AFCO Systems Introduces New Guide for Datacenters
 

AFCO Systems, a designer and manufacturer of advanced enclosure technology for mission-critical datacenter environments, this week announced that they have developed a new guide named "Deciphering the EPA Report on Datacenter Energy Efficiency".

The company explains that in a report to Congress last summer, the EPA highlighted the usage of energy by datacenters and made recommendations on how to alter the state of current and future datacenters to lessen a looming energy crunch. This guide was introduced to help datacenter managers understand the EPA Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency, and to give them insight into ways to boost the utilization of their existing power and cooling infrastructures.

The company avers that to aid datacenter managers in where to start with power efficiency, their experts have developed the "Four Ms for Datacenter Energy Efficiency". These are:

Measure: For increased efficiency, the focus must extend beyond ambient room temperature. Supply, server inlet and return must be measured as well. Airflow MUST be measured along with power consumption and air temperature. Understanding the relationships and interactions of these different components will help ensure greater control.

Manage: The EPA study identifies airflow management as a key factor toward enhancing datacenter efficiency. A first step is to "plug the leaks". Many datacenters have tiles removed or holes that no longer serve a purpose. These situations negatively impact airflow. The key is to be able to manage the flow of supply air as closely as you can to the computer inlet. Equipment such as variable speed fans at the air-handler, or preferably at the rack level, and high-efficiency, chilled water pumps help you manage airflow at the cabinet level.

Monitor: With loads approaching 15-20 kW per cabinet, cabinet level monitoring is a necessity. This process facilitates proactive management of the datacenter against "downing" events.

Maintain: Planned and systematic enforcement of best practices is a vital part of keeping the datacenter environment efficiently in tune with technology turnover. Trend analysis helps offset the obsolescence of legacy infrastructure. Air-handler systems should be rebalanced following a significant IT configuration. Systems should be sized and redundancies configured to maximize efficiency.

"The EPA's report points out the dramatic effect the growing usage of datacenters will have on US energy consumption if left unchecked," said Michael Mallia, CEO, AFCO Systems. "Through our analysis and recommendations, we hope to help customers make their datacenters more energy efficient."