How To Optimize Your Data Center Layout

Data centers are complex, jammed-packed physical spaces with many physical limitations. As a result, data center architects must find creative ways to optimize available space, dissipate heat, manage security and maximize energy usage, all while meeting current and future demand for IT resources.

In most data centers today, server rack cabinets are the primary method of organizing and securing servers. A properly designed server rack layout is the key to getting the most out of your data center space. An inefficient rack layout can harm your ability to scale, increasing overall cooling/energy costs and an increase in equipment maintenance.

To ensure you are getting the most out of your data center with regard to server racks, follow these tips:

Know the physical limitations of your data center space If you are designing or retrofitting a data center, you should understand the physical specifications of your space before you begin planning a rack layout. First, you will need to know your space's height, width, and depth. You should also understand the area's minimum and maximum distances between rows and columns. Additionally, you will want to know the weight capacity of flooring surfaces and other structural components of the space, such as walls and support beams. This information will help you determine the best type of server rack configurations possible in your data center.

Plan for future growth Server racks should be designed with future growth in mind. For example, you may want to include additional top-of-rack cabling management to help organize connection cables. In many instances, you may also want to consider installing cable management within the floor to allow for future cable growth. These are just a few examples of how you can design your server racks to accommodate future data center needs.

Install newer equipment One of the first things to consider is replacing older disk-based storage systems with faster, more energy-efficient, and compact SSDs.

Flywheels that increase the machine's momentum can be used to produce additional power to be consumed by the UPS in case of power fluctuations. Operating as a mechanical battery, the flywheel can be used as an adjunct or alternative to battery-based UPSs. Reducing the number of batteries required to supply adequate power to the rack in case of an outage. Changes like this can go a long way in saving space.

Remove servers that are no longer utilized Server racks occupy a considerable amount of floor space, so it is essential to thoroughly and efficiently populate them. Consider replacing comatose servers. Essentially these can be called zombie servers - servers that are running but do not contribute to the needed computational services. Essentially, it consumes electricity but has no useful purpose. In a typical data center, it is estimated that 30% of physical servers are zombies. Removing these zombies will also help reduce your carbon footprint.

Choose your cables wisely All cables are not created equally. You can actually save a ton of space and reduce the number of accessories needed for you installation by using cabling that comes with smaller OD sizes and install cables of smaller diameter. This additional rack space can be used to add more equipment and reduce the need for cable management systems.

Certain equipment manufacturers are creating servers with more compact designs that reduce the need for cables, making more room for additional processing power and data storage.

Reduce use of floor space If you do not have enough floor space, you can consider shallow floor-standing racks that come with depths that are much less than that of standard racks.

Racks with adjustable depths may also be suitable for use in small data centers where space is always a constraint. This will give you the flexibility to scale up or down instantly, depending on your needs. You could also consider opting for wall-mount cabinets that will stay off the floor.

Use asset management tools For efficient capacity-planning of your data center, use asset management tools that help in estimating power and server requirements. This helps in the efficient sizing and layout of data centers, preventing wastage of space.

Utilize aisle containment If you want to maximize the number of server racks in your data center, you may want to consider comprehensive aisle containment. Aisle containment allows you to install additional rows of server racks between columns in the data center. While many data centers do not have the structural support needed for comprehensive aisle containment, it is an excellent option for those that do. Complete aisle containment can help you increase the density of your data center, which can lead to reduced power and cooling costs.

Customized racks provide efficiency and flexibility Depending on your data center requirements, custom server racks can provide greater flexibility and efficiency. Or you may consider purchasing standard server racks and adding custom components to meet your organization's needs.

For example, you can add cable management rails inside each rack to standardize cable routing. Add leg extensions to each server rack to increase vertical space between the floor and the bottom of the frame. Alternatively, you can purchase custom-built server racks designed with your specific data center organization needs in mind. For example, you can buy custom server racks taller than the standard length to increase rack mountable space and still use the same floor space or footprint.

Conclusion To optimize your server rack layout, know the physical limitations of your data center space, plan for future growth, maximize vertical space, utilize comprehensive aisle containment, and customize racks for efficiency and flexibility. These things plus optimizing your server rack layout, can improve your data center efficiency.