Server Room – On-premises Data Centre Design
Server room or on-premises data centre is a dedicated rooms used to house and maintain computer systems, such as servers. They are designed to provide a secure environment for storing and running server hardware, software, and other related equipment. It is typically climate-controlled and have specialized power, cooling, and fire suppression systems. They also have physical security measures such as locks and access control systems to protect the equipment.
Server Rooms or Data Centre require the ability to effectively distribute power to racks, data cables, and cooling (i.e. air, water, coolant). Therefore, the designers need to consider how best to distribute these services throughout the server room while also considering how best to address future requirements such as growth, increased demand for data distribution, and technological advances in cooling approaches. In most Server room or on-premises data centre, we have raised flooring to conceal cables and cool the server effectively.
Raised Floors
The raised floor is an elevated floor used to provide space for cables, wires, and other power and data infrastructure. The raised floor is typically composed of removable floor tiles, or “panels,” that can be removed to gain access to the space below. This space is used to route cables and wires, as well as to install additional power and cooling infrastructure. The raised floor provides a convenient way to organize and access cables and wires, as well as to keep them out of the way of people and equipment. The raised floor also provides a way to distribute cooling air to the equipment in the server room.
Server room raised floors are the hallmark of the high-availability enterprise data center, and with good reason. For many companies, the presentation of their server room is an important part of facility tours for key customers. Data centers and server rooms without raised floors are perceived as being incomplete or less than state of the art.
The raised floor systems within server rooms or on-premises data centre provide the following:
- A distribution system for conditioned cold air
- Tracks, conduits, and/or supports for data cabling
- Conduits for power cabling
- A copper ground grid for grounding of equipment
- A location to run chilled water and/or other CRAC piping
Structured Cabling
Structured cabling is a type of cabling infrastructure that is designed to support multiple hardware uses and be suitable for today’s and tomorrow’s technology. It consists of a set of cables, connectors, and other components that are used to connect computers, phones, and other devices. Structured cabling is designed to be flexible, reliable, and scalable so that it can be easily adapted to meet the changing needs of businesses. Structured cabling is often used in server room, network room and data centers.
Cable Management
Server rack cable management involves organizing and managing the cables that connect to and run through server racks. This includes organizing the cables in a neat and orderly fashion, using cable ties, cable trays, and other cable management tools to keep them organized. It also includes labeling the cables to ensure that they are connected correctly and that they are easy to identify. Finally, it includes ensuring that the cables are properly secured to prevent them from becoming loose or tangled.
Fire Suppression System
A fire suppression system in a server room is a critical component of any data center. It is designed to detect and extinguish fires quickly and effectively, minimizing damage to the servers and other equipment. The most common type of fire suppression system used in server rooms is a gaseous fire suppression system. This system uses a gas, such as carbon dioxide, to displace oxygen in the room, smothering the fire. Other types of fire suppression systems, such as water–based systems, are also available.
Rack Design Software
Rack design software is a type of computer–aided design (CAD) software used to design and simulate rack systems for industrial and commercial applications. It is used to create detailed models of rack systems, including the layout of the racks, the components that make up the racks, and the connections between them. The software can also be used to simulate the performance of the racks under different conditions and to generate reports on the results. It is often used by engineers and designers to optimize the design of rack systems and ensure they meet the requirements of the application.
Some of commonly used
Components in a Server Room
- Server Rack Enclosures
- Rack Mount Servers
- Keyboard, Video Mouse (KVM) Switch
- Networking Equipment
- Structured Cabling
- Network Cable
- Patch Panels
- Patch Cord (Patch Panel to Network Switch)
- Patch Cord (Face-Plate Socket to Workstation, Phone)
- Face-Plate Socket
- Cable Management System or Cable Organizer
- Power Supply
- Rack Mount Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
- Rack Mount Battery Pack
- Power Distribution Units (PDU) – 1U/2U Horizontal, Zero-U Vertical
- Surge Protectors
- Temperature / Humidity Monitoring Software
- Air Conditioning Units
- Security Cameras System
- POE IP Camera
- Network Video Recorder (NVR)
- Network POE Switch
- Access Control Systems
- Fire Suppression System
- Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) (Optional)
