21st Century Data Center

8/3/2019 21st Century Data Center

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21st Century Data Centers



Contents

• Introduction 1

• Data Center Considerations are Many 2

• Cabling Infrastructure: Copper or Fiber? 6

• Logistics Can Be the Key to Success 9

• Conclusion 10

21st Century Data Centers



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©2004 Anixter Inc. 21st Century Data Centers

21st Century Data CentersIntroduction

What is a Data Center?A Data Center is an information technology resource dedicated to providing uninterruptedservice to mission-critical data processing operations. Data Centers centralize andconsolidate information technology resources, enabling organizations to conduct businessaround-the-clock and around the world. Among its many features are:

• 7 x 24 x 365 availability

• Fail-safe reliability and continuous monitoring

• Power and network communications redundancy and path diversity

• Physical and network access security and surveillance

• Zoned environmental control

• Fire suppression and early warning smoke detection systems

Why the Recent Surge in Data Center Activity?

The emergence of the Internet as a universal network, the Internet Protocol (IP) as a commoncomputer "language" and the continued advancements and maturity of Web technology haveserved as catalysts for a number of common business initiatives, including:

• Server consolidation and centralization of processing capability

• Database, content and storage management

• "Webification" of business applications

• Information distribution via Intranets and Extranets

• E-business and Electronic Data Interexchange (EDI)

• Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Sales Force Automation (SFA)

• Wireless applications and connectivity

Another factor contributing to the surge of Data Center construction is that the number ofInternet connected devices per business or household is expanding well beyond the numberof actual users. Business people are adopting wireless PDAs (personal digital assistants) inaddition to or within their cell phones. Residential customers are experimenting with thin-clientappliances, e-mail machines and home-networked PCs. Consequently, a "many-to-one"device-to-user ratio is driving the need for additional network connectivity and Data Centerexpansion.



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21st Century Data Centers ©2004 Anixter Inc.

Additionally, bandwidth capacity and availability is increasing while monthly access chargesare decreasing for wide area, metropolitan and residential services. Web resources must alsoincrease in order to meet the market demand for higher performance and availability.

Data Centers are expanding and modernizing to meet the growing demands of mobileprofessionals, as well as supporting rapid new customer acquisition and enhanced serviceinitiatives. Data Centers are also sprouting up around the world to capture market share in

the on-line business and consumer service market.

Common Attributes of Data Centers

There are functions common to any Data Center today. For the most part, all Data Centersprovide:

• Internet access

• Wide-area communications

• Application hosting

• Content distribution

• File storage and backup

• Database management

• Failsafe power

• Adequate HVAC and fire suppression

• High-performance cabling infrastructure

• Voice switching

• Security

Data Center Considerations are ManyProfessional Engineering

With so many electrical, mechanical and communications variables involved, successful datacenter design and construction begins with professional engineering. Data Centers are uniqueenvironments, so developers can benefit from the architect, engineering and consulting (AEC)community, along with construction firms with experience in designing and building DataCenters. Some of the benefits provided by professional engineering include:

• Familiarity with the trades involved in a project (HVAC, electrical andmechanical)

• Coordination of the many trades involved in the building process• Telecom and datacom expertise

• Unbiased written specifications based on performances, not general hype

• Understanding clients’ network demands

• Meeting state licensing requirements

• Assuming professional liability for design and operational problems



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Data Centers, once they’re up and running, have zero tolerance for downtime and otherproblems caused by poor design or flawed installations.

Power requirements aren’t always known at the onset and capacity must be sized withdensity in mind. Packing as many servers as possible into a rack or cabinet footprint meansbetter asset utilization, yet demands more power. Additional redundancy and route diversitymay also be required. Feeds from multiple power grids, piped to devices along different

physical paths, have become standard design criteria. Additionally, adequate grounding andequi-potential bonding is key in providing personnel safety and noise-resistant electronicenvironments.

Power requirements are increasing and more times than not, redundant (A&B) and diversepower sources exist in each rack or cabinet. Data Centers today often specify 100 W persquare foot and many are provisioning for twice that demand. Servers are supplied with dualpower supplies, each having its own power cord. So, racks and cabinets must be designedto provide plentiful power strips and cable routing. Environmental monitoring (temperature,humidity, smoke and vibration), operational monitoring (fan status, incoming voltage andUPS) and access control can provide additional control and management.

