Power Distribution & Monitoring
Recent posts
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The Role of Environmental Monitoring in Hyperscale Data Centers
by Anna Paquette
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringServer Technology’s 2019 re-release of the “The Power of Hyperscale Computing” addresses the role of data center environmental monitoring in hyperscale data centers. This blog explores this critical component of hyperscale computing.
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Video Review: Take a New Look at 3-Phase Power Distribution
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn support of the new Server Technology 3-Phase power video, we offer this blog as a critic’s review of the latest installment from Server Tech Theater. Grab some popcorn and have a seat.
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All About the New 3-Phase Power Video
by Linda Kennedy
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn Server Technology’s new video, “Take a New Look at 3-Phase Power Distribution,” the newly organized Server Tech Theater tackles the subject of 3-phase PDU power distribution to the rack and, more specifically, where and when you should and should not reach for an alternating phase rack mount PDU.
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A Case for DC Power Distribution, Part 2
by Josh Schaap
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn our previous post , we started a conversation about the topic of DC power distribution and 48v DC power in the data center. The struggle to improve efficiency within computing facilities began long before the chipset had been invented, back in the ‘war of the currents’ in the 1880s. ...
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A Case for DC Power Distribution, Part 1
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringWhile we touched on the topic in this 2017 blog, we wanted to spend a little more time exploring the concept of DC (or direct current) power distribution in the data center. For years, it has been an esoteric blip on the radar of critical power distribution, hovering just outside the realm of ‘interested, just not today.’ We would like to revisit the topic because a strange thing has been happening—quietly, mind you--over the last couple of years: designers and large data center operators are actually starting to implement solutions that utilize DC power.
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And What Is a PDU in the First Place?
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIf you have landed on this blog and were looking for sports awards, corporate awards, and recognition products, you are in the wrong place. Unless, of course, you want to see the Server Technology trophy case, which is quickly being filled by our team of engineers.
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Shedding Light on Three-Phase Power - Part 2
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & Monitoringn our previous post on 3-phase 208 power, we set the stage by describing some of the differences between it and single-phase power, including the fact that 120 + 120 does not equal 240 in the three-phase world. One thing that most of us know is that the rules for calculating capacity are different between the two. In this blog we will discuss the reason behind the difference and help build the case for the importance of a metered three-phase power strip.
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Shedding Light on Three Phase Power - Part 1
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & Monitoringart of the issue is that it is counterintuitive, particularly if you fully understand and have spent most of your life surrounded by single phase power. That is the form of power that most of us know because it is the way power is distributed inside our homes, schools, and workplaces. It’s how we understand the world of electricity: you plug in an appliance, and it turns on and works. Plug in too many appliances into a single receptacle, and the circuit trips. Power within the data center follows the same basic principles, although there is a bit more at stake with the tripped circuit breaker. Plus, most of our homes do not have redundant sources of UPS power. But I digress. With single phase, what you see is what you get. Single phase wiring for your home has two hot wires and a neutral. One hot wire and a neutral provides 120V, and two hot wires and a neutral provide 240V for larger appliances such as the oven and air conditioner.
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It’s Not Just a Phase
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn the data center, our customers are always going through them. Equipment comes in, rack counts go up, and loads increase. Electrically speaking, many of our client’s centers are in a state of flux. Server Technology manufactures a variety of PDU types for whatever phase of development your data center happens to be in.
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The Top Benefits of True HDOT With Alternating Phase Outlets
by Josh Schaap
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn 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).
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What is a PDU vs. a Power Strip?
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringRecently, 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 different 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 smart phone; the former is very basic, while the latter is much more powerful and complex.
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Environmental Monitoring: Mission Critical Monitoring, or Mission Impossible?
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringData center environmental monitoring is nothing new. Systems such as the first Sensaphones have been around for decades, dialing out on POTS lines to report on space, power, and cooling. But don’t get me wrong – we’ve come a long way, baby. Haven’t we? As our friends at the Green Grid have correctly noted, you cannot improve what you are not measuring. It is safe to say that, up until now, we have never had access to the volume of information we can capture now, nor could we process it into useful and actionable data. But one thing has not changed, and that is the fact that we still rely on probes and sensors to capture all those little kernels of information.
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Single Phase PDU & Rack Power [APPLICATION NOTE LINK INSIDE]
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringHow do you balance the electrical needs of a cabinet of equipment with available technology? Many data center facilities have come to rely on a standard rack mount power strip PDU configuration fed by 3-phase, 30A circuits running at 208V. This setup can yield approximately 8 kW to feed your power-hungry IT gear.
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Want To Support High-Density Applications? Try a 3 Phase PDU
by Josh Schaap
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringSometimes, the road less traveled proves to be the better route. That’s certainly the case with a less common, new approach to PDU design that employs 3 phase power distribution. In the past, this has meant dividing power into several branches within the rack PDU, but this new approach from Server Technology makes use of alternating each phase on a per-receptacle basis instead of per branch. As you can imagine, demand for more power in the cabinet is behind the move towards a 3 phase PDU in many data centers. If the search for more power is on your mind, alternating phase PDUs might be the answer to your problems.
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Slash Your Energy Costs To Gain A Competitive Edge
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringThe widespread opinion in the sports world has been that Tom Brady gained a competitive edge in last season’s AFC championship game when he deflated the game ball, as he’s been accused of doing by the NFL. Though this was an underhanded attempt to gain an advantage, most competitive entities can understand the drive to win that motivated him to take this course of action.
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3 Reasons Your Data Center Is Losing Money
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringIn Server Technology’s new video, “Take a New Look at 3-Phase Power Distribution,” the newly organized Server Tech Theater tackles the subject of 3-phase PDU power distribution to the rack and, more specifically, where and when you should and should not reach for an alternating phase rack mount PDU.
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Is There a Power Struggle Occurring in Your Data Center?
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & Monitorings occurs in many data centers across the U.S., there is a big disconnect between your business’s IT department and upper management. Despite the multitude of functions that your data center provides for your organization, just as with any other department, it is ultimately driven by its bottom line. Executives need to see that your data center is making money.
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Kill two birds with one stone in your data center this spring
by Josh Schaap
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringNow that winter’s vista can be appreciated only in your rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look around your data center and engage in some old-fashioned spring cleaning. You’ll likely find two areas that could use your attention: space constraints and heavy electricity usage. Like most data centers, you are running out of room as you add more cabinets, and your monthly utility bill is spiking accordingly.
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HDOT: It’s Better Than the Average PDU
by Josh Schaap
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringThe standard power distribution unit (PDU) being used in most data centers today has eight power outlets and a basic on/off switch. It’s bulky and difficult to attach to a rack, so it typically rests on the ground. Further, there is no way of measuring how much power is flowing in and out of the unit at any given time. In truth, this traditional PDU is a 20th-century technology that should not be used to provide power to sensitive 21st-century data center equipment.
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CAUTION: Your data is trying to warn you!
by RJ Tee
Categories: Power Distribution & MonitoringUptime should be a primary focus of your data center. If your business-critical servers aren’t functioning, your bottom line will be directly affected. That is, your customer-facing application is only as strong as the network infrastructure that powers it.
