Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

There are many descriptions used - the terminology has not been agreed upon by the
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industry, and tends to be company-specific. For the purpose of this course, we will
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refer to these rooms as ‘Data Centres’.
When defining a Data Centre, is it down to size, what it is used for or what critical
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services it supports? Think about how you would answer this question in regard to
your own working environment.
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When you view it in this context, you can see there is no such thing as a generic Data
Centre and no single rulebook for managing one.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

The term ‘Data Centre’ is used by many people to mean many things.
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► There is no fixed size or complexity for a Data Centre, it can range from a single
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equipment room up to a large complex with several computer rooms, each one
containing many racks of equipment.
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► TIA 942 defines it as shown above, but it is still open to interpretation.
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► TIA 942 sets out good principles for Data Centres that apply across the range. It
is not definitive for every instance, and there are often variations that can be
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made.

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► TIA 942 can be used as the basis for a Data Centre design, providing a minimum
standard that should be expected.
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► The EU Code of Conduct sets out good practices for energy efficient design and
operation in Data Centres of all shapes and sizes.
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The key thing is that it is fit for purpose and meets the business strategy.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

It can be more useful to think in terms of function, because all modern Data Centres
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have similar requirements, both structurally and in the provisioning of services.
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order to successfully provide the planned services, it is important that continual
functioning of the Data Centre IT infrastructure is achieved, with the operational
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support of the power and cooling infrastructures.

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

The four primary components to a Data Centre:

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 White Space: This typically refers to the usable raised floor environment
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measured in square feet or metres (from a few hundred to a hundred thousand).
For Data Centres that don't use a raised floor environment, the term "white space"
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may still be used to show usable square footage.
 IT Equipment: This includes the racks, cabling, servers, storage, management
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systems and network gear required to deliver computing services to the
organisation.
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 Support Infrastructure: This refers to the additional space and equipment
required to support Data Centre operations: Power transformers, your
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uninterruptible power source (UPS), generators, computer room air conditioners
(CRACs), chillers, air distribution systems, etc. In a high-density, Tier III class Data
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Centre (i.e., a concurrently maintainable facility), this support infrastructure can
consume 4-6 times more space than the white space and must be accounted for in
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Data Centre planning.
 Operations: The operations staff assures the systems (both IT and infrastructure)
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are properly operated, maintained, upgraded and repaired when necessary. In most
companies, there is a division of responsibility between the Technical Operations
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group in IT and the Facility Operations staff responsible for the facilities support
systems.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Data Centre operation involves high levels of engineering for a technologically complex
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computer facility. It is therefore important to understand that the management
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process differs significantly in its approach when compared to more traditional
commercial premises.
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Any organisation that tries to design and operate a Data Centre in the same way as
they would an office is doomed to fail to meet its expectations.
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The three main categories of data centres are shown above. The management
process and role of the Data Centre Technician may vary significantly depending on the
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type of Data Centre, but the principles applied are essentially the same.

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Enterprise Data Centres tend to house all or the majority of the company’s data
processing resources.
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Many organisations, particularly larger ones, have chosen to provide and operate their
own Data Centres stating a number of reasons, including:
►________________________________
Security and control of the data, commercial sensitivities, etc.
►________________________________
Reliability and availability of services
► Ability to respond to changing requirements
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► Response time to a call for the data
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Better integration into corporate processes
Some organisations fail to gain the full potential of the Data Centre because their
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culture prevents them from doing so.

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Operators can fall into comfort zones, or self contained and independent teams,
interacting minimally with other departments. There is no holistic direction, often
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resulting in slow processes and responses.

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Managed hosting facilities are becoming more attractive to some businesses because
they can rent IT infrastructure instead of investing in it themselves. Servers, networks,
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applications, bandwidth and other equipment are managed by employees of the facility.
Some businesses, especially Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), view the need for
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data storage, servers and high capacity network connectivity as not something they
either want to, or are able to, manage themselves.
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Businesses who need constant network connectivity and redundant power may not
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have the capital to invest in the infrastructure. Many SMEs do not want to invest in
Data Centre infrastructure and staffing, but they still need a reliable network for
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internal applications and email.
A SME can rent a few servers on a monthly basis, adding servers and storage
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continually as they grow. They can also increase temporarily during busy periods of the
year. SMEs say they like this approach as they can concentrate on their core business.
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There are also reported cost advantages with managed hosting.
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Frost & Sullivan report that US companies who have subscribed to hosted IT
infrastructure services have seen dramatic savings, up to 75%, compared to owning and
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operating their own facility.

