The Advantages of an Uncluttered Rack, Part II

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.

Wow, I didn’t think I would ever hear myself say that there is more to talk about than power.

In our previous post, we talked about Alternating Phase PDUs and their ability to help manage, in addition to power, other space and cooling issues found in the typical data center. These included: a) unwanted heat load from unbalanced electrical phases, b) difficult-to-manage communications and power cabling in the back of the rack, and c) increased risk involved with move/add/change work inside a rack with that difficult-to-manage communications and power cabling.

In this post, we would like to shift our attention to another set of advantages that come with Alt Phase, all of which fall under the all-important category of cost.

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The first is the cost of space itself. Within an unmanaged three phase rack, there is a tendency to have unused U space because of neglect or fear. In the case of the former, it is simply too difficult to add more IT gear to an already messy rack. In the latter case, there is simply too much risk associated with the number of unknowns lurking in the back of an unmanaged rack. The path of least resistance is to find a safer haven for that new device in another rack. Over time, new equipment leads to new racks, and more racks consume more real estate within your room.

The second is the cost advantage of building out well-organized racks from day one, particularly if you subscribe to the rack and stack methodology. If your data center tends to be populated by racks that are pre-cabled by third-party integrators, then Alternating Phase PDUs make that job much easier. Shorter cable runs help reduce the cost not only of materials, but of labor as well. A simplified rack infrastructure built with a streamlined mapping process costs less to produce.

For more information our Alternating Phase products, take a look at our Alt-Phase White Paper Executive Summary, or head over to the PDU Buying Guide. At Server Technology, we are your Alternating Phase power experts.