Data Centers Need Backup Cooling Options
June 12, 2008
Reliability remains a key concern among data center operators. An unplanned
outage in a data center can cause severe business disruptions. At their
worst, outages can also cause severe disruptions to the facility staff
managing the data center.
Most companies understand the importance of testing both the generator and
UPS system regularly. UPS batteries need regular testing because their
performance will degrade over time and as their usage increases.
But what about testing the cooling systems? Some companies don't actually
test how their data centers perform under a loss of utility power. They
simulate the testing of the UPS but never cut utility power.
That doesn't give a full picture of performance during an outage. Have you
added servers to your data center since it was designed? If so, it's
important to make sure your cooling system is still up to the task during an
outage.
If your UPS system is designed for 15 minutes, but your cooling system can
only last for a few minutes before temperatures spike, problems will quickly
arise.
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