Why Is The Environment Important To High Availability?

A stable and appropriate environment is the foundation of high-end availability in mission-critical Information Technology and Data Processing facilities. A clear understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of the environment and how it impacts hardware uptime is essential in maintaining a world-class facility. The environment and the hardware in a data center are often looked at as two separate entities managed by completely different groups within an organization. Understanding and accommodating the link between the environment and hardware reliability is, however, an essential element of maintaining mission-critical operations. Hardware failures or degraded performance can be caused by any number of environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, contamination, and power quality.

While there are some minor differences in presentation, most hardware manufacturers and industry standards are essentially in agreement on the ideal conditions for hardware operations. Optimal operating conditions are designed to provide the most appropriate conditions for hardware operation with the greatest possible buffer against environmental stressors. While the hardware will operate within a wide environmental range, it will operate best and with the least threat of degraded performance within the more narrow optimal operating range. Understanding the differences between “maximum operating limits” and “recommended optimal limits” is an important part of understanding the data center environment.

Some of the most common problems in a data center environment are the result of looking at aspects of the environment in isolation. Decisions made to address one perceived problem without proper consideration for the effects of these actions on other aspects of the environment can sometimes result in more harm than good. Another common mistake is to apply the same engineering and practices to the data center that are employed in the general office areas of a building. The unique power and cooling needs of the data center require specially designed solutions.

Information technology and data processing facilities are constantly evolving, dynamic environments. Predicting future needs of an organization is typically a very difficult proposition. It must take into consideration growth plans, industry trends, financial considerations, technology evolutions, and innumerable other factors. The temptation to be as space-efficient as possible with the valuable data center real estate must be balanced with an understanding of the hardware and proper planning for the future evolution of the room. While many organizations are good at reacting to problems quickly and efficiently, it is important to be proactive when dealing with the data center operations. Plans and actions should not be point-in-time events, but should rather be designed to monitor, analyze, improve, and control conditions over time.