Shining a Light into Network Closets
Author:
April 2007
Small and midsize companies are increasingly adding voice, video, security and other critical applications onto the data network to reduce costs and enhance communications. That is driving change in the network closet, which is evolving from a low priority access point to a critical network resource.
As a result, organizations must ask themselves: “Are my network closets capable of handling the demands of new technology and new applications?
The answer in many cases will be no, especially when it comes to power protection and cooling for network closet equipment.
In the past, the data network was relatively tolerant to downtime; the converged network is much less so. Six elements of protection to consider when building out network closets include:
- Power quality
- Power reliability
- Physical security
- Cooling and ventilation
- Remote monitoring.
- Preventative maintenance and service
Power Quality. The type of UPS you use will depend upon the criticality of your equipment. Line-interactive systems are used for most high-availability network closet applications, and they carry a relatively low cost. For business-critical, always-on applications, you may also want to consider online, double-conversion systems.
Power Reliability. The increasing use of Power over Ethernet (PoE) in the network closet demands more power to for inline devices. In some cases, these devices may quadruple the power draw. PoE standards are expected to increase from 15 watts per port today to 40 watts per port. This will require additional UPSs or redundant modules to provide the levels of protection you need.
UPS sizing and runtime are other considerations in reliability. Given changes in network technology and growth in power requirements, sizing UPSs to accommodate a 50% to 100% growth factor is not excessive. Be sure to use full-load calculations for runtime – not average or nominal calculations – to provide a comfort margin and ensure that UPSs have enough capacity for growth.
Runtime requirements may vary. If you want to simply support graceful shutdowns of equipment, you may need as little as a few minutes of runtime. Ensuring continuity of critical applications may require 2 hours or more of runtime, which will mean extra UPS batteries.
Physical Security. Network closets often escape the scrutiny given to computer rooms, and unauthorized access is often a problem. This makes it critical to protect the equipment inside cabinets with locking systems, contact closures that can be monitored, and other security features.
Cooling and Ventilation. With more power comes more heat. The equipment itself can increase the heat load in the closet, which typically has poor ventilation. You’ll need a plan for removing heat from the rack and from the room – it will not just dissipate on its own.
Rack-mount fans can help in removing heat from the racks, as will advanced cable management systems to eliminate cable clutter. In some cases, ventilation through the door using building air conditioning will suffice. In other cases, dedicated cooling will be needed.
Integrated cabinets with dedicated air conditioning are available for small closet spaces. These will require ventilation of heat out of the room, preferably to the outside.
Remote Monitoring & Management. Network closet power and cooling should include remote monitoring capabilities so that environmental conditions and all UPS and cooling systems can be continuously monitored and systems can be remotely controlled.
Preventative Maintenance and Service. UPS maintenance begins with ensuring that power can be supplied to equipment during UPS shutdown. This is possible by installing a maintenance bypass switch. Additional maintenance should include monitoring of UPS and battery condition and on-site services for battery replacement and UPS repair.
Network closets can be challenging environments for power and cooling because of their small size and critical applications, but virtually any problem that you encounter can be addressed by technologies available today. And failing to address these challenges will limit your organization’s ability to use your network to create competitive advantage in the future.
Berbee and Emerson Network Power/Liebert have the knowledge and tools to help customers determine the power and cooling requirements based on the technology that will be deployed in the network closet. For more information, please visit www.berbee.com or call John Uchaker at (513) 677-4119.
