Emerson introduces Rack PDU family

Emerson Network Power has introduced a new family of rack power distribution units, including the MPH2 managed rack PDU and the RPC2 communications module. Available in July throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, this new generation of the product offers the highest availability and efficiency of managed rack PDUs among leading vendors, according to independent testing.

The MPH2 rack PDU offers one of the highest temperature tolerances in the industry, and together with the RPC2 communications module, offers comprehensive remote management capabilities and real-time monitoring and control of connected loads. This enables the highest availability while allowing IT managers to monitor, predict and manage changes in the data centre. Integration with industry standard management and authentication protocols allows the MPH2 to easily integrate with existing IT and communications networks.

“We tested several industry leading switched rack PDU solutions and found Emerson MPH2 to have the highest levels of availability and efficiency”, said Craig Hillman, CEO of DfR Solutions, an independent testing agency that compared the switched model of MPH2 managed rack PDU with RPC2 modular communications to three leading competitive rack PDUs.

The new offering enables the following benefits to the data centre:
· High availability: With the use of bistable relays and the RPC2 communications module, MPH2 rack PDU enables basic power distribution to connected loads under conditions in the event that intelligence within the units ever gets compromised. Rack PDUs are typically located in the back of the rack toward the hot-aisle, exposing them to some of the harshest temperatures found in the data centre. In this location, it is fairly common to see temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius. The MPH2 rack PDU is rated to operate at temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius, which contributes to system availability.
· Optimised energy and capacity management: MPH2 has the lowest energy consumption of all switched rack PDU designs. Based on a comparison of switched rack PDU models for a typical 100 rack data centre with a PUE of 1.9, the MPH2 could deliver an annual cost savings of £64 per rack, or £6400 for a midsize 100 rack data centre.
· Simplified integration into management tools: Savings are also achieved through consolidating user IP connections and device monitoring, with up to four MPH2 rack PDUs able to be interconnected as a Rack PDU Array. They support all major industry standard management, authentication and encryption standards and protocols, and they fully integrate into Emerson Network Power’s industry-leading KVM, serial console and infrastructure management systems. Additionally, they integrate rack level power and environmental monitoring information from the rack PDUs with higher level data centre management software provided by Emerson or third parties.
· Easy physical and electrical integration: The rack PDUs can be delivered pre-installed in Emerson Network Power racks, allowing fast deployment and reserving data centre resources for other critical tasks. They can also be installed in most industry racks without the need for any tools.

The RPC2 communications module allows fast upgradable network communications, precision sensors and a display interface that can be accessed locally or remotely via infrastructure management software. It gives data centre managers the ability to more easily meter important electrical and environmental parameters; set thresholds, alarms and notifications; and control and manage individual receptacles and/or groups of loads and devices. The module’s highly accurate +/- 1 percent metering and reporting enable proactive management of connected equipment, as well as support for charge back of data centre utility burden to IT customers.

“Intelligent rack power distribution units are becoming ever more important to businesses, which require ever increasing speed, intelligence and economy in their data centres,” said Dr Peter Koch, Sr. VP engineering and product management, Emerson Network Power in EMEA. “These leading-edge PDUs enable the optimisation of capacity and resources; provide resilience and simplified integration with management tools; and ultimately answer these critical customer needs.”