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

The Colocation (Co-lo, also called an Internet Data Centre / IDC) operator provides
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the environment and the IT, and telecommunications equipment is provided by the
customer.
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Service levels vary but typically, the customer can have customisable units with
separate shipping and receiving areas, dedicated entrance doors, branded lobbies and
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personnel. Customers can often choose their own space size, infrastructure and
operational options, for example:
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► Raised floors
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Chilled water or air-side cooling

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► Container-based or rack-based compute area
► Power density
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Energy efficiency

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The type of customers that use hosting facilities has evolved in recent years. A
growing number of large enterprises and even some financial institutions run their
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Data Centres at outsourced facilities.
One large US company said "We could justify building our own Data Centre but aside
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from the investment, we would have a number of service level agreements to adhere
to and the additional expertise required would be a significant cost. Our domain is not
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operating a Data Centre."

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Let’s remind ourselves of what Data Centres are trying to achieve. The business
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strategy is the fundamental driver which dictates everything below it in the stack, and
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therefore all of the subsequent strategies and processes in the supporting IT structure.
This top-down approach is how the stack positions things strategically. Operationally,
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though, we tend to think of it as a bottom-up approach where:
►We start off by sourcing energy from a supply.
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►This energy is then delivered through the M&E plant to the IT equipment
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►The IT equipment runs the application software
►The software supports the business activities that the Data Centre is there for.
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Except sometimes we forget the last bullet point.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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There is an increasing number of options appearing for businesses to deliver their IT
strategy. The choice of Enterprise, Managed Hosting and Co-Lo solutions is being
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extended by service providers, whose offsite alternatives include complete solutions
hosted in "the cloud".
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The choices made by an organisation have major impacts on the operational processes
required. At one end, everything is delivered in-house; at the other end, it is all
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managed through Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

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A key question here is whether decisions are based on ensuring strategic IT
requirements or are merely cost based. Either way, it must meet the business needs.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Leveraging third-party computing capability over the network is a good way to cut
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costs, increase scale, and improve agility. The concept of cloud computing involves a
Data Centre somewhere in the world, or even multiple Data Centres scattered around
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the world. This is a paradigm shift from the historical client-server architecture, where
the network users owned, maintained, and operated their own network infrastructure,
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server rooms, data servers and applications.
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Typical cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online that
are accessed from web browsers, while the software and data are stored on the
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servers or SAN devices. These applications are broadly divided into the following
categories:
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Software as a Service (SaaS)

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 Utility (Service) Computing
 Web Services
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Platform as a Service (PaaS)

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 Managed Service Providers (MSP)
 Service Commerce
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Internet Integration

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These Data Centres are hosting the servers and applications the clients use to operate
their businesses.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Cloud computing is not :

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 Just virtualization,
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Just putting your computing resources on the internet
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Just consolidating IT resources

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Heating,Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems
 AC and distribution, central heating and cooling, water cooling delivery elements,
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pressure management systems, and variable frequency drives

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Building management systems
 Controls interfacing with HVAC, electrical, fire alarm and security systems
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Primary and standby electrical systems

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 Power distribution systems, lighting controls, automatic transfer switches,
uninterruptible power supply systems, and generators
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Voice and data distribution systems
 Cabling, telephony systems, and networking equipment
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Fire detection and suppression systems
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 Fire detection equipment and alarms, notification systems, wet or dry sprinkler
systems, gaseous fire suppression systems, and the interface between detection
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and suppression components

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Plumbing systems
 Hot and cold water, sanitary waste, and storm drainage systems
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Speciality systems

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 Elevators and escalators
Building elements
 Building envelope, exterior curtain walls, and roofing structure

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Over the last fifteen years, the industry has quantified the importance of devoting considerable
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attention to a Facility Operations Plan.
 The design and structure of the department that operates the electrical, cooling, and fire

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detection / suppression systems in the Data Centre is the first step. For example, a minimum of
two trained individuals per shift on a continuous shift schedule are required.
 Annual objectives for this group should include collective goals for consistent facilities systems
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uptime and successful/safe completion of all assigned preventive maintenance (PM) tasks and
customer requests.
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 The next objective should be defining site-specific procedures and training programs with
detailed schedules customized to the unique systems configuration at each site.
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 Development of emergency response and system transfer procedures is required. Procedures
should be “tested” individually with Facilities staff members for clarity before they are finalized.
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A clear, concise and consistent procedure format should be employed - one which includes a
means to “check off” each step as it is completed.

