The document discusses challenges in data center planning and infrastructure management. It addresses key priorities like facility location and protection, network redundancy, heat density and cooling strategies, system availability, energy efficiency, and power density constraints. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring metrics for uptime, performance, electrical usage, environmental factors, and application usage to determine points of failure and ensure service level agreements are met. Effective planning requires understanding factors like location risks, building codes, heat output of equipment, and maximizing space utilization given power capacity limits. The overall message is that monitoring, capacity planning, and efficiency are essential for managing modern data center operations.

1. Data Center Planning &
Infrastructure Management
What are the challenges?
Presented by David Tremont, Director, Network Services
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

2. An OLD story about the data center of the future
This data center runs 24/7 with only a man and a dog.
The man's job is to feed the dog.
The dog's job is to make sure the man does
not touch the servers.

3. Top Priorities
• Facility
Location, Services, Protection
• Network
Redundant Paths
• Heat Density
Data Center cooling strategy
• Availability
Uptime for critical systems
• Energy efficiency
Reduce energy usage
• Power Density
Volume power density with
space constraints
Visibility
• Monitoring

4. Facilities
Location – determining the location can be a challenge relating to
disasters, terror threats, accessibility, Metro infrastructure (power grids)
Services – Generator services, UPS capability, ATS.
Protection – Security, Fire suppression/protection (ECS FM-200
systems, “Clean Agent” extinguishing systems, sprinkler systems, etc).
Federal, State, County, City Building codes/regulations for electrical, fire
systems, fire alarms, security, etc.
Emirates Tower Offices

5. This isn’t the Data Center you’re looking for…

7. Map provided by datafoundry.com

8. Defining Basic Network Metrics for Data Center
 Can I monitor my Network, Server Farm, WAN, DIA, PRI/SIP connections for
uptime, SLA, Jitter, utilization and latency?
 Are backup services for network available via redundant paths, alternate routes
without degradation that will affect access to critical systems?
 Do I have metrics to determine points of failure, electrical usage, environmental
issues, application usage and performance?
 What type of granularity do I need for reporting to Senior Management?
 Do I have the ability to monitor these services for SLA via my own application or
do I have to utilize multiple tool sets or rely on the vendor? (single pane of glass)

9. HEAT DENSITY
There are 5 categories of gross space within a technology space or data
center that require specific use planning relative to heat density:
Electrically active IT hardware product footprints.
These consist of computers and telecommunications equipment
including communications frames, servers, rack-mounted equipment,
DASD and tape systems.
Service clearances for the above equipment
Site Infrastructure support equipment
This includes facility equipment installed on the raised floor or within
the technology space supplying cooling or power to the IT equipment.
Cooling systems include chilled-water air handlers or computer room
air-conditioning units, critical power equipment covers, in-room UPS,
etc.
Electrically inactive areas
Main isles, cross aisles and incidental storage
Monitoring specific zones within the data center environment

10. Availability
Generators, UPS, Batteries, A/B power, Circuit sizing
Need to know when power events happen!

11. Energy Efficiency
Virtualization
Consolidation of
under utilized servers
Hot aisle/Cold aisle Layout
Containment/Enclosures

12. Why is power density important?
It is important to understand your power density requirements so you know what amount of
flexibility you have in each cabinet you buy.
Example:
Let's imagine you are using 10U blade servers in your environment, and each one uses about 4
kW of power. A cabinet is typically 40U - 45U; but if only 4 kW is supported per cabinet you will
be using the max amount of power while only occupying 1/4 of the space in the cabinet.
If you have 4 of these blade servers, would you rather put them in 1 cabinet or 4? Since the
costs for this space is basically designed on a per cabinet basis, you can see that if you
extrapolate this example out over a large environment, you will see huge inefficiencies in a low
density environment.

13. Monitoring
• Power
• Consumption
• Systems
• Assets
• Capacity
• Failed Systems
• Virtual
• Change

14. It is all about …..
Monitoring
Planning
Images from Opmanager

15. Dilbert visits the Data Center

16. Questions???