Network hardware requires constant feeding to ensure smooth operation. When performing calculations and processing datum, IT equipment consumes much power. At the same time, it emits too much heat, which can lead to multiple problems.
The issue of energy supply and data center cooling are interconnected, since the level of consumed power depends on the climatic conditions in data centers. Moreover, ventilation tools consume electricity as well, meaning that the extra capacity of a PDU should be left for feeding all components of an IT system. Thus, it is necessary to regard all the objects stored in server rooms as a single complex unit when calculating the required server rack energy consumption.
The issue of server rack energy consumption is topical since it has lots of units that require sufficient feeding. A server rack serves as a place of storage for highly computing equipment, where each device requires powering. When the number of devices totals several hundred or even thousand, the amount of consumed energy rises exponentially.
Another important issue here is the need to power other servicing units, such as cooling devices and others. Obviously, when in operation, IT hardware tends to heat well. When we accumulate the heat produced by all equipment components, the need for forced ventilation tools (fans, evaporators, etc.) arises.
Consequently, one server rack has multiple units that require feeding. Data centers can have dozens of racks, meaning that the need for powering augments drastically. Thus, tech staff and maintenance employees should take time and effort to calculate the amount of the required power to feed one rack and an entire center.
The main purpose of calculating the needed energy consumption is related to the fact that power distribution units can produce different amounts of energy. Each station has a maximum capacity of produced power, meaning that if your system requires more energy, some units will lack feeding. Sufficient feeding of all units is vital for communications systems; otherwise, they will work improperly, resulting in malfunction, downtime, and breaking. This is why it is essential to make sure that the available power distribution unit is capable of generating the required amount of energy to feed all devices.
Distributing Power
When dealing with settling a server infrastructure, keep in mind that stronger and more powerful servers compute more complicated tasks and deal with large amounts of information, meaning that they emit more heat. Thus, they require more cooling devices. Make sure to surrender powerful servers with a sufficient number of coolers. At the same time, take into account that the need for feeding fans and coolers will also rise the power capacity of the PDU.
A PDU comes as an obligatory element of the network system energy supply. Taking into account ampere requirements, technicians can configure and adjust the amount of power supply to all units to feed all modules and racks with a sufficient amount of power. Besides, PDUs also perform other functions, such as environmental monitoring and remote access. One of the main tasks of system administrators is to calculate the needed capacity of the PDU to guarantee proper feeding. Also, PDUs provide remote access and environmental monitoring options to simplify handling and guarantee security.
A too-weak PDU will result in the following problems:
insufficient feeding to some devices or system components;
improper functioning and processing;
premature hardware damage and malfunction;
unexpected data loss;
system downtime.
Sufficient power consumption of the server room guarantees a smooth and continuous performance of system units.
When planning server feeding, it is vital to connect devices to appropriate power supplies to guarantee stable and uninterruptible functioning. Even a short-time breakout of servers can cause data and money loss, which results in significant expenses to businesses and infrastructures. Thus, when connecting servers, take into account their power needs.
Energy comes as a key element to power data centers and to maintain optimal operating conditions in them.
Here, also note that an IT system accommodated in a data center is a complex organism where each unit and component needs electricity. Depending on a device, its power, and its capacity, the level of consumed energy differs. Some objects are less power-consuming, while others set higher requirements for energy supply. For instance, large servers require more powerful feeding and cooling. Thus, you should understand how power is allocated within the data center. Here are some figures that will help calculate and allocate energy correctly:
50% of the entire power demand is left for feeding ventilation tools installed to maintain optimal environmental conditions;
36% of the energy goes for critical loads, i.e. powering passive and active equipment and foreseeing integration of new units or components in the future;
11% of electricity is spent on UPS modules;
3% goes on lighting the premise.
Yet, note that although the share of digital processes rises annually, an average server room power consumption has increased by 6% only for the period between 2000 and 2018, which demonstrates that it is possible to figure out a power-effective strategy for running DCs.
Surprisingly, a significant portion of every supply goes into maintaining a proper environment in DCs, which is why it is important to consider cooling issues attentively and pick low-energy high-efficiency devices for cooling purposes.
Add Up the Power Consumption of Every Device in the Room
As you see, the issue of DC feeding is a complicated one since too many aspects require consideration. Now, let’s see how to determine power consumption in the server room. This detailed guide will explain how to allocate energy efficiently and avoid mistakes in calculations:
Analyze hardware. Make a list of all equipment pieces that your IT system comprises. If you have several cabinets or racks, you can separate lists of devices to make an estimate more precise.
Write down how much power each of them needs to perform thoroughly.
Add up all the figures to find out the final estimate. Yet, note that you should choose a PDU with a bigger power capacity to foresee system improvements and extensions over time.
Alternatively, technicians can use another method to determine the required server room power consumption. They can observe it in real-time or determine how much energy is supplied to the data center and divide the figure into the number of units. Yet, this approach is more general and does not allow getting a precise estimate for each cabinet or rack.
Also, when dealing with the power issue, note that two different types of loads are distinguished, namely, server room steady state vs peak power consumption. In most cases, the steady state indicator is taken as an average figure that the PDU must satisfy. Yet, when selecting a suitable PDU model, make sure that it is powerful enough to withstand peak energy consumption.