Creating an effective
computer or
server room design is a bit like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Unless you’re a
glutton for punishment (which, I admit, some of us probably are), you wouldn’t
get started on a puzzle without making sure you had all the right pieces or
without looking at the picture on the box to see how the finished puzzle is
supposed to look. In order to get the project done as efficiently and
effectively as possible, you need to assess the puzzle’s pieces, make a game
plan, and then begin work in a systematic manner.
When creating a server
room design, not only do you need to take stock of all the elements of the
server room, you also need to consider the way those components work together.
It’s rare that you get a server room design right on the first try – throughout
the design process, you’ll need to adjust for different design elements to make
sure the systems work harmoniously.
To make sure your team has all its
pieces in place, begin by meeting with your IT and facility staff to review your
server room objectives based on your existing systems and facility. With your
company’s design goals in mind, your team can evaluate the availability
expectations as well as the requirements for your server room’s power and
cooling density. The
Planning & Feasibility stage defines the scope, schedule and budget for the new server or computer room. You can develop a conceptual server room
design and draw up construction budgets and timelines.
With feasibility accomplished and a high level plan in place you are ready to move to the
Engineering & Design phase. The end result of
your design project should be a server room that not only provides enhanced
scalability, flexibility and server availability, but also concurrent
maintainability and fault-tolerance against failures in which a component must
be replaced.
To evaluate the quality of your server room design, consider
the following points:
- The server room should accommodate your current
needs, as well as your facility’s expansion for up to five years in the future.
If it doesn’t, you may need to go back to the drawing board.
- Your
location should be centralized and in a secure location. Try to avoid placing
the server room near in the basement, on the ground floor, near bathrooms, and
near the roof or exterior walls because of flooding and climate control issues.
Also, avoid high traffic areas in order to improve the security of your server
room.
- When evaluating your server room’s power and cooling
requirements, don’t stop with just the servers or the air conditioning system.
Consider the impact of air flow, floor space, lighting, UPS, fans, and other
hardware. Each of these elements affects your design’s power and cooling loads.
You may have to revisit your plans multiple times to create an efficient server
room design.
- Take security seriously. Control access to your server
room via auditable methods and consider installing security cameras.
The
true test of an effective server room is whether your design will allow for
future expansion while remaining reliable and cost-effective in the present
time. Through careful planning, you can design a sophisticated, successful
server room that meet your company’s demands for years to come.
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