Electricity can seem both simple and confusing at the same time. A refresher on things like the differences between volts, amps and watts never hurts. Or a recap of where a direct current system may make the most sense. One particularly tricky concept to master is the idea of three-phase power, especially in a Delta configuration.

Plumbing and car enthusiasts: rejoice! In this post we'll present a plumber's (or car mechanic's) version of a three phase power system.

We live in a world of electrical power. It runs our lights, heating, cooling, computers, and machinery. Consider a data center or any large power-hungry facility -- they need power to function and they must ensure enough power is always available. But power isn’t free. Data center managers closely track power as the cost of energy used by a server over its useful life routinely exceeds its purchase price. And most data centers spend twice that amount to cool the servers and remove heat from the facility.

Here's a quick review on the basics of electricity -- Volts, Amps, Watts and Watt-hours. Adding information on cost at the bottom turns this review of the basics into a necessary part of any critical facility manager's job.

You may be getting less power throughout your facility than you think, thanks to something known as power factor. Power factor affects power management, especially if you’re running very high power equipment such as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Power factor also affects accurate cost measurement since you are effectively getting less usable power than you’re paying for. So it pays to understand power factor and how it affects your operations.

It has never been more important for your critical infrastructure to be up and running. Remote monitoring helps ensure your facilities are operating as they should be, even when no one is physically around. Remote monitoring isn't a new thing, but it is time to move it from the "nice to have" category to the "essential for business operations" category. 

Security and safety are the foremost concerns of anybody deploying and managing an energy and environmental monitoring solution within a data center or any other networked environment such as a building or factory floor. The system being monitored and the systems performing the monitoring deploy exceedingly complex technologies. Unfortunately, complexity tends to lead to side effects and unintended consequences.

We have all heard of the original Internet worm, Stuxnet, ransomware and dozens of other public and not so public incidents involving accidental or malicious disruptions spread and delivered through computer networks. At times, the complexity of the problem seems very daunting, despite the acronym soup of safe-sounding certifications and assurances from vendors. Luckily, there are some basic rules that ANY technology has to obey.

The rise of the "Internet of Things" (IoT) has made it possible to monitor and control an incredibly wide range of devices using wireless connections. This convenience can create security concerns. But not for Packet Power.

Electric cars are here. If you don't drive one yet, chances are you will before the end of the decade. An electric car is basically a computer (multiple computers really) with a bunch of batteries and an electric motor or two on four wheels. Just like your average computer, it consumes electrical energy. Have you ever wondered how far your average rack of servers could take you if it was a Tesla?

We did the math.

Data center infrastructure monitoring is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. There are many parameters you could monitor:  power, energy, temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. There are also multiple levels in physical and organizational hierarchy that monitoring could be deployed at:  main feeds, PDUs, cabinets, busways, servers, etc. Obviously, you want a system that supports as many parameters as possible and covers them throughout the hierarchy.

What is sometimes forgotten, however, is the dimension of time. Good monitoring also takes place on multiple time scales.

Data center power and environmental monitoring can be a daunting project, but it shouldn’t be! It should be a simple and low risk proposition, quickly providing tangible benefits.  Many of our customers have done it. We distilled their experiences into eight simple rules and present them below. Whatever solution you choose, we hope you will find them helpful.

Direct Current has been an intermittently hot topic in the Data Center community for over a decade, yet it remains relatively unknown. It is finally beginning to change and many of our customers are starting to consider and actually deploy DC systems. Here's a brief review of the basics of DC vs. AC installations.