Adequate cooling becomes more of a challenge when servers are packed closely togetherand secured by heat-trapping enclosures. This invokes lively discussion among operators,engineering firms, contractors and manufacturers as to delivery of cooling to the devices viaaccess flooring, specialized cabinets and other ducting methods.

Some Data Centers have 44+ 1U-size (1 rack space) dual processor servers installed into onecabinet, only adding to the cooling problem. Device stacking restricts airflow and can furtherrestrict cooling in multi-compartment cabinets. This translates into overheating in racks orcabinets at room temperature of 72 degrees, and only threatens to get worse since coolingcapacity is rarely increased as electronics are added. Some estimates blame up to 60percent of downtime on heat-related issues and conditions are projected to worsen with

forecasts of heat load expected to double in less than 10 years.Thankfully, enclosure and flooring manufacturers are tuned into this and are working withelectronics suppliers, Data Center developers and operators to come up with new designsolutions. One example is the hot aisle/cool aisle approach, where racking neighborhoodequipment fans are all directed into a common aisle so hot air can be evacuated from theback and cool air can be channeled in through the front. Of course, these considerations aredecided up front in the overall layout of the Data Center.

Efficient allocation of space is a major feature of good Data Center design. Floor spacefor networking equipment can vary anywhere from 20 to 70 percent of gross square footage,the remaining space being consumed by support equipment. A good design must juggle all

the variables to deliver high density and high availability, with adequate cooling and cablinginfrastructure flexibility. For instance, decisions to use ladder rack or cable tray beneath thefloor can be influenced by factors such as security, maintaining sufficient airflow to devicesand accessibility of Data Center utilities.

The amount of space to allocate for aisles between cabinet rows or rack lines must beconsidered for maintenance purposes. Placement of cabinets and cable trays must beanticipated as it can be highly critical to floor panel access and future growth.




Secure Remote Access

Since Data Centers often depend on a myriad of devices (a mixture of new and legacyequipment, entry-level to enterprise-class servers, various operating systems, firewalls,gateways, switches, and routers), proactive management is required to maintain networkequipment. Secure access and control, from anywhere, at any time, is crucial.

To meet this need, IT professionals today rely on remote management technology. The toolsthey use are console managers and KVMs (keyboard, video and mouse) devices. Theseproducts provide access to servers and IT equipment, whether it’s down the hall or across theglobe. Users can manage nearly anything in the data center at any time, from anywhere –even when the network is down.

Via serial ports, console managers provide remote, consolidated access and control over avariety of Linux, Unix or Windows equipment including servers, routers, switches, telecomequipment and building-access devices. Over the Internet, remote KVMs enable users tocontrol the GUIs of an entire rack or room full of servers with a single keyboard, videodisplay and mouse.

Access Floors

One of the key pre-design considerations that affects almost every aspect of success within aData Center environment is the access floor or raised floor (as it’s often referred to). Thisinfrastructure is every bit as important to cooling, equipment support, grounding, andelectrical and communications connectivity as the building structure supporting it. When anaccess floor is chosen as a means to distribute services to the Data Center, there are manycriteria to consider regarding these utilities, some of which include:

• Seismic and vibration considerations

• Need for equipment to be bolted to and stabilized by the flooring structure

• Positioning of equipment to provide easy access to removable tiles andraceways beneath

• Spacing of access, cooling and maintenance aisles

• Panel strength and airflow requirements

• Electrical bonding and anti-static conductive needs

• Rolling, ultimate and impact load capacities

• Minimum height requirements for easy access

These environmental conditions will dictate the choice of stringer grids, panel construction,surface laminates and overall design considerations. As the access floor grid is often one of

the first structures in place prior to any cabling or equipment location, it is often the victim ofplan changes and disruption, sometimes harmful. Often, as the cable tray, power orcommunications infrastructure is laid, the grid is disturbed and "squaring" or stability iscompromised, causing numerous undesirable issues to occur. As always, the more time putinto planning, design, coordination of trades, knowledge of support equipment specificationsand careful selection of access flooring materials is the best way to ensure overall successand minimal delay.

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Racks, Cabinets and Support Infrastructure

Data Centers employ a wide variety of racks, enclosures and "pathway" products like cabletray and ladder racking. Variables are as numerous as the applications they support. Theymust all in some way, individually and together, support four key areas of need:

• Climate control, namely cooling and humidity

• Power management• Cable management

• Security and monitoring

In a populated Data Center, a typical enclosure might house 12 to 24 servers, a switch anda monitor generating a heat load in excess of 4500 watts. It’s easy to see how coolingproblems can arise in such a scenario. Even with computer room cooling and a fan at the topof the cabinet, there can be a wide disparity in temperature at the top versus the bottom ofthe enclosure.

