by Shane Henson — October 8, 2012—Since its first edition in 2004, ASHRAE’s Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments has become the de-facto reference material for unbiased and vendor-neutral information on the design and operational parameters for the entire datacom (data centers and telecommunications) industry.
ASHRAE’s recently released third edition of the publication provides a framework for improved alignment between information technology (IT) equipment hardware manufacturers (including manufacturers of computers, servers, and storage products) and data center designers and facilities owners and operators. The data from the manufacturers offers guidance on how to design and run facilities in the most energy efficient manner possible, including how to operate in a completely “chillerless” environment, without compromising the reliability or mission of the data center.
Highlights in this third edition include new air and liquid equipment classes and expanded thermal envelopes for facilities that are willing to explore the tradeoffs associated with the additional energy saving of the cooling system through increased economizer usage, and what that means in terms of the impact to IT equipment attributes such as reliability, internal energy, cost, performance and contamination. The guide also creates more opportunities to reduce energy and water consumption.
The creators of the guide emphasize that it provides objective data, methodology and guidance in a manner that empowers data center designers, owners and operators to optimize the operating environment of their data centers based on the criteria most important to their own business needs and their overall strategy and approach.
The book is part of the ASHRAE Datacom Series, developed to provide a more comprehensive treatment of datacom cooling and related subjects. Other books in the series include Green Tips for Data Centers, Real-Time Energy Consumption Measurements in Data Centers, and Best Practices for Datacom Facility Energy Efficiency.
