R&M Data Center Handbook

www.datacenter.rdm.com
Water Damage
Among other causes, water damage in the data center results not only from the extinguishing water used in
fighting fires, but also from pipe breaks, floods and building damage. A certain amount of water damage can
therefore be prevented by avoiding the use of a sprinkler system.
Nevertheless, the parties responsible for IT in the data center should also consider devices that protect against
water damage. First on the list are humidity sensors that monitor a room and sound an alarm when humidity
appears – on the floor, for example. Surveillance cameras can also be used for this same purpose; they keep
security officers informed at all times of the state of individual rooms, and thus shorten reaction time in case of
damage.
In many cases, another sensible option is to place server cabinets and similarly delicate components in rooms in
such a way that they do not suffer damage when small amounts of water set in. Ideally, those on watch, namely
those responsible for the main tap of the defective pipe, will have already turned it off before the “great waters”
come.
Technical Malfunctions
Technical malfunctions have a great effect on the availability of the applications that are operated in the data
center. Power failures rank among the most common technical malfunctions, and can be prevented or have their
effects reduced through the use of UPSs, emergency generators and redundant power supply systems.
In many cases, electromagnetic fields can affect the data transfer. This problem primarily occurs when power and
data cables are laid together in one cable tray. However, other factors like mechanical stresses and high
temperatures also have a great effect on the functioning of cable connections.
Most difficulties that arise in this area can therefore be easily avoided: It is enough to house power and data
cables in physically separate locations, to use shielded data cables, prevent direct pressure on the cable and
provide for sufficient cooling. The parties responsible for this latter measure must make sure that data center air
conditioning systems do not just cool the devices that generate heat in server rooms, but also cool cable paths
exposed to heat – for example, cables under the roof.
Surveillance Systems
Most of the points covered in the section on catastrophes, such as threats resulting
from fire and water, only cause significant damage when they have the opportunity to
affect IT infrastructures over a certain period of time.
It is therefore especially important to constantly monitor server cabinets, computer
rooms and entire buildings, so that reaction times are extremely short in the event of
damage.
Automatic surveillance systems provide great benefits in this area; they keep an eye on data center parameters
like temperature, humidity, power supply, dew point and smoke development, and at the same time can automatically
initiate countermeasures (like increasing fan speed when a temperature limit value is exceeded) or send
warning messages. Ideally, systems like these do not operate from just one central point. Instead, their sensors
should be distributed over the entire infrastructure and their results should be reported via IP to a console that is
accessible to all IT employees. They therefore use the same cabling as data center IT components to transfer
their data, which makes it unnecessary to lay new cables. In addition, they may be scalable in any fashion, so they
can grow along with the requirements of the data center infrastructure.
Some high-performance products have the ability to integrate IP-based microphones and video cameras so they
can transmit a real-time image and audio recording of the environment to be protected. Many of these products
even have motion detectors, door sensors and card readers, as well as the ability to control door locks remotely.
If a company’s budget for a data center surveillance solution is not sufficient, the company can still consider
purchasing and installing individual sensors and cameras. However, proceeding in this fashion only makes sense
in smaller environments, since many sensors – for example, most fire sensors – cannot be managed centrally,
and therefore must be installed at one location, in which an employee is able to hear at all times if an alarm has
gone off.
With cameras, especially in consideration of current price trends, it always makes sense to use IP-based solutions
to avoid having to use dedicated video cables.
R&M Data Center Handbook V2.0 © 08/2011 Reichle & De-Massari AG Page 77 of 156