Racks and cabinets must often meet seismic (Zone 4) requirements as well as load-bearingand server depth needs. These support structures must also provide effective cablemanagement. There are many unique designs and innovative approaches that can helpensure neat, manageable bundling and routing of cables with mechanical protection, stabilityand flexibility.

Data Centers also vary widely in their approach to intercabinet or interrack cabledistribution. Many prefer cable tray below an access floor while others have adopted anoverhead ladder rack approach, while still others see unique merit in each and use both.Cable distribution is a major consideration in the planning stages and overall design of theData Center.

Data Center operators must strive to meet or exceed the legendary "five nines" (99.999%uptime) of the public telephone network. "Five nines" reliability equates to slightly more thanfive minutes downtime annually for 24-hour service levels. It is a challenge in the data worldto achieve that level of reliability, yet that is the customer expectation. N+1 and 2(N+1)component redundancy is required to meet these objectives. This desired level of stabilitycreates a cascading effect on capital investment, usable networking equipment floor spaceversus support equipment space, dollars invested per square foot, etc.

Security

Data Centers are the lifeblood of the information organism. Company and customer datashould be treated like money in a bank vault. Data Centers must have very definite measuresin place to limit access only to authorized personnel, ensure use of proper fire prevention and

life-safety systems while minimizing the potential of equipment damage. Video surveillance(CCTV) and card access control may be sufficient, but additional security may be required.Besides perimeter-type security, compartment security is required via locked cabinets andadditional provisions for cable raceway and raised floor access become necessary toachieve comfort levels. In addition, real-time personnel and asset tracking may be desired.




Storage in Data Centers may migrate to the Storage Area Network (SAN) model over time asthe volumes of stored data escalate and the management of content becomes morechallenging. Additional or complimentary connectivity concerns must be addressed in theData Center design to accommodate for flexibility and the most efficient and effective use ofspace. The use of fiber channel technology and 50-micron glass may cause the reevaluationof overall distribution design. As other data link level transport methods (such as Gigabit

Ethernet) are evaluated and/or standardized for use in SANs, there may be an advantage tousing the same fiber type to interconnect storage systems and servers throughout the DataCenter.

Flexible and adequate connectivity is key to bringing users on-line quickly and efficiently.Choice of media in the Data Center may be more critical than in other wired areas, just asequipment reliability and redundancy is more critical in a hospital operating room than in theadmissions offices. The right combination of performance, flexibility, headroom, patching anderror-resistance are all variables in the same crucial design formula.

Cabling Infrastructure: 10 Gigabit Copper or

Fiber Optic CableChoices between fiber or copper or the selective use of both depend on a variety of criteria:

• Bandwidth and performance required per Data Center area

• Immunity-to-Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

• Need for density and space-saving connectivity

• Flexibility and speed of reconfiguration

• Device media interface considerations

• Standardization

• Future vision and tolerance for recabling

The Case for Fiber:

Fiber can provide several advantages over copper in a Data Center environment:

• Fiber systems have a greater bandwidth and error-free transmission overlonger distances, allowing network designers to take advantage of new DataCenter architectures

• Cost of fiber optic solutions is comparable with extended performance coppercabling

• Optical Data Center solutions are designed for simple and easy handling and

installation• Fiber systems are easier to test

• Optical fiber is immune to EMI/RFI

• Faster installations (up to 75 percent faster) offer time and cost savings to DataCenter developers, operators and contractors

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• High-density fiber optic systems maximize valuable space. Fiber’s small sizeand weight requires less space in cable trays, raised floors and equipmentracks. As a result, smaller optical networking provides better under-floorcooling and gives precious real estate back to the Data Center

• Fiber has the ability to support higher data rates, taking advantage of existingapplications and emerging high-speed network interfaces and protocols.Multimode fiber optics support:

10/100/1 Gbps/10 Gbps Ethernet

100/200/400 Mbps Fiber Channel

• Provides "future vision" in network infrastructure

• 50-micron fiber is generally recommended by Storage Area Networks (SANs)manufacturers because of its higher bandwidth capabilities

• Single-mode (SM) fiber capability goes beyond 10 Gbps

Fiber Use in the Data Center

Data Center Wide Area Network (WAN) connections vary but most are typically fed with atleast two redundant and diversely routed 10 Gbps fiber pairs. Bandwidth distributed toservers and other devices may range from 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps or more depending onapplications and Data Center models.

