The next step in modular data centre design

MODULARITY HAS BECOME the buzz word for the data centre industry over the last decade, with almost every new product on the market now described as ‘modular’ in some way. But what does modularity actually mean? The simple answer is that it means different things to different people, depending on their needs.

In the beginning
In many regards, a ‘classic’ data centre could be described as modular, as it contains many near identical racks of servers which can be relatively easily added to as additional capacity is required. However, these racks require significant external infrastructure – including costly ‘flood’ air conditioning of the whole space, regardless of equipment levels – with very little control over cooling and limited flexibility in terms of density. As a result, this traditional set-up is very inefficient, and is unlikely to be considered a modular solution from a data centre manager’s perspective.

Getting warmer… or colder
Cold aisle containment – pioneered by Dataracks and first introduced to the industry in 2007 – is now in widespread use in data centres, offering far more efficient cooling and control. Consisting of discrete units or ‘pods’, this option is clearly more modular, with additional capacity being relatively straightforward to add without affecting existing units. While this may be well suited to many organisations – particularly large data centres – cold aisle containment still requires special infrastructure in terms of raised floors, suspended ceilings and plenum spaces, adding to the cost and complexity of installation. This option also limits flexibility in terms of where the data centre can be situated and, depending on the location, can lead to security issues. Taking account of these additional considerations, this does not really represent a modular solution either.

True modularity
If you say ‘modular data centre’ to most people in the industry, there’s a good chance that they’ll think one of two options: a ‘building within a building’ or a retrofitted shipping container. The first of these involves constructing a prefabricated ‘room’ or, more usually, series of rooms within an existing building. These units contain everything required to run the data centre, with only minimal requirements in terms of where they are located; almost any sufficiently large new or existing warehouse or industrial unit should suffice. As the infrastructure for these data centres has already been developed and optimised, modular data centres require almost no planning, and it is easy to add additional capacity through increasing rack density or adding additional units. However, many businesses don’t have a ‘spare’ warehouse in which to house this type of modular data centre.

The second option is a fully self-contained, weatherproof module. Often constructed using ruggedized components inside standard shipping containers for ease of transport, these solutions are designed to allow rapid deployment almost anywhere, from secure office car parks to disaster zones. Once again, these data centres are virtually independent of their surroundings, only requiring an external power supply, and can be installed and commissioned within hours. The obvious drawback is that they are almost impossible to fit into existing buildings – or indeed the basement of buildings, where server rooms are often banished to – and can take up valuable parking or outdoor space in built-up areas. This makes this option almost impossible for legacy estates such as city centre office blocks or hospitals.

Another disadvantage of the container option is that the capacity of these systems tends to have fairly fixed specifications which far exceeds the data centre needs of most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), reducing their cost effectiveness.

What is the answer for SMEs?
Regardless of their size, most organisations are looking for the same features in a data centre; flexibility and cost effectiveness. How secure, scalable and upgradable these installations need to be will vary considerably from business to business and even over time, but most organisations are likely to be looking for:
 Built-in controlled cooling
 Easy installation
 Mobile monitoring and control
(with alarm notifications)
 Uninterrupted power supply
(with dual feed/intelligent PDU options)
 Good PUE rating
 Environmental independence and
neutrality
 Fire suppression options
 Redundancy and disaster recovery

None of these features are exclusive to large-scale solutions, so how can SMEs enjoy the same benefits without the need for costly custom installations? Recently introduced to the market, the Micro Data Centre (MDC, Dataracks) is a compact unit which includes all the cooling, security and power supply options required for 19” racks. A new concept for the data centre industry, this self-contained solution offers a convenient and cost-effective option, eliminating the need for bespoke data centre designs and allowing installation virtually anywhere with a power supply access for cooling pipework or ventilation for an integrated cooler.

This type of solution is ideal for any business where space or access is limited – such as office blocks, hospitals, GP surgeries, environmentally sensitive areas, conservation areas, etc – providing readily scalable, cost-effective capacity that can be installed and commissioned in as little as 48 hours to minimise disruption. The use of high efficiency cooling technologies provides the flexibility to increase rack densities as needs change, as well as ensuring independence from the installation environment, offering a complete solution that simply requires the addition of servers.

A new concept for the data centre industry,
the Micro Data Centre offers a convenient
and cost-effective option for SMEs
This compact solution is ideal for any business where space is limited