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Thu May 8 09:17:00 PDT 2014


I am from Vienna / Austria and PE for the design of computer rooms.

We design computer rooms with a host and storage or server farms(meaning
several racks with blade servers not only a single server).

It starts with redundancy for infrastructure like AC, UPS or generator =
and
also fire detection and extinguisher systems, access control, even =
special
cells which are tight against water, smoke, dust, etc.

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Mit freundlichen Gr=FC=DFen / best regards
=20
Horst Pichlm=FCller
_________________________________
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osiris=20
Management & Consulting GmbH
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-----Urspr=FCngliche Nachricht-----
Von: bldg-sim at gard.com [mailto:bldg-sim at gard.com] Im Auftrag von =
Kirchhoff,
Eric
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 11. Mai 2006 04:04
An: bldg-sim at gard.com
Betreff: [bldg-sim] "computer rooms" not what they used to be

Having worked in design, I certainly do not concur.  My experience does
not indicate 115F commonality.  Where I worked, the standard practice
was to work with the owners and the people responsible for the
electronic equipment (whether it is computers or telephone switchers).
On top of the interviews, we built in a 2- to 3-times factor of safety
to allow for the ever advancing electronics technology which can pack
more and more Wattage into the same small box.  From talking with other
designers from other firms, this appeared to be standard protocol.
Remember, the market will dictate the poor designers from the good ones,
and the last thing you want to do is anger a customer from a sector that
is continually expanding.

I believe your experience is either witnessing computer rooms that the
owner performed ad hoc in an old storage room or closet, or possibly is
perhaps a decade old, and the owner had exceeded the FS put into the
design.  My experience indicates that in some cases, a FS of 3 can be
surpassed in as little as 5 years.  This is an extreme example where the
owner changed the functionality of the site.  Something the designer can
not allow for, or else the price would skyrocket.

I am not sure what ASHRAE says to do in this case, but it is an
irresponsible designer who cannot assess the job at hand and use the
most appropriate resources to provide for the scope of work.

-----Original Message-----
From: bldg-sim at gard.com [mailto:bldg-sim at gard.com] On Behalf Of Chuck
Kollars
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:14 PM
To: bldg-sim at gard.com
Subject: [bldg-sim] "computer rooms" not what they used to be

It seems to me that HVAC professionals and IT professionals don't at all
mean the same thing when they talk about a "computer room." A couple
decades ago computer rooms still had interior glassed windows, one
locked door, a raised floor, held a "mainframe" computer, and had their
own A/C. But computers have gotten a whole lot smaller and "big iron" is
rare now.

Nowadays when an elevation plan says "computer room," that room will
commonly have few or no windows, no special doors, no hollow floor, hold
a whole bunch of "minicomputers" and "PC"s and "network hubs" and "UPS"s
on shelves or racks, and rely on the building A/C. Unfortunately the
computer equipment still generates a _huge_ amount of heat (even more
than the "mainframe" it replaced), which must be carried away (or
neutralized) immediately.

Overheated computer equipment becomes unreliable and has its lifespan
shortened significantly. But it seldom fails right away, so both HVAC
professionals and facility managers can easily be completely unaware of
the problem. It's all too common for a computer technician to arrive at
the office Monday morning only to find the "computer room" is 115
degrees; costly equipment had its life shortened before anyone even knew
there was a problem. There should at minimum be a temperature alarm in
the "computer room."

After complaining about the difference between common sense and what
building simulation programs recommend, I was told this disconnect is
due to "standard ASHRAE methodology" and not a flaw in any particular
building simulation tool. I feel it's time for the heating and cooling
profession to catch up with the reality of current "computer rooms."

This is just my two cents; what do other people think?
--
Chuck Kollars - principal Kollars Informatics




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