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 Successful Data Centre Facilities teams adhere to a rigid schedule for planned maintenance
tasks. Your Facilities group should follow a work schedule generated by an automated program,
which has been customized by your group for your specific site.
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 Monthly site-specific training sessions should be developed by your Facilities team with a focus
on which emergencies (typically system failures), they wish to be most prepared for. This
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program will provide an annual chance for your Facilities team to simulate the desired response
when an emergency occurs.
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 Every Data Centre needs to define its policies, procedures, and operational processes relating
to change control, standard operating procedures, emergency operating procedures, security
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and access control, crisis management, etc.
 Customer and supplier contract details Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) and SLAs

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 Fundamentally eliminate the “silos”. Recognize the mutual support and dependence of IT and
Facilities on each other. Create a Multi-disciplinary team (IT and Facilities) with combined goals
to drive collaboration and planning (sink or swim together).

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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A Data Centre facility will operate successfully if the Facilities team is provided
management support, appropriate resources and site-specific systems experience.
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Effectively deploying a Facility Operations strategy, and the additional control
processes, will provide for a much higher reliability potential over the life of the facility.
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With these practices in place, you may realistically achieve multiple years of continuous
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facilities systems availability – significant savings when compared to the average
operating experience in the critical Data Centre industry.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

Standards identify various spaces within a model Data Centre, however this is not
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100% applicable to all situations. The structure of a building has a major impact on the
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layout of the Data Centre, not all are greenfield sites.
The model is useful to define spaces, identify relationships, and also to set guidelines on
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which spaces are normal workplaces, and which are equipment areas.

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No other service should cross the computer room space

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

The Data Centre designer considered the needs of the business and put together a
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design philosophy to deliver a facility to support the IT platforms required to support
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the IT strategy, which underpins the business strategy.
The Data Centre Technician must ensure its performance is kept in-line with the
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design parameters, as well as the changing technologies throughout the lifecycle of the
Data Centre.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

The business strategy when the design was commissioned is probably not the same as
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the business strategy throughout the lifetime of the Data Centre.
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The Data Centre must be able to evolve to meet these business changes.

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

 Who does the Data Centre Technician come into contact with?
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There are many stakeholders involved, with different needs, requirements and opinions.
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The Data Centre Technician may come into contact with some or all of these groups,
and needs to understand their place in the overall scheme of the Data Centre.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Standards
 Recommendations, a guide to a minimum requirement. Use is voluntary and
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available to the public.

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 Established by consensus of all parties concerned
 Based on consolidated results of science, technology and experience
________________________________
Approved and published by recognized standardization body

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Regulations
 Legislation
________________________________
Use is mandatory and available to the public

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 Developed by an authority under public observation
 Provide technical specifications either directly or by reference, (e.g. to Standards)
________________________________
Adopted by an authority

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Code (USA)
 A systematic statement of laws or regulations
________________________________
A system of principles or rules given statutory force
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In Europe a Code relates to Best Practices

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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All the above standards will have relationships with numerous other standards that
cover specific aspects, and will be cross-referenced.
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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This is an example of the Standards to show the terminology can be different between
Standards in different parts of the world. It is important the Data Centre Technician is
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familiar with the ones he/she needs for his/her country.
The Data Centre cabling infrastructure recommendations from various Standards
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follows the traditional hierarchical star topology, with the usual distance limitations
placed on the different subsystems.
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It is useful to look at the Standards and read the descriptions of the different areas.
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Standards can be overlaid and fortunately, they fall into three broad categories as
shown:
►________________________________
Components, assembly, application and performance

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► Implementation
► Validation
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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Since other industries may be involved in the Data Centre design, the Data Centre Technician should also be
knowledgeable about the related Standards, Local Regulations and National Regulations appropriate to the

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region.
Worldwide

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► IEC 60364 defines common rules for electrical installations, IEC 61936 sets out rules for installations >1kV.
90% of the electrical installations in the world are built to IEC 60364 & IEC 61936, or to the US National
Electrical Code. The general aims of electrical Standards are the same, and there has been a considerable
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amount of effort over many years to bring the different standards closer together.
► American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standards are also
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commonly quoted in Europe as a ‘Standard’ for Data Centres.
► Building Codes, Planning Rules, Utility Codes and Telco Codes can also apply to Data Centres, e.g. ITU,
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Telcordia GRE, etc.
Europe
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The European Standard EN 50110 “Operation of Electrical Installations” consists of two parts:
► EN 50110-1 contains minimum requirements valid for all CENELEC countries and some additional
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informative annexes dealing with safe working.
► EN 50110-2 is a set of normative annexes (one per country) which specify either the present safety

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requirements, or give the national supplements to these minimum requirements.
► BS EN 7671 is the country variant for the UK which ensures compliance with the IEC and EN Standards.

