Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Limits to scale
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Management (resources, firmware)
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Server security
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Virtualization support
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Management effort required
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Server growth is consistently rising which is requiring more power, which is driving the
need for energy efficiency for most data center server deployments. Although rack servers
are low cost and provide high performance, unfortunately they take up space and con-
sume a lot of energy to operate. Because both rack space and power cost money, effi-
ciency gains need to be considered in these areas.
Blade servers provide similar computing power when compared to rack mount servers, but
require less space, power, and cabling. The chassis in most blade servers allows for shared
power, Ethernet LAN, and Fibre Channel SAN connections, which reduce the number of
cables needed.
With both rack-mounted servers and blade servers, server virtualization software provides
for bet ter ut iliz at ion of hardware re s ource s, which require s le s s phys ic al hardware to de -
ploy servers, which in turn increases efficiency. Server virtualization also enables server
scalability because more rack and cabinet space is available to deploy new ESX hosts run-
ning additional virtual machines.
Server management is a key element for deploying servers, and there are solutions avail-
able from OEMs such as Integrated Lights Out (ILO) and VMware Infrastructure Client.
These products ease the management of larger server deployments and provide for secure
remote management capabilities.
Data Center Facility Aspects
Multiple facility considerations go into the design and planning for a new data center
build out.
During the planning sessions, data center architectural and mechanical specifications help
define the following:
How much space will be available
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How much load the floor can support
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The power and cooling capacity that will be available
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The cabling plant that will be needed and how to manage it
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The facility also needs to meet certain environmental conditions, and the data center
equipment selections process dictates the operating temperatures and humidity levels that
need to be maintained in the data center.
