Elements of a data Centre

Switches and Routers



The networking equipment is kept in a separate area, and depending upon the criticality, you would have

redundant switches and routers for immediate fail-over switching 

Physical Security



Every body understands the significance of security. Unauthorized access to data center premises can prove to be a major security threat. Use swap-cards, biometric devices for access control. Along with it, use closed-circuit cameras for monitoring 

Cooling 



Cooling the high-density servers, that are available today, is the most challenging task of all data center operations, and simply putting in air-conditioners may not help much. The challenge lies in pulling out hot air from the data center. This requires careful examination and identification of hot zones and cold zones, and the airflow in the center and then designing a proper cooling system. See page 98 for more information

Rack Enclosures



This is where most of the 'IT' part of your infrastructure resides. Rack servers, blades, storage, and even some UPS systems sit inside these racks. One of the challenges is to ensure that the equipment sitting in these racks remains cool and is 



always up and running. Equipment should be placed such that it's easy to manage and troubleshoot.Many racks have glass doors, which is probably not a good idea since glass blocks airflow and causes systems to overheat 

Raised Floor 



A typical datacenter design would have raised floor for the cooling and structured cabling. These are

usually 3 ft deep. With the form factor of servers changing from pedestal to racks, cool air coming from the bottom, through the raised, is not all that effective any more. Some data center designs even keep the cooling and cabling above the rack enclosures 

UPS



The job of the UPS is to provide uninterrupted power to the servers, storage and other

equipment in the data center. Use modular and redundant UPS systems for scalability and fail-proofing.

Advanced UPS systems can also trigger off the generator set, by sending signals to the power control unit The UPS provides

intermediate power back-up till the generator takes over 

Fire Prevention Gear 



Building a data center is a costly affair and nobody would want to see it burning down to ashes. So, install fire alarms, smoke detectors and gas-based fire fighting equipment. Use

fireproof material to build the walls of the center and keep the local fire station number handy. Don't forget to take insurance cover for the center 

Broadband Enclosure



Broadband equipment such as leased-line and fiber modems, which connect the data center to the outside world, should be placed separately from the data center with a separate entrance. So the external body, which is looking after your broadband, does not get access to the data center. Take connectivity from at least two providers for fail-over purpose

Generators



A UPS system, no matter what size, cannot continue to power up the system for extended hours. You will need a generator to restore back the power supply. Use redundant generator sets to have uninterrupted power supply, in case of failure of one. It may seem trivial, but you have to ensure that fuel (usually diesel) is always available to power the generators. Also note the time taken to procure fuel from outside and replenish the

generators