It's All Cool

Experts at last weeks Afcom Data Center World conference in Las Vegas warned that users run the risk of unscheduled downtime, particularly with the increased heat produced by new blade server technologies (see Data Center Heat Wave).

Now, technologies that could provide a solution to the problem of overheating are coming onto the market. Blade server specialist Verari Systems Inc., formerly RackSaver Inc., recently announced that it has successfully patented the technology behind its Vertical Cooling System (VCS), which uses an unorthodox method to draw heat away from blade servers.

VCS works by cooling the servers from bottom to top, rather than the traditional front-to-back method. This provides a much-needed cooling boost for the blades, according to Verari CEO David Driggers.

“Since we’re drawing air up from beneath the cabinet, we have up to four times the airflow. This is then recirculated out the top,” says Driggers.

The idea was original enough to earn two patents, from which Verari hopes to profit. “With the status now moved from 'patent pending' to 'patented' we have the opportunity to license this technology to other companies,” says Driggers.Data center cooling is certainly on the radar of the major vendors. Last year Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) announced a "smart" cooling solution for data center design. The technology uses computational fluid dynamics -- the same technique used in airplane design -- to create a 3D model of temperature distribution throughout the data center. It then recommends the best placement of computing resources and air conditioning equipment.

According to HP, the solution could potentially save users millions of dollars a year, by reducing cooling expenses and saving energy.

Blade servers, in particular, are a considerable drain on data center power supplies. According to research from American Power Conversion Corp. 15kW blade servers can be purchased and installed in a single rack today. However, the company has warned that some users will attempt to install this equipment in data centers where the industry average load is only 1.4kW per rack.

— James Rogers, Site Editor, Next-gen Data Center Forum