In some data centers, cabling infrastructure often mimics the commercial building distributionmodel with fiber being used in the backbone (like a vertical-riser) and copper to connect theservers (similar to horizontal distribution). However, there is an increasing trend to take fiberas close to the devices as possible, for several reasons. Fiber can provide increasedbandwidth over copper with multimode supporting up to 10 Gbps Ethernet. Fiber can alsoprovide up to 60 percent space savings over copper cabling. This can be an importantfactor, as equipment density and heat dissipation needs increase. Space below access floors

is getting crowded and can seriously restrict airflow needed for cooling. Interlocked armorjacketing can also provide additional protection if necessary and further reduce the need forunderfloor raceway.

Fiber termination and patching equipment now allows up to 96 fibers to be terminated in onerack space (1U). This feature makes it attractive in some designs to terminate fiber close toserver cabinets or racking rows (or even within them). While many servers now come in 1Uconfigurations with dual (A&B) Ethernet interfaces, some have started to appear with opticalconnections as well. This trend toward optical networking would benefit from just such a"fiber OR copper last meter" flexible patching point within a server cabinet row. Such adesign, while providing the maximum flexibility and growth insurance, has many variations

and depends entirely on the Data Center operator’s business objectives.Interestingly enough, the use of fiber over copper is no longer as much a cost considerationas it’s been in the past. In the Data Center environment, most agree that Gigabit Ethernet willbe common so if copper media is to be used, only the highest grade of cabling will providethe required error free transmission, headroom and performance criteria. Today, the cost of ahigh-quality copper "channel" is economically equivalent to a fiber solution, while the fiber




solution provides additional advantages such as extended distance (beyond 100 meters) andEMI/RFI protection. Installation cost also is favorable with fiber, particularly when amodularized "Plug & Play‘" solution is adopted, often yielding 75 percent savings over afield-terminated approach. For example, installing pre-terminated fiber in a large (100 + Ksq.ft.) Data Center can take as little as 21 days to purchase and install along with offeringeasy and effective moves, adds and changes as well.

50- or 62.5-Micron Fiber?

In terms of physical properties, the difference between these two fiber types is the diameter ofthe core—the light-carrying region of the fiber. In 62.5/125 fiber, the core has a diameter of62.5 microns and the cladding diameter is 125 microns. For 50/125, the core has adiameter of 50 microns with the same cladding diameter. This diameter measurement of fibercore has an indirect relationship to the effective bandwidth and the distance limitations of thefiber. As the core size decreases, the bandwidth capability increases.

Bandwidth, or information-carrying capacity, is specified as a bandwidth-distance relationshipwith units of MHz-km (Megahertz per kilometer). The bandwidth needed to support an

application depends on the data rate of transmission. As the data rate goes up (MHz), thedistance that rate can be transmitted (km) goes down. So, a higher-fiber bandwidth canenable you to transmit at higher data rates or for longer distances.

While 62.5-micron fiber is the most common multi-mode optical cable used in local areanetwork applications, 50-micron fiber is the standard for Storage Area Networks and theirFiber Channel data link connectivity. 50-micron fiber was chosen because it provides greaterlink lengths (such as 150 m @ 400 Mbps using 850 nm LEDs) than 62.5-micron for FiberChannel. This is also true for Gigabit Ethernet (600 m). The increased information-carryingability and adoption for SAN/Fiber Channel usage within Data Centers has caused somedesigners to recommend a migration to 50-micron fiber throughout the Data Center. One

such IDC design envisions Ethernet and Fiber Channel distribution switches sitting betweenserver cabinet rows and SAN equipment, providing any-to-any configuration capabilities anda migration path to all optical networking within the Data Center.

Does Copper Media Have a Home in the 21st Century Data Center?

Today, there are high-performance copper cabling solutions that are capable of supportingGigabit Ethernet reliably. Only the best expanded performance copper media with full"channel" performance should be used—in other words, copper distribution systems withcomponents designed to work together and provide error-free transmission from transmitter toreceiver. This means throughout the entire path—not just through the cables but through allthe interconnection devices such as patch panels, jacks and patch cords.

It’s important to know the strengths of each cabling system, and install products withcharacteristics that match the equipment or service demands. One such example involvesusing high performance patch cords as transition points between fiber-connected Ethernetswitches and copper-interfaced servers within server cabinet rows or "rackingneighborhoods." At short distances, high-end cables will provide more than enough insuranceagainst dropped packets. At a later date, if desired, the switch cards and server ports maybe upgraded to optical and the copper cords may be replaced with fiber equivalents.

