Rack PDU Blog

For the second in a series about Server Tech’s lifecycle approach to award-winning customer service and support, we would like to talk about the next steps in the process of selecting just the right PDU for you. In our previous post on this topic, we discussed our Rack PDU Selection Wizard and its uncanny, often magical ability to help you select the right PDU type for your application.

In the past, a standard rack only held about nine servers and consumed around 6 kW of power when running at full capacity. With this load capability, you could safely power a full rack using a single phase PDU (power distribution unit).

Recently, a customer wondered about the real difference between high-quality power distribution units (PDUs) for the data center, and standard 120V power outlets (like the kind you would find in Home Depot). Why spend the extra money? They both supply power directly to the cabinet, right? In short, yes—they do. Both the PDU and the power strip, however, are in separate classes in terms of what they are capable of providing. Think of it this way: A power outlet is to a power distribution unit like a flip phone is to a smartphone; the former is very basic, while the latter is much more powerful and complex.

Server Technology has you covered when it comes to threats from the latest cybersecurity attack. Like last week’s YouTube star, the latest security threat has come and gone. It is unfortunate that these attacks have become so commonplace that they barely raise an eyebrow these days. I imagine that this is much to the chagrin of the nefarious code writers who are cooped up in an abandoned warehouse in a very, very cold part of the planet hacking away right now.

As mentioned in our previous post on Alternating Phase rack PDUs, many of us at Server Technology (including myself) like to talk about the benefits of our approach to handling three-phase power distribution within the rack. While the subject of three phase is de rigueur in the fashionable world of high density, there is a lot to talk about above and beyond the distribution of large amounts of power in a very small footprint.

Alternating phase power distribution technology from Server Tech is one of my favorite subjects. It has benefits that extend well beyond the electrical distribution world. In fact, it is one of the few power products whose secondary benefits meet and sometimes exceed the fundamental purpose of a three-phase distribution product. I discussed it in a previous post. Server Tech’s Alternating Phase PDUs may well set the new standard for the phrase, “the gift that keeps on giving.”

We’ve extolled the virtues of single phase 60A power distribution to the rack. But there are still may situations in which a three phase deployment is required to power the needs of racks that consume 12kW or more. In other words, situations that begin with ‘high’ and end with ‘density.’

One of the ongoing issues facing data center managers is cybersecurity, and the rack PDU may play a surprising role in the protection of the IT systems housed within the mission critical facility. While threats of intrusion are as old as the IMSAI 8080 from the movie WarGames, the intelligent power strip is a surprising new actor in the ongoing security battle.

Well, it is that time of year again. With the holidays behind us and a new year dawning, industry analysts and pundits are providing their predictions for our ever-changing, mission critical, data-driven industry. From DCK to IDC to that predictable predictor Gartner, the blogosphere is filled with forward-looking statements about the data center industry.

Just in case you didn't know, our award winning HDOT PDUs contain embedded Per Outlet Power Sensing (POPS) with device-level power monitoring, making this the most innovative product line yet. Every data center should seriously consider using HDOT PDUs — with +/- 1 percent billable-grade accuracy — to drive efficiencies, maximize uptime and slash operating costs.