When appropriately deployed, the benefits of intelligent power distribution units (PDUs) greatly offset the upfront cost investment. With today's technology advances, colocation providers are able to closely monitor and manage power, environmental conditions, and even control cabinet access through one appliance and interface. This allows colocation providers to gain visibility of power usage and trending, and helps to boost operational efficiency.
Consider the following features when selecting an intelligent PDU:
- High temperature rating: PDUs reside in the hottest area of the cabinet, so it's crucial they can withstand high temperatures
- Outlet-level monitoring: Information obtained can be used to identify servers that are over or underutilized
- Outlet-level switching: The ability to cycle power to each individual outlet allows outlets to be turned off unless specifically assigned to power equipment
- DCIM integration: Easy integration with a monitoring software that gives users a single point to view, trend and report data points the PDU collects is crucial
- Electronic lock integration: Through the PDU interface, users are able to remotely monitor and control cabinet access.
There is a novel approach that integrates intelligent PDUs with cabinet security. This capability allows colocation providers to bring customers up and running as quickly as possible. The cabinet ecosystem approach looks at infrastructure, hardware and software as one element. It enables customers to:
- Remotely control access: Incolocation data centers the physical security of the cabinet is particularly challenging. Intelligent PDUs that integrate with access control allow data center managers to keep a log entry with of each cabinet access attempt.
- Standardize on footprint and airflow pattern: The cabinet (infrastructure) ensures maximum vertical space utilization and promotes full airflow and cable management capabilities.
- Achieve savings through IP consolidation: Most tenants deploy between five to 16 cabinets in a space. With a robust IP consolidation capability, it is possible to connect all cabinets using only two IP connections.
- Visualize critical conditions before they cause downtime: Intelligent PDUs that integrate with environmental sensors help users to remotely monitor, record and analyze environmental conditional at each cabinet.
Deploying a cabinet ecosystem is much simpler and faster than selecting hardware and accessories from different vendors and integrating onsite. Some cabinet manufacturers, like Chatsworth Products (CPI), offer a complete data center cabinet and power solution. This makes ordering, tracking and installation easier. The value of a single source is one of the most underrated factors that colocation and tenants take into consideration.
To learn more about PDU selection criteria and how a total cabinet ecosystem approach can optimize colocation and multi-tenant data centers, read the full article authored by Raissa Carey, CPI Technical Writer and PR Specialist, and published in the April 2018 edition of Mission Critical Magazine.
Brittany Mangan, Digital Content Specialist