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The following Building Standards are now being aligned to the Data Centre design criteria: BS 8536: 2010
Facility Management Briefing: Code of Practice.

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► BREEAM - Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method: Energy efficiency
measures based on environmental impact considerations.

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► ETSI 300 019 covers the environmental engineering requirements for telecommunications equipment.
► CDM (Construction Design & Management) Regulations 2007

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

USA
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► International, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Local Codes can all apply.

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► The NEC applies in all 50 States, but many cities are adopting (or have already adopted) the IEC Standards,
although currently this is sometimes limited to domestic dwellings. Note that IEC 60364 is a framework,

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whereas the NEC is a very detailed Standard. US adoption of IEC 60364 will not negate the need for a
detailed Standard like the NEC, rather the NEC will form part of the US framework in much the same way
that BS 7671 does in the UK.
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► NEC 70E specifically addresses electrical hazards in the workplace and, irrespective of the ongoing debates,
is a good guideline to comply with the requirements of OSHA.
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► Telcordia General Requirements (GR-xx-CORE) are telecommunications Standards, which broadly
harmonise with ETSI Standards, and are applicable to telecommunications buildings and equipment. GR-63-
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CORE sets out standards for physical protection of telecoms equipment, but also covers noise and thermal
performance.

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► The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) represents 170 million workers in 157 countries and
territories, and has 312 national affiliates.

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► The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) is a Standards development organization
committed to the rapid development of global, market-driven Standards for the information, entertainment
and communications industry. It is a member and major US contributor to the International
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Telecommunication Union (ITU).
SUMMARY
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This can be a very complex area but wherever he or she is located, the Data Centre Technician needs to keep
abreast of the latest discussions regarding Codes and Standards, as they can often be wrongly (and expensively)
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applied.
However, if it is not possible to memorise all of the Standards in detail, the Data Centre Technician should at
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least REMEMBER 2 THINGS!
1. Local Codes and Standards are the key.
2. When in doubt, CHECK.

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The Data Centre Technician should remember that a Standard is a guide to a minimum requirement,
not a one size fits all solution.

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Spaces
 TIA-942: 5-key functional areas:
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(1) Entrance Room (ER)
(2) Main Distribution Area (MDA)
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(3) Horizontal Distribution Area (HDA)
(4) Zone Distribution Area (ZDA), opt.
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(5) Equipment Distribution Area (EDA)

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Ideally separate rooms but not practical for normal organisations; Can be consolidated with defined
areas

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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The interior design of the Data Centre can enhance or impair its performance. This is
not just a cosmetic exercise, and it needs to be maintained.
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The surfaces should be sealed to avoid dust, but they also reflect light and can make a
big difference to the lighting levels in the room.
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Floors should also be light in colour and anti-static. Anti-static coating wears off and
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must be maintained.

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Walls have a range of requirements that must be adhered to.
minimum requirements:
These are the

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In a Data Centre, it is important the computer room walls are completely sealed to
avoid leakage, both inwards and outwards. This is for a number of reasons but has
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been a historical point of weakness.

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 One area that has often overlooked is the correct sealing of firestop penetrations.
 The Data Centre Technician should note this can be (and often is) due to poor
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maintenance procedures, and can have a big impact on the fire containment plan.
 Some Data Centres (usually historical ones) have glass in one or more of the
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computer room walls. This is firstly a security concern but it can also be a source of

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external heat gain in the room.
 In hotter climates, this can place a considerable additional burden on the cooling
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systems.

