When do you start thinking of your computer or server room as a micro data center? If we define a data center as an environment in which power and cooling are managed, then most businesses have a data center, even if some of their services are delivered in the cloud.
For many companies, the need for a managed data center environment is growing due to investments in IT systems and the size of the business. Servers have always been “business-critical” and still are today, but virtualization and shared services have further increased the complexity, requiring an even higher level of cooling and power security. Several leading data center organizations and associations offer benchmarking services to help companies ensure their IT facilities offer the best electrical safety, site security, energy efficiency, and operational performance.
What size UPS do I need for my server?
In a typical IT environment, servers are placed in rack cabinets. The servers themselves can be towers, placed on shelves or mounted horizontally in cabinets on rails. Installing in a rack cabinet allows for the centralization of all associated network infrastructure, including hubs and routers, which are typically rack-mounted. The use of server cabinets reduces the total area of the room and provides an easy to manage connection point for all electrical and computer networks. The room is also equipped with air conditioning, environmental monitoring, and security access systems.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system has been installed to provide power to the rack cabinets in the form of voltage stabilization, surge protection, electrical disturbance protection, voltage spikes, voltage drops, and power outages, as well as backup power (typically from a connected battery pack). The protective output of the UPS system is usually supplied by a power distribution unit (PDU), installed horizontally or vertically.
Selection of UPS System
The choice of UPS system is very important. The size and weight of the uninterruptible power supply and associated battery pack are limiting factors. Most rack-mounted UPSs have an internal battery up to 3 kVA, after which an appropriate battery compartment is used. This means that a rack-mounted UPS can occupy between 1 and 10 units of height in the rack.
There are also tower UPS systems, in which the battery cabinet is installed outside the server cabinet. These are more popular for UPS capacities of 5 kVA and above. Another important aspect is the power rating of the UPS, which is also influenced by the type and size of the installed UPS.
For small computer server
Many small computer servers require a single-phase power supply. If the server room or communication room consumes more than 6 kVA of electricity, a three-phase switchboard can be installed in the room itself. In this case, the UPS to be installed must have either a three-phase input and a single-phase output, or an output via a sub-distributor with a UPS output, and the load must be distributed over the three phases of the UPS output.
An external maintenance bypass switch is also recommended when installing a server-side UPS. As the UPS bypass switch allows power to be removed. Or disconnected from the system for maintenance purposes without disrupting the IT load. UPS Maintenance Bypass Switch The unit can be rack or wall-mounted.
An even higher level of fault tolerance can be achieved by using an automatic static switch (ATS / STS). An ATS or STS supplies the load and uses either two UPSs or two power sources. The UPS and an independent mains supply. The difference between an ATS and an STS lies in the way the power transmission is organized. STS switches use a static, uninterrupted transmission technique. For remote connection and management. The installed UPS must be connected to the IT equipment via SNMP. And can also be monitored remotely if the UPS supplier uses its own monitoring system.
In the Last
From the perspective of a controlled environment. The overall efficiency of the UPS system to be installed must also be considered. Modern servers and IT equipment produce heat. The higher the efficiency, the lower the impact on local cooling requirements. UPS systems can also increase local cooling requirements, but the higher the efficiency, the lower the impact. The guideline value to aim for UPS efficiency is approximately 95%. Or higher over a wide range of operating loads from 25%.
There are a number of factors to consider when selecting an appropriate UPS system for a small data center, server room, or communications room.
