Why is temperature monitoring essential for your IT infrastructure?
For sensitive and expensive server hardware to operate efficiently, you want to maintain the correct level of cool air available.
Remote temperature monitoring and control not only protects servers, but also network switches, storage devices, and power distribution equipment.
Having a balanced environment in your server room will protect your capital investment and help save money running more efficiently.
Critical power distribution devices, such as Rack Power Distribution Units (rPDU) and Remote Power Panels (RPPs), must maintain environmental temperatures.
Environmental Monitoring System
With improvements in today’s technology, we have great options for monitoring mission-critical environments.
You do not have to install a dedicated system for monitoring temperature.
Some Rack PDU manufacturers have Temperature, Temperature/Humidity probes that temp sensors can plug into their power strips.
Wireless sensor technology has evolved with battery life, transmission distances, and overall sensor life.
Most companies designing temperature monitoring systems have options to integrate these devices into existing systems.
Temperature Monitoring
Anyone that has had the opportunity to work in an active data center over the years probably has worn a coat or hoodie, when available.
For the longest time, the cold aisle felt like a meat locker. Standing above a perforated floor tile will cool your body within minutes.
Air discharge in these cold aisles can be from 55°F – 70°F. Which raises your operation costs, the cooler you go.
ASHRAE created the TC 9.9 research to help provide guidelines for temperature specifications.
Depending on the age of your hardware, you can raise the discharge air temperature to reduce operation costs.
Operational savings are recorded from 4% to 5% for every degree the cool air intake is increased.
Best practices that are proven to save money are installing blanking panels in open sections of server racks.
Depending on the room’s design, installing containment for either the hot aisle, cold aisle, or both.
Large companies living in the data center world, such as Google, have worked on increasing their server inlet temperatures.
Temperature for a server room
So what do you do with your temperature monitoring and get control of that environment?
Determine the age of your server and infrastructure hardware. The newer the hardware, the higher you can raise the intake air temperature.
Install blanking panels to the inlet side of the server cabinet. This prevents cool air from bypassing equipment intakes.
Install temperature sensors every third to fourth cabinet. If looking to save money, place sensors four feet up from the floor.
Having sensors located at two feet, four feet, and seven feet gives you a picture of how your airflow is moving.
Adjust perforated floor tiles to reduce overcooling and increase cooling for hot spots.
Work with an engineering firm to design a containment system to optimize your cooling efforts.
Use outside air to help reduce your cooling costs.
If you have a temperature monitoring system application, you would like to discuss, please feel free to Contact Us.