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 Static, causing electrostatic discharge (ESD), is a known failure mechanism for
electronic equipment, although there is not much data to quantify its effect in Data
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Centres.The dryer the air, the greater the risk of ESD.
 In Europe, the standard for raised floors is EN 12825
________________________________
In the USA, the standard for raised floors is TIA 569B
________________________________
ASHRAE has published many influential documents, such as Thermal Guidelines for
Data Processing Environments, which calls for humidity levels to be kept between
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40 and 60%: “Low humidity is known to cause problems with static build up…….”
 Failure rates will be improved by controlling static problems, which can be
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summarised as:

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 Use a floor with an antistatic finish (and ask any supplier to define exactly
what that means)
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 Connect every sixth leg of a raised floor system to an earth point

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 Supply your Data Centre with a good quality telecommunications-grade
earth system
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 Control humidity to prevent it from falling below 35% RH

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Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT®) - Core Unit Data Centre Fundamentals

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Note:
 This is actually very basic and does not account for what may be above or below
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the Data Centre floor.
 Specific standards exist: TIA 569B, EN 12825, MOB PF2 (Method of Building
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Performance Specification, ‘Platform Floors [Raised Access Floors]’)

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 Most Data Centres exceed these figures.
 Data equipment can be very heavy, and rack weights are increasing, with some racks
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being designed to support up to 1.5 tonnes (1.65 tons). Therefore, another obvious
requirement of the building for the floor to be strong enough.
________________________________
TIA 942: and other Standards recommend floor loading capacities in the different

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data centre spaces and, in the computer room, the floor should be capable of
withstanding a distributed load of 12 kPa (250 lb/sq.ft).
________________________________
The reality is that most floors are >50kPa (1,000 lb/sq.ft). The Data Centre
Technician must understand and control the load capacity of the floor.
________________________________
Penetrations for cabinet mounting and anchor supports can have an impact on the
floor strength, so this must be considered carefully.
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 Floor loading has a high risk impact and should be discussed fully with the structural
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engineer.

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In a multi-storey building, the floor slab is actually the ceiling slab of the storey below.
Anything hanging in the storey below the Data Centre will impact the floor loading in
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the Data Centre. Conversely anything on the floor above will impact the hanging
capacity of the Data Centre ceiling.
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Another obvious requirement is that it must be possible to get the equipment in or
out, of the Data Centre. This can be a problem where Data Centre access is via other
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parts of the building.
As the Data Centre is a secure environment, it should go without saying the doors
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should be lockable with a suitable grade of lock.

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If the doors form part of the emergency exit route, then they must comply with local
codes.
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Fire doors have additional requirements. In the event of fire, the doors must restrict
its spread for a pre-determined time. This will be taken into account by the design of
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the Data Centre, but must also recognise any local regulations and codes of practice.

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It is important that the Data Centre is suitably lit both when it is in unmanned (for
CCTV cameras, for example) and when operators or maintenance staff are working in
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the Data Centre. Too often, insufficient attention is paid to the requirements of those
who need to work in the Data Centre, with the assumption being that the IT and
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support equipment will manage itself, once installed.
The designer and the electrician need to collaborate to ensure that the luminaire
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positions provide sufficient “wash” lighting, but also sufficient spot or detail lighting to
enable work to be undertaken on the racks without discomfort or difficulty. Proper
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lighting is also a Health and Safety legislation requirement.
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Data Centre manager should consider lighting levels when racks are being relocated,
or when undertaking retrofit work, and should, if necessary, include in the project costs
the________________________________
re-provision or re-positioning of some luminaires.
Another point to consider is that lighting uses power and generates heat. A typical,
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older lighting system can add up to 3-4% to the electrical load, and generate an extra
amount of heat which the cooling system will need to remove. The energy difference
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between efficient an inefficient lighting systems and layouts can be used by a Data
Centre manager in managing his or her targets within the organisation’s Energy
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Efficiency policy.
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There are several measures of lighting, but, roughly: one foot-candle is equal to one
lumen per square foot, or approximately 10.764 lux
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NFPA 75 is a good example of specific guidance for fire protection in a Data Centre
within the USA. The key is to follow your local fire regulations.
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During the 1980s, Data Centre operators did not have the resources to help them

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determine the levels of reliability for their facility. The Site Uptime Network® was
formed in 1993 by The Uptime Institute with a clear purpose. To directly address and
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resolve issues affecting continuous site Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) infrastructure
availability.
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Since then, various organisations have developed ways of classifying Data Centres.
 The Uptime Institute has a long-standing classification based on four Tiers
________________________________
TIA 942 has their Ratings system
 Syska Hennessy have an extended (and it is claimed), more inclusive classification
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based on ten criticality levels
 There are other classifications in use as well, which try to balance criticality vs. cost
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Whichever classification you choose, when you look at physical systems and
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infrastructure, there are four common levels of component provision to consider in
practice:
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► N: Only the number of components needed is provided, there is no resilience and
any component failure will cause downtime.
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► N+1: Where the number of components provided is one more than the number
(N) of components needed.
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2N: Comprises two complete systems, each containing N components, and are run
in parallel to hot swap between each other.
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2(N+1): Comprises two N+1 systems in parallel. One side can be taken down for
maintenance, and the other side will be protected from exposure to the risk of
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downtime by its own redundant module.
When considering the configuration of systems to achieve the desired reliability levels,
it is a good idea to balance redundancy with simplicity.

