The first thing you need to do is get rid of all the unused cables beneath the suspended computer room floor. This is one of the oldest and greatest problems for computer rooms. The unused cables have not just been collecting dust under your floor – they’ve also been creating an effective air-block that doesn’t let the air flow down there. Plus they also make for very messy server rooms, because usually you’ve also got a significant amount of power and other communications cabling down there too. You might even need a computer room raised floor smoke detector installation.

The next thing you need to do is properly arrange your equipment into hot and cold isles. This will help significantly. The containment of hot isles will also help in areas where blade servers or other “very hot” equipment is in use. Also ensure that you have data center cooling rack enclosures and blanking panels in place in all empty cabinets so that you’re not wasting the energy to cool nothing. By properly managing the air flow in your server room, you will save a significant amount of energy, which turns into money.

You may also want to seriously consider virtualization, which will give you another boost in savings. If you take a look at the power consumption of a chip, from 0-50% utilization, power use is almost linear. But when you go up to 50-75%, there is small incremental power consumption. Over the past couple of years virtualization has gotten quite advanced and mature, which makes it a very viable solution to server consolidation.

And finally, properly provisioning your power can have a huge effect. If you add up the tags on the back of the power supplies to do this, you are probably working in overkill mode. The numbers on the tags are always the worst case and vary depending on the manufacturer. Chances are, you’re really only using about 1/3-1/2 that amount.

Power is expensive! That’s why some companies are really going the extra mile (pun intended) and moving their entire data centers to areas where power is the cheapest. That must tell us something about power costs!

To obtain these goals, equipment suppliers are inventing more energy-efficient equipment and technology every year, and computer rooms are decreasing their energy consumption in their buildings. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have also focused on this issue by creating a national energy efficiency information program for data centers.

With the economic crisis in full effect right now, the financial impact of high energy use in server rooms is becoming an ever increasingly important issue for most companies. Because of today’s energy situation, you should read an article from Wall Street & Technology, titled “5 Tips to Cut Data Center Energy Use.” In the article, there are 11 server room ideas for practices recommended for cooling that can help dramatically improve computer room energy efficiency. Here are the top five from the article:

1. Plug Holes in the Suspended Computer Room Floor
2. Install Blanking Panels
3. Coordinate CRAC Units
4. Improve Underfloor Airflow
5. Implement Hot Aisles and Cold Aisles

A large server setup, on the other hand, will quickly surpass tolerable and/or regulatory noise levels (which can be varied in each state or country). The heat reducing demands will also be significantly higher. Standard air conditioning cannot handle such high demands. Plus there will be waste heat from computer room ac. The only option is to allow for a dedicated computer or server room with specialized air conditioning that will cater to your specified ideal server room temperature. If you’re unsure about what would work best for you, check into server room air conditioning companies. A dedicated area will also make limiting personnel access much easier to handle. It’s probably a good idea to implement electronic badge or card access, and maintain a log of who has entered or exited the room.

In addition to the server itself, generally a dedicated computer room will also contain disks, back-up devices, cables, and, most likely, spare disks, peripheral cards, blades, fans, and other vital equipment. You will probably be able to provide server administration remotely, but a local console in the server room is also crucial, which will allow personnel to perform functions like maintenance and administration locally.

Environmental Issues to Consider during Computer Room Design

In addition to storing the equipment in your computer room, you will also need enough room to move and rearrange it as needed. Part of this includes changes in air conditioning and electrical power. You’re also going to need enough room to store backup replacement devices such as peripheral cards, fans, disks, and backup tapes.

If you’re not careful when estimating your current and future demands, you may be forced to move your servers to a new room or location, which will cause a major disruption in your company’s services. You’ll also end up with huge direct and indirect costs. Your direct costs might include obtaining, building, and provisioning a new computer room or even an entirely new building. Indirect costs may and probably will arise, for example, when a lack of storage causes an inability to work efficiently and properly and respond effectively to competitors.

Do not store any of your backups in the server room. If there is a computer room fire, it could, and probably will, damage or destroy both the hardware and the backups. Ideally your backups should be stored offsite at a secure location. It may cost, but it’s worth it.

Ensure that your power supply is large enough to meet today’s demands as well as the demands of the future. Don’t be frugal when it comes to your server room. Also make sure you install enough lighting and electrical outlets.

If you will do all of the above correctly the first time, ensuring a correct computer room layout,  it will make futre maintenance and enhancements that much simpler, not to mention cheaper.

1. Remember that, according to TIA-942, cables must be run to accommodate growth. That just means that you need to lay your cabling according to your needs today and according to what you estimate your needs will be in the future. You’ll want to lay cables for speeds that will probably be used in the next 10 years. A 10-gigabit system will likely be used during that time, if not something even more advanced.

2. Make sure you check up on your local codes regarding abandoned cables. Chances are, in order to be compliant, you’re going to have to remove all abandoned cable. You’ll want to have all of them out of the way before you start putting in your own. After all, more cables always means more restricted air flow and less space, which can make cable organization a disaster, not to mention the hazard of computer room fires.

3. Ensure that your data provider will be able to install conduits that can accommodate your electricity and other cable demands. It will be a very expensive mess if you have to go back and pay to have additional conduits drilled/installed, for example, under existing roadways.

