DATACENTERS data center
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Telcordia GR-3160, NEBS Requirements for Telecommunications Data Center Equipment and Spaces, provides guidelines for data center spaces within telecommunications networks, and environmental requirements for the equipment intended for installation in those spaces. These criteria were developed jointly by Telcordia and industry representatives. They may be applied to data center spaces housing data processing or IT equipment. The equipment may be used to:
Operate and manage a carrier's telecommunication network
Provide data center-based applications directly to the carrier's customers
Provide hosted applications for a third party to provide services to their customers
Provide a combination of these and similar data center applications
=== Reliability of electrical power supply ===
Power supplies, either back up or continuous onsite power, consist of one or more uninterruptible power supplies, battery banks, diesel, gas turbine, and/or gas engine generating sets. Greater primary fuel energy efficiency can be achieved with the use of cogeneration technology, generating electricity, heating, and cooling onsite.
To prevent single points of failure, all elements of the electrical systems, including backup systems, are typically given redundant copies, and critical servers are connected to both the A-side and B-side power feeds. This arrangement is often made to achieve N+1 redundancy in the systems. Static transfer switches are sometimes used to ensure instantaneous switchover from one supply to the other in the event of a power failure.
=== Low-voltage cable routing ===
Options for low-voltage cable routing might include data cabling that is routed through overhead cable trays; raised floor cabling, both for security reasons and to avoid the extra cost of cooling systems over the racks; and anti-static tiles for flooring, especially in low-cost data centers.
=== Environmental control ===
Maintaining suitable temperature and humidity levels is critical to preventing equipment damage caused by overheating. Overheating can cause components (usually the silicon or copper of the wires or circuits) to melt, causing loose connections and fire hazards. Typical temperature control methods include air conditioning and indirect cooling, such as the use of outside air, indirect evaporative cooling units, and seawater cooling.
Airflow management is the practice of achieving data center cooling efficiency by preventing the recirculation of hot exhaust air and by reducing bypass airflow. Common approaches include hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment and the deployment of in-row cooling units, which position cooling directly between server racks to intercept exhaust heat before it mixes with room air.
Humidity control prevents moisture and related issues. For example, excess humidity can cause dust to adhere more readily to fan blades and heat sinks, impeding air cooling and leading to higher temperatures.
==== Aisle containment ====
Cold aisle containment is done by exposing the rear of equipment racks, while the fronts of the servers are enclosed with doors and covers. This is similar to how large-scale food companies refrigerate and store products.
Computer cabinets/server farms are often organized for containment of hot/cold aisles. Proper air duct placement prevents cold and hot air from mixing. Rows of cabinets are paired to face each other so the cool and hot air intakes and exhausts do not mix air, which would severely reduce cooling efficiency.
Alternatively, a range of underfloor panels can create efficient cold air pathways directed to the raised-floor vented tiles. Either the cold aisle or the hot aisle can be contained.
Another option is fitting cabinets with vertical exhaust duct chimneys. Hot exhaust pipes/vents/ducts can direct the air into a plenum space above a dropped ceiling and back to the cooling units or to outside vents. With this configuration, traditional hot/cold aisle configuration is not required.
=== Fire protection ===
Data centers feature fire protection systems, including passive and active design elements, as well as implementation of fire prevention programs in operations. Smoke detectors are usually installed to provide early warning of a fire.
Although the main room usually does not allow wet pipe-based systems due to the fragile nature of circuit boards, there are systems that can be used in the rest of the facility or in cold/hot aisle air circulation systems that are closed systems. These include sprinkler systems and misting, the latter of which uses high pressure to create extremely small water droplets and can be used in sensitive rooms due to the nature of the droplets.
However, there are other means to put out fires, especially in Sensitive areas, usually using gaseous fire suppression, of which Halon gas was the most popular, until the negative effects of producing and using it were discovered.
=== Security ===
Physical access to data centers is usually restricted. Layered security often starts with fencing, bollards, and mantraps. Video camera surveillance and permanent security guards are almost always present if the data center is large or contains sensitive information. Fingerprint recognition is starting to become commonplace.