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Data Centre Tier Levels

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Data Centre operators have developed various power distribution architectures to
ensure power is reliably delivered to their servers (power supplies).
________________________________
Data Centre Tiers originally were defined by the Uptime Institute and have been

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generally accepted within the industry for a number of years.
 The power distribution architectures vary based on the desired “Tier” structure.
________________________________
The reliability of the Tiers and the additional power distribution architectures
establish the overall availability of the Data Centre.
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Concurrently maintainable means one part of the system can be serviced, replaced, or
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fail without affecting the normal operation of the remaining part. Many Data Centres
are built to be fault-tolerant, in some systems, but are not certified.
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Tier Rating Details

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 Tier I: Basic Data Centre that has non-redundant capacity components and a single,
non-redundant distribution path to serve the compute devices.
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 Tier II: This rating of Data Centre has redundant capacity components with a single,
non-redundant distribution path to serve the computers.
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 Tier III: This is a concurrently-maintainable facility, has redundant capacity
components and multiple independent distribution paths serving the computers,
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although generally only one distribution path is operational at any time.
 Tier IV: Fault-tolerant facility with multiple, independent, physically isolated systems
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that each have redundant capacity components and multiple, independent, diverse,
active distribution paths to the compute devices.

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Determining the actual Uptime Institute Tier rating of a site for design topology is a
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logical process, although it is often done incorrectly. The tier topology rating for the
whole site is limited by the Tier rating of the weakest subsystem that impacts on
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operations. For example:
 Site has a robust Tier IV Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) configuration
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 Site also has a Tier II configured chilled water system

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 Resulting site rating is Tier II
The use of the word ‘Tier’ in this context is controlled by the Uptime Institute,
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therefore certification of a facility’s Tier level can only be performed by Uptime
Institute.
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It is generally considered that both user and application requirements are the main drivers behind
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the reliability of the Data Centre.

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Terminology and Definitions
 Network-Critical Physical Infrastructure (NCPI) is the foundation upon which

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Information Technology (IT) and telecommunication networks reside. It is the “backbone” of
the business, as its elements provide the power, cooling, physical housing, security, fire

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protection, and cabling which allow Information Technology to function.
 Reliability: The ability of a system or component to perform its required functions under

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stated conditions for a specified period of time.
 Availability: The degree to which a system or component is operational and accessible when it

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is required for use. Reliability factors into availability, as does recovery time after a failure
occurs. In a Data Centre, having a reliable system design is the most critical variable.

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 Five 9s of Availability derives from the world of networking, where if the network is
available 99.999% of the time (which translates to all but 5 minutes per year) it is

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considered highly reliable.
 But it doesn’t translate so neatly to a Data Centre. Too often, it is used to refer to the

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amount of time the Data Centre is powered up. But loss of power is only one part of the
equation when it comes to Data Centre availability.

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 Resiliency: A planned part of a facility's architecture and is usually associated with other
Disaster Recovery (DR) planning and Data Centre DR architectural considerations, such as data
protection. The adjective resilient means "having the ability to spring back”.
________________________________
Fault-tolerant: The attribute of a concurrently maintainable and operable system, or a facility
where redundancy is not lost during failure or maintenance activity.
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 Redundancy: The provision of secondary components that either become instantly operational
or are continuously operational, so that in the event of a primary component failure, the result
will not be mission failure.

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Availability - Based on the general definition of the availability Tier and the reliability
of the associated equipment, the availability of the system can be calculated, as detailed
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above.

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Many of the risk elements addressed in the Tier levels were identified through user
experiences. Often these experiences reflect lessons learned the ‘hard way’, principally
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through unplanned outages and system downtime.

