Climate protection needs energy efficient data centers - Stulz GmbH

There are two basic construction design types which aretypically used in the rack:• 19” 1U or 2U (8 ports, up to 16 ports),• vertical power strips which attach to the side of therack (12 ports, 20 ports)(e.g. serial RS232, partially Ethernet) which enables thecontrolled start-up of devices. The power strips are typicallycontrolled via a KVM switch which also facilitatesthe grouping and assigning of individual outlets to theconnected devices (e.g. servers).From a functional point of view the power strips areavailable in three categories:• passive power strips for IT environments• switchable power strips with control input• intelligent power strips with control input and monitoringfunctionsPassive power strips for IT environmentsWith simple models it is important to make sure thatthe strip has an adequate number of power outlets (for‘Schuko’ or rubber connectors), as well as high qualitymechanical characteristics. The use of power strips withon-off switches is not to be recommended as the risk ofaccidental shutoff through mechanical contact is far toogreat. There is also a model with integrated surge protectionavailable. This helps avoid malfunctions caused bytemporary voltage spikes. The main disadvantages of thesimple models are the unavoidable start-up peaks (whenall loads are switched on simultaneously), the absence ofeither on/off control or consumption monitoring.Switchable power strips with control inputA more advanced development of the first categorycomprises switchable power strips with a control inputIntelligent power strips with monitoring functionsAs well as their switching function, the latest generationof power strips offer power consumption monitoring(overall consumption and individual outlet measurements)to provide you with an accurate overall pictureof your data center’s energy consumption and efficiency.Here it is important that individual measurements betaken at each power outlet in order to ascertain the exactload distribution in the rack and if necessary to determinethe best spatial positioning in the data center for newservers. This can also form a basis for the optimization ofcooling and air-conditioning systems.The measured data can be read out using a monitoringtool via Ethernet and SNMP and recorded as a trend.Following this you then have option of analyzing theindividual loads within the framework of a statementof costs. This allows the individual allocation of costs perload (e.g. calculation of energy costs per section or server).Intelligent power strips also offer other functions suchas environmental monitoring (temperature, humidity)adjustable thresholds (e.g. power) with alarm functions(notification via e-mail or SNMP).34