Packet Power Blog

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.

Few things seem to cause as much confusion as three-phase power, especially in a Delta configuration.  Plumbing and car enthusiasts: rejoice! In this post we'll present a plumber's (and car mechanic's) version of a three phase power system.  

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.

Most data centers use AC (Alternating Current) power. The current within an AC system flows in one direction, reverses, flows backward and then forward again 50 or 60 times a second, depending on what country you’re in. That means that voltage and current in an AC system fluctuate back and forth between positive and negative. Since the power being delivered is the product of voltage and current, it will fluctuate as well. If voltage and current were perfectly synchronized you could simply multiply the average voltage and average current and get the correct average power being delivered. Unfortunately, voltage and current can get out of sync so you may be getting less power than you think.

Power is what makes all computation possible. Data centers are factories that take information and electrical energy and turn it into more valuable information and heat. In order to function, data centers must make sure enough power is always available.  Data center managers also 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. Cost turns this review of the basics into a necessary part of any data center manager's job.