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 Electrical
 Utility Service
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 Lightning Protection
 Power Backbone
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 UPS Systems
 UPS Batteries
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 Engine Generator
 Load Bank
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 Critical Power Distribution
 Grounding
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 Mechanical
 Raised Floor Cooling
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 UPS Cooling
 Mechanical Plant
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 Support Systems
 Contamination
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 Fire Detection and Protection
 Physical Security
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 Alarms and Monitoring

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Conservative over-provisioning of power capacity for availability reasons results in
significant capital investment for large enterprises because this capacity is designed for
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failure conditions that do not happen often. On the other hand, under-provisioning this
capacity runs the risk of affecting the performance of the Data Centre when failures
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do happen, through either service unavailability or degraded service performance.
Hence, there are interactions and trade-offs between power capacity utilization, power
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redundancy, and Data Centre performance that are often overlooked.

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This basic system is reasonably resilient, i.e., it has:
► A main electrical supply from the utility.
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► A distribution network to split the critical IT load from the non-critical load
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► A UPS of some description to ensure that the supply to the critical IT load is
maintained.
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► A standby system, usually a generator, to replace the utility supply in the case of a

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utility failure.
► Consider the single points of failure that would cause the Data Centre to
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become unavailable.
► Planned maintenance work will require most or all of the facility infrastructure
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systems to be shut down, impacting computer operations.

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The Uptime Institute Tier classification is widely used in the Data Centre community,
often incorrectly, and this configuration would fall into Tier 1.
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This Uptime Institute Tier classification is still used as a common reference by Data
Centre owners and operators, and can lead to some poor (and costly) decisions if
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used in isolation.

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This system is more resilient, i.e., it has:
► A main electrical supply from the utility
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► A distribution network to split the critical IT load from the non-critical load.
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► Duplicated UPS of some description to ensure the supply to the critical IT load
is maintained
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► Duplicated standby systems, usually a generator, to replace the utility power

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supply in the case of a utility failure
► Redundant capacity components can be removed from service on a planned basis
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without causing shut down to the computer devices.
The additional capital cost of the duplicated components is self-evident, but there is
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also an ongoing running cost penalty, as the systems are running at low utilisation by
design.
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This would be Uptime Institute Tier ll
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This system has redundant capacity components in the power path to the critical load,
i.e., it has:
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► Diverse electrical supplies from the utility

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► Duplicated distribution networks to split the critical IT load from the non-critical
load.
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► Redundant UPS of some description to ensure the supply to the critical IT load
is maintained
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► Redundant standby systems, usually a generator, to replace the utility power
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supply in the case of a utility failure
► Any of the capacity components and elements in the distribution paths can be
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removed from service on a planned basis without impacting computer devices
The additional capital cost of the duplicated systems is self-evident, but there is also a
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very significant ongoing running cost penalty, as the systems are running at very low
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utilisation by design.
This would be Uptime Institute Tier lll
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This system is fully-duplicated in the power path to the critical IT load, i.e., it has:
► Diverse electrical supplies from the utility
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► Duplicated distribution networks to split the critical IT load from the non-critical
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load.
► Duplicated UPS of some description in each network to ensure the supply to the
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critical IT load is maintained

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► Duplicated standby systems, usually a generator, in each network to replace the
utility power supply in the case of a utility failure
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► All of the capacity components and elements in the distribution paths can be
removed from service on a planned basis without impacting computer devices
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► A single failure of any capacity system, component or distribution element will
not impact the operation of the computer equipment.
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► All components must be compartmentalised
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► There is a requirement for continuous cooling

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The additional capital cost of the duplicated systems is self-evident but there is also a
very significant ongoing running cost penalty as the systems are running at very low
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utilisation by design.
This would be Uptime Institute Tier 1V.
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 The Data Centre designer has implemented a system architecture that will balance
the key constraints and limitations of the Data Centre infrastructure.
________________________________
The Data Centre Technician is faced with ongoing dynamic decisions from his
management to balance the same four key constraints. The alignment of one
________________________________
constraint can have an adverse impact upon another of the constraints if it is not
correctly assessed and balanced across the Data Centre.
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 A report by Gartner Group suggests that >80% of Data Centres never reach >60%
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of their projected IT design, due to hitting the limit in one or more of the 4
constraints.
________________________________
Additionally, it is necessary to be aware of airflow management. Airflow management
affects cooling capability.
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 The goal of Airflow Management is to minimize recirculation of hot air and minimize
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by-pass of cold air in the Data Centre.
 Successfully implemented, both measures result in energy savings and better thermal
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conditions, which can increase Data Centre capacity.

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