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Build the Best Data Center Facility for Your Business Review by Bugs76
Helpful handbook
This CiscoPress book is quite an outsider compared to other more classical CiscoPress material. It does not talk about networking itself but about how to build
the physical infrastructure to host a data center, focusing on several areas such as temperature control, electrical and networking availability, or simply explains how to choose between raised floor or ceiling installations... The author of the book manages over 40 data centers all around the world, so you will find every now and then a text box with Douglas' tips or field experiences, which are
very valuable.
The first 9 chapters focus on designing and implementing a data center, from choosing an ideal site and sizing it right, tips on how to present the project to the executives and getting their approval, selecting the contractors who will build the data center etc.
It goes on a chapter at the time talking about the cooling infrastructure, the electrical layout and sizing, the most efficient network layout for both copper and fiber cabling.
The layout of the room is discussed all over these chapters explaining to the reader why not to put all small servers in the same rack (which could be a problem for eletrical and networking availability, heat generation or/and weight), or why the racks must align with floor tiles, how to creare cold and warm rows... Several layout examples are given showing their weaknesses and strengths.
Structural issues are discussed, such as problems with building the room on an upper floor compared to a ground floor, proximity to electromagnetic fields, to heavily polluted areas, or to sismic areas.
Guidelines for employees behaviour in the data center are also stated, with examples of what could happen if these rules are not strictly followed..
The remaining 6 chapters focus on how to get the best out of your data center and to keep it working at its best. Exemples of signage and labeling are shown to
help out the users do the right thing even in emergency situations. Douglas migth seem maniacal about labeling, but my own experience can confirm all he says...label everything!
Items to have in stock and everyday tools are listed to remind us which things should never be missing to help avoiding situations where system administrators cannot complete their job because of a missing patch cord or screwdriver.
Monitoring and professional room cleaning are the last two items discussed in the book and Douglas' experience is very valuable in both areas to give us some tips.
I found this book very interesting since I am running a data center that needs retrofitting soon and Douglas' experiences might come very handy to me. The language is very easy to follow as with most CiscoPress books, which is important for non-English people!