler provides an overview of the new Powerware Power Distribution Rack (PDR). This video runs about 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
For more news from Eaton, visit our Eaton Channel. For additional video, check out our DCK video archive and the Data Center Videos channel on YouTube.
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Feel The Power: Eaton, Active Power, Peak 10
November 26th, 2008 : Rich MillerWe’re feeling the power at DCK this morning, as there’s been a flurry of power-related news. Here’s a roundup:
- Eaton Corporation has launched Eaton Enterprise Power Manager (EPM) software and a full line of power cables to help measure and manage power at the rack and server levels. EPM software aggregates power management information for Eaton’s enclosure power distribution units (ePDUs) and midrange UPS units. “With the EPM software, you don’t have to surf hundreds of URL addresses to gain important visibility into your enclosure power distribution statistics,” said Michael Camesano, product manager, ePDUs and enclosures, Eaton. “If you do not have a high-end power or facilities management system, EPM provides essential visibility into power conditions at a very reasonable price.” EPM software is available for download from Eaton’s ePDU web site.
- Peak 10, Inc.has added generator capacity at its Raleigh data center, the company said this week. The company has added two 2.25 megawatt diesel generators, which will run in parallel with an existing 1.75 megawatt unit to give the facility a total of 6.25 megawatts of diesel generator backup. Peak 10 plans to add a third 2.25 megawatt genset and then upgrade the older generator with a fourth new 2.25 MW unit, giving Peak 10 Raleigh a total of 9 megawatts of generator backup. Peak 10 worked with Progress Energy and PowerSecure International on the project.
- Active Power, Inc. (ACPW) has announced two ordersfor a total of 16 of its 900kVA flywheel UPS units from Caterpillar (CAT). One order for 10 UPS systems is scheduled for delivery in first quarter 2009, witha second order for six 900 kVA systems scheduled for late 2008. “These two orders exemplify the confidence the market is placing in flywheel technology and its inherent benefits of energy and space efficiency, high reliability and environmental sustainability,” said Jim Clishem, president and CEO, Active Power.
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Eaton Tool Tracks Utility Power Outages
November 18th, 2008 : Rich Miller
Eaton Corp. has launched the Blackout Tracker, a tool providing updates about power outages across the United States. The Blackout Tracker locates outages on a map, and provides a visual guide to the number of customers affected and the length of the outage. The data appears to come via user submissions, but is current enough that there is already one entry from this morning (a maintenance-related outage in Arizona) and two from yesterday (weather-related outages in Albany, NY and Youngstown, Ohio.
The Blackout Tracker looks like it could be useful in trouble-shooting problems across large network or facility footprints. It also provides a reminder of how often power companies experience outages, a key business driver for Eaton’s line of Powerware UPS systems.
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Eaton Discusses its 9395 1100 kVA UPS
October 10th, 2008 : Rich MillerAt this week’s Data Center World trade show in Orlando, Eaton Corp. introduced an 1100 kVA version of its Eaton 9395 UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system for data centers. In this video, Pedro Robredo, the product line manager for Eaton’s 3-phase power unit, discusses the features of the new UPS model. This video is about 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
For more news from Eaton, visit our Eaton Channel. For additional video, check out our DCK video archive and the Data Center Videos channel on YouTube.
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