4. Check into local laws and codes for fire suppression and specific cable coating requirements. Does the cable need to be limited combustible? Does it need to be run in special conduits? Make sure you have the correct server room specifications.

5. Heating and cooling in your server room are extremely important. Check your HVAC requirements. Depending on your servers, your requirements may increase substantially, so look into a variety of server room cooling units. You may also want to install a server room temperature alarm, just in case you don’t have the ideal server room temperature.

6. Although you may not think of it at first, seismic activity and flooding are always a possibility. Check into local building codes and standards and regulations.

7. You’ll also want power redundancy. Check with your local power company to see what they can provide you with.

8. Something you must consider is how accessible you will be to the local fire department and hydrants. Hydrants should always be close, and the fire department shouldn’t have to cross any railroad tracks to get to your building. If they do, it’s going to cause your insurance rates go up. Strange, but true. You may also want to consider your computer room layout – will all the equipment be accessible to help teams?

9. Is your building secure from outside forces? For example, are you going to need to build barriers on the South side of your building adjacent to the road to prevent drivers from accidentally crashing directly into your server room? Keep anything in the outside environment that are not in your control in mind.

10. Pay careful attention to current and future floor loads. It’s often the case that high rise buildings can’t support heavy loads, like large computer room equipment, without expensive structural modifications and fortifications.

If you’re unsure about any of the above information, be sure to check into data center designing services. There is a great number of companies out there that can help you.

A good rule of thumb that you should follow is to schedule certified cleanings throughout the year on a quarterly basis. You may even need to schedule one more often if your particulate count exceeds the standards set by ISO 14644-8 or ISO 14644-9. By following this regular cleaning schedule, you’ll be able to optimize the performance of your server room hardware, while at the same time cut down on the cost of repairs or data recovery from damage that could have occurred. If you compare the cost of a regular cleaning to the overall financial investment that was put into your data center, it’s a smart buy.

How To Choose a Cleaning Service for Your Computer Room

Don’t grab your broom and dustpan yet. You might use these two items to clean your home, but data centers are very different. The only thing your home and your server room have in common is that you should clean them both regularly. Cleaning an entire server room is a very delicate process that requires the specific services and expertise of professionals who are highly-trained at it and who will carefully and safely clean your critical equipment.

Here’s some advice to help you choose the right cleaning service:

• Check the company’s references, especially their quality of service. Find a reference or two that have facilities similar to yours. Be sure the company you’re looking at knows how to deal with the type of equipment in your server room.
• They should also be insured for damages they might cause during their cleaning.
• Evaluate the cleaning crew’s experience and training and ask for their official credentials. They need to know exactly how to clean server room. They should be trained and certified for specific standards and server room specifications.
• Review their methods. Make sure they use HEPA filtration vacuums and that their chemicals are safe for your electronic equipment and other hardware and that they will be able to work with your computer room layout.
• Tell them up front what you expect. Who will move the equipment? Does the service including cleaning beneath the suspended computer room floor or above the server racks? Perhaps there are certain data-sensitive areas of your server room. Will those areas be off-limits? What else is included or not included in their cleaning service?
• You’ll want to look for a company who will be available to clean according to your needs. Perhaps in addition to your regular cleanings, will they be available in the event of a last-minute emergency?

1. Choose an Appropriate Rack Size

As you start the design of your server room and computer room layout, the logical place to start would probably be the computer room racks. Make sure to get racks that have not only enough internal space to house all your current equipment, but also your future equipment. You’ll need extra space now if you ever plan to expand in the future, as you surely will. You’ll also need enough room to move your servers in and out, as well as enough space to maneuver them around. For safety purposes, you’ll also need enough room between equipment. When installing it, follow the included instructions so that you’ll be less likely to have problems in the future.

2. Include Your New Room in Your Security Strategy

One of the most important things for you and your company is security. As you’re designing your room, make sure any changes you make are included in the business strategy. For security, you may want to consider buying server racks with lockable doors. Also consider minimizing personnel access to the server room and using cameras or other computer room monitoring systems. There are also a lot of other things that can potentially cause damage to your server room and equipment: temperature changes, water leaks, electrical issues, etc. Also write up policies and what needs to happen for data center escalation procedures. Keeping these things in mind and adding additional security features to your room will enable you to act quickly to take care of these issues and protect your valuable equipment.

3. Research New Power Technology

Power technology is always being improved. Companies are providing you with various choices for supplying your servers. You’ve got several options to consider: rack mount power strips, remote power products, three-phase power technologies, and, of course, standard power strips. Your choice is going to depend on various factors: the amount space in and around your computer room, the number of necessary outlets, each plug’s requirements, and redundancy requirements you may want to implement now or in the future.

4. Ensure the Safety of Your Room with a Good Cooling Strategy

Each piece of equipment gives off a varied amount of heat, making various cooling demands for your computer room. You’ll need to learn exactly how to keep a server room cool. When making the selection for server room cooling units, you need to evaluate your total requirements along with the available cooling methods in order to ensure the overall safety of the equipment, environment, and personnel according to server room specifications..