playing with hot-swap batteries
I’m currently in Europe on the way to CeBIT with a press group sponsored by American Power Conversion (APC), the power reliability people. We started in Denmark at one of their R&D units, and also visited a facility using the APC InfraStruXure modular racking, management, and cooling system for server installations. When you consider that 1.2% of the entire country’s energy budget goes towards running servers, any improvements in efficiency, operation, or management can make a significant impact. The system also includes software to design the server layout incorporating power, cooling, cabling, and backup in a 2D or 3D virtual environment.
With system density fighting with reliability in server farms due to the incredible heat loads and power backup requirements for six-9 operation, you can’t rely on air-conditioning the server room to death anymore. APC is one of the companies addressing the issue with software architecture tools and advanced cooling to allow server farms to operate at their peak.
The old and the new. The new has twice the system density.
At the Danfoss facility (a manufacturer of thermostats and pumps and such), an APC client, the data center was using a traditional server rack infrastructure previously, and was able to double the data density of their servers by using a confined hot-aisle layout with in-row modular cooling systems fed by pumps and a heat exchanger outside of the building.
I just had to show you guys how neatly the Danes set up the system behind the rack in the hot aisle. (If you have a site as neatly laid out, send me the picture and we’ll run it in a separate post.) Their international server command center was also impressive.
CeBIT starts tomorrow, so keep an eye out for pics from the show!
Nice pics
Dam that room is probably loud as hell
Love APC Own nothing but I have one that is over ten years old and it still works battery and all. I run my bedroom projector on it.
The integrated system is much quieter than the old way with hug fans blowing air everywhere. The water colling and in-row heat exchangers are very efficient.
APC rocks. Between my study, entertainment center and one bit of medical gear, I have six assorted devices of theirs in the house. Some bought new and some bought refurbed. They seem like lasting forever.
I still think that you look like Harry Osborn, specially with that short hair 🙂
4 – the Green Goblin? He didn’t have tech anywhere near as impressive as this. Love those old-vs-new shots – they really make the point.
APC is fine if you use all APC equipment, but the second you try on integrate it into a non-APC building management system they become a pain in the ass
6,
That’s a moot point since the APC system is designed to be implemented as a modular integrated solution. You aren’t supposed to use legacy racks, power backup, or cooling systems with it.
Mmmm… What a nice rack…
Thanks for covering CeBIT and Danfoss whose German HQ i can see out of my window… next up would be German Beer (who cares about CeBIT? It’s a B2C Trade Show with a big B2B Label and ticket prices, missing many of the major players in every sector, declining visitors numbers, this year giving away free tickets like crazy in order to boost that numbers, far to stretched out with more then 20 buildungs on the Expo2000 grounds and a website – http://www.cebit.de – that looks like it’s straight from the 90’s).
I recommend that Alix starts with “Flensburger Pilsener” or “Flens” for short (www.flens.de for the real website, flens.co.uk for the english one) because it is not only great beer, but also has the useless perfect german engeneering bottle opening system.
It should be available everywhere around Hannover (which is where the cebit takes place).
#5 TJ
Norman Osborn is the original green goblin.
Neat stuff Smarty. APC is one of the few companies around that (I think) most people don’t have a problem with. I have one of their UPSs on my desk, and the company I work for uses a number of their products.
Can you give us an overview as to what their software side solutions do, or a link to where they’re at? I’m particuarly interested in how they’re managed from the Admin side of things.
13,
They’ve got a demo of the software tool on the site. That’s where I got the screenshot. It’s been updated, but the new version will be on the site soon.
It’s not completely enclosed, but Virginia Tech’s System X uses the same concept. I’d System X is at least as impressive to see.
http://www.tcf.vt.edu/systemX.html
7.
I wasn’t talking about just one subset (ei datacenter) of a building. Why would you replace working power, lighting, smoke/leak detection systems with a APC solution. The systems I have worked with would view the whole building including non computer room assets. While I enjoy the dream of a homogenized datacenter I have yet to see one IRL. So playing well with others is important to me.
16,
If replacing the current system with this enables you to double your processing and storage density in the same physical space it becomes a cost-effective and viable solution.