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Logistics Can Be The Key To SuccessGetting materials to Data Center sites on time and within the scope of budgets and in-servicedates is a crucial consideration for businesses. Many Data Center developers have becomepainfully aware of the importance of an integrated supply chain to overall success. After all,for most businesses, success is defined by incoming revenue and that can only occur after a

new application or system has been made available. Speed-to-market is essential, yet manycompanies underestimate the complexity and time requirements of material procurement,transportation, handling and spec control once funding is obtained and the green light isgiven to a Data Center expansion or construction project. Proper logistics planning can playa key role in bringing projects in on time, on scope and within budget.

Many Data Centers feature a finished production floor capacity in excess of 100,000 squarefeet. Developers wisely plan buildouts based on a phased approach. They will build outsections of the Data Center (for example, 25,000 sq. ft. at a time) in order to optimizecapital outlay and capitalize on revenue streams from new customer contracts.

As these areas (sometimes called "Pods") reach a predetermined "fill percentage," work onthe second phase commences. This not only preserves capital outlay, but also allows for moreeffective coordination of trades (electrical, mechanical, communications, etc.) In order toutilize this model effectively, especially where there are multiple projects underway in multiplegeographies, spec control becomes an important part of the equation. These sites are oftenmirror images of each other in more ways than one, so sharing and enforcing rigidconstruction specifications across geographies is a smart approach to maintenance,operations and service stability. Many companies are good at designing, building andoperating Data Centers, but logistics is often not their core competency, and is bestoutsourced to a good logistics partner. Some of the key requirements for successful DataCenter logistics are:

• Dedicated resources

• Inventory management system• Warehousing services

• Material procurement expertise

• Distribution expertise

• Logistical project management experience

• Global or national network

For many Data Center developers, operators and contractors, these logistics capabilities canbe the difference between success and failure, between meeting in-service dates or fallingbehind the competition in customer acquisition or new service introduction.


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ConclusionData Centers reflect how business is done today, from electronic commerce to the on-lineconsumer. As Internet-connected devices continue to outnumber network users by at least atwo-to-one ratio, more and more users are becoming dependent on instant information accessand on-line service offerings. Data processing capabilities will continue at Moore’s rate

(doubling every 18 months) and the need for storage will increase by a factor of 10 over thenext few years. Businesses will need to cope with that demand whether they choose toexpand existing Data Centers or outsource some of those functions to service companies.

As bandwidth becomes more plentiful, available and economical, and as security technologymatures, Data Centers will provide a plethora of new and unique communications services.

When designing and building a Data Center, planners, implementers and operators mustprovide:

• 7 x 24 x 365 availability

• Fail-safe reliability and continuous monitoring

• Power and network communications redundancy and diversity

• Physical and network access security and surveillance

• Zoned environmental control

• Fire suppression and early warning smoke detection systems

They must consider:

• Professional engineering

• Power requirements

• Adequate cooling

• Efficient allocation of space

• Proper racking, enclosures, pathways and access flooring• Redundancy and path diversity

• Security

• Storage

• Flexible and adequate connectivity

• Copper or fiber cabling and management

• Integrated supply and logistics

With so many variables and unknowns to consider, today’s IT and business leaders arecutting new trails through uncharted territory. The next few years will unveil the developments,risks and rewards of the new economy as entrepreneurial innovation and the digital age takeroot, powered by business technology and the Internet and brought to you through 21stCentury Data Centers around the world.

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Sources

To assist in the implementation of Data Centers, Anixter Inc. offers materials, processes andexpert advice in areas such as cabling infrastructure, power distribution, logistics servicesand physical security products and services. For more information, visit www.anixter.com.

Fiber optics opinions were based on testing by Corning Cable Systems. Fiber opinions were

also based on the following white papers:• The Origins of the Anixter Fiber Testing Program

• 62.5- or 50-Micron Multimode Fiber

The ideas and concepts in this paper reflect Anixter’s perspective on the Data Center market.However, Anixter would also like to acknowledge the following companies for theircontributions (either directly or indirectly) to this paper:

Corning Cable Systems

EMC Corp.

Environmental Systems Design

H.F. Lenz Company

Hewlett-Packard Company

IBM

Intel Corp.

McClier

Sachs Electric Company

Rittal

Sun Microsystems, Inc.Tate Access Floors, Inc.




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