First look at our new data hall!
May 26, 2010
The floor is in, and it looks like no other data centre we've seen. But some of you may be wondering, 'yes, its very pretty, but where is the raised floor?'
One of the decisions that must be made while designing and building a data centre is whether to use a conventional raised floor, or go with the ever increasing solid floor option.
The raised floor proponents feel that overhead distribution of cables and cooling is not ideal. However, the growing solid floor camp believe that opting for a solid floor has the following advantages over the conventional raised floor.
Floor loading - Today high density racks can exceed over 1,300 kg. Using a raised floor restricts the density of the servers, therefore reduces your value for money when purchasing a 42RU or 45RU rack. You don't want to be told "sorry, your kit is too heavy, you'll have to spread it over more racks". And you aren't left nervously wheeling populated racks up ramps hoping they'll hold up. A solid floor eliminates both these problems.
Cooling - Apart from being able to do Marilyn Monroe impersonations above the in floor vents, raised floors only restrict what you can do with airflow. As rack density increases to 25kw and beyond, traditional raised floors simply cannot deliver enough cooling to the servers.
On the other hand, using in-row or overhead cooling in conjunction with hot isle containment allows you to take a modular approach to cooling, dropping the air right where you need it, and remaining flexible as density increases.
Cable Access - If you have ever worked on cabling under a raised floor, you would appreciate the benefits of having tidy above cabinet cabling. Despite all good intentions, under floor cabling is harder to maintain and upgrade as requirements change, and can congest the airflow in the under floor plenum.
Installing cable trays above the cabinets, allows for much easier access and flexibility allowing for easier change management and maintenance.
Other advantages of using a solid floor in a data centre include security (securing caged areas from unauthorised access), greater headroom, easier cleaning, and reduced cost.
If you want to delve into the debate a little further, have a read of this article by APC:
Excuse us as we get back to staring at our shiny new floor...
