Deploying Efficient Server Cabinets

As responsibility for IT infrastructure power consumption moves increasingly away

from Facilities Management and into the domain of the IT department, new initiatives that can tangibly decrease corporate power consumption are making their way up the agenda. And in today's volatile fuel markets, the importance of tackling this issue looks only set to escalate.

Traditional Approach - Dedicate Server Environments

The cost of building a 9 sq.m air conditioned server room used to house several server cabinets will typically cost between 10,000 and 20,000 with an ongoing energy usage often exceeding 3000w's. Therefore, It is clear that traditional server cabinets located in custom built air conditioned server rooms are not only expensive to install but also expensive to run.

Perhaps more alarmingly is that 50% of the total energy consumed by traditional server environments is used to cool the server environment and not to power the server cabinets themselves. Even though server manufacturers are constantly striving to produce servers that consume less power, running costs will remain high whilst cooling the cabinet's accounts for such a large percentage of the energy consumed.

The Alternative Approach - Efficient Front Office Server Cabinets

One solution to the high energy costs associated with traditional server environments is to deploy passively cooled server cabinets. These units require far less space and are cooled by the surrounding air without the need for dedicated air conditioning units. Air is drawn into the front of the server cabinet, channeled round the equipment and then extracted out of the back of the unit.

These cabinets are acoustically sealed and therefore virtually silent and each server cabinet can easily be transported between sites should the need arise. More importantly, they cost far less to own than dedicated server rooms and often consume less than 60w.

These units typically feature front office looks and can be easily deployed in any office environment. In fact it is often difficult to distinguish them from standard office furniture such is the finish and sound dampening effectiveness of these units. A slight whirring noise can be heard when very close to the unit.

Conclusion

Due to the volatile nature of current fuel markets it's likely that energy costs will continue to rise. This in turn will place the responsibility of finding more efficient server environments firmly on the shoulders of the IT department. Combine this with the ethical pressure companies are now experiencing to reduce their carbon footprint it is likely that the demand for energy efficient alternatives to traditional server environments will increase.

by: Gary Turner

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