Infrastructure

Data centre outages are costing more, with power failure the culprit

By Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks One of the more consistent problems that the data centre industry faces is the issue of outages. While it is well known that data centre outages can cause critical work problems for an enterprise of any size, what is becoming more and more apparent is that these outages are becoming increasingly costly too. Recent findings from Uptime Institute’s 2022 Global Data Centre Survey revealed that the data centre industry is growing immensely, becoming more and more dynamic and resilient. Despite persistent staffing shortages, supply chain delays and other obstacles, there is a renewed focus on being more sustainable. The report indicated, however, that light was not at the end of every tunnel, as it additionally highlighted the fact that downtime in the data centre industry is becoming ever more expensive. Indeed, power failures have been identified as the main cause of this increase in cost. The Global Data Centre Survey focuses on responses from more than 800 owners and operators of data centres. This included those responsible for managing infrastructure at the world’s largest IT organisations. While the aforementioned notes of sustainability, efficiency gains, staff shortages and supply chain issues also dominated the report, the issue of power resiliency remained a persistent and dominant theme throughout. Back up power failure - a growing concern Further analysis in related research from the Uptime Institute identifies that the biggest cause of power-related outages is the failure of uninterruptible power supplies, followed by transfer switch and generator failures. Although this data shows a trend towards improved outage rates, the frequency of these outages is much too high and, with costs also on the rise, the consequences of an outage are getting much more severe. Data centre operators are well aware of the impact that a power outage can have, and many have put measures in place to mitigate these risks. However, with back up power failures identified as the primary cause of power outages, as well as external issues around grid reliability, energy shortfalls, and the transition to more sustainable power sources, it has never been more important that operators test their back up power systems. £1m failures are becoming increasingly common The data highlighted in the report indicates that the costs of outages are on the rise. This is likely down to several factors, such as industry changes, the cost per minute of downtime increasing, and the prevalence of technology that is susceptible to outages. In fact, a quarter of the respondents that were interviewed reported that their most recent outage cost them more than £1 million in not only direct costs, but in indirect costs also. This 25% is a significant percentage increase from 2021, which showcases a continuing upward trend over the last five years. The report states, ‘Uptime’s 2022 annual survey findings are remarkably consistent with previous years. They show that on-site power problems remain the single biggest cause of significant site outages by a large margin.’ Considering that data centre equipment vendors are caught between high demand and lingering supply chain problems, and that attracting, but, moreover, retaining qualified staff remains highly problematic for many operators, it is becoming increasingly clear that using a load bank is an essential cost saving tool. Using a load bank to commission or regularly test the back up power system not only tests the prime movers and the batteries (UPS), but also ensures that the more critical components of the system, such as the alternator and crucially the transfer switches are tested as well. These load bank tests not only prove that the UPS or generators will start, operate, and run efficiently in the case of a power outage, but also that the sets can be safely turned off with no interruptions when mains power is restored. Put simply, in a data centre environment, the business case for using a load bank is clear cut - not testing is an extremely costly risk to take.

Riello UPS expands into Ireland with new branch

Riello UPS is expanding with the launch of a new subsidiary covering the Republic of Ireland. Riello UPS Ireland is the Italian-headquartered company’s 17th dedicated worldwide branch and is a strategically important addition aimed at increasing the brand’s presence in the thriving Irish data centre market, where global tech giants including Amazon, Google, and Facebook all have major facilities located. The new subsidiary will be headed up by Leo Craig, who will combine the role with his current position as Managing Director of Riello UPS in the UK. A Member of the Institute of Engineering Technology (MIET) and a Fellow of the Institute of Sales Management (FISM), Leo is also a Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP) and a Certified Data Centre Energy Professional (DCDEP) with more than 30 years’ experience in the critical power protection industry. The subsidiary expects to be fully operational by the new year, with a dedicated team and new premises in Dublin’s IT district. Riello UPS Ireland will also be exhibiting at the upcoming DataCentres Ireland trade show on 16-17 November at the RDS Arena in Dublin. The show provides the new branch with the perfect platform to showcase its range of proven data centre solutions, including the modular Multi Power, high-efficiency NextEnergy, and transformer-free Sentryum. Leo comments, “The Irish market offers huge growth potential for us as a business. Riello UPS brand is already a well-established brand over here and we have strong links through several resellers and distributors. But having our own office and team on the ground will give us a much better foothold to increase our presence in the months and years to come.” Roberto Facci and Fabio Passuello, the Commercial Director and CEO respectively of RPS S.p.A, add, “The Irish legal entity marks a fundamental step forward of our business expansion, and it is pivotal to further and better serve the growing demand of the data centre industry and the critical power segment.  “And we also truly believe that under the sound leadership of Leo Craig, our Irish legal entity will very soon become a solid reference for the Irish market customers as well as for our own company’s international footprint.”  Also known as a UPS, an uninterruptible power supply provides invaluable protection against electrical power outages and disturbances. It offers instantaneous battery backup that enables critical equipment like computers, IT systems, and machinery to keep running until the power returns or a standby generator kicks in. With a power range of 400VA to 6.4MVA, Riello UPS’s portfolio incorporates 24 high tech solutions for protecting everything from the smallest desktop PCs and home entertainment devices to the latest data centre supercomputers and advanced manufacturing equipment.

Panduit expand OneMode capabilities on multimode fibre

Panduit has extended the fibre capabilities of OneMode, its 1U rack mounted device that offers a passive media converter to leverage a multimode fibre backbone (100Mbps - 1Gbps) and significantly increases bandwidth to 10Gbps, 50Gbps and up to 100Gbps across already installed fibre infrastructure. OneMode extends data reach out to 800m and up to 5000m using a second OneMode device. The technology offers an inexpensive and quick to deploy solution to upgrading campus networks. OneMode has been developed in partnership with Cailabs. Panduit has the global rights to integrate Cailabs technology within the innovative OneMode product portfolio. This agreement includes exclusive use of the technology for the education market. Utilising the Cailabs technology, OneMode shapes the laser light to become the dominant fundamental mode, and the cable behaves as if it is made of single mode fibre. This eliminates modal and chromatic dispersion, providing the capability for 100 data speeds and extended cable runs. Panduit has demonstrated the capability of 100Gbps up to 500m on multimode fibre, with zero signal degradation. OneMode offers multiple benefits to markets such as education, healthcare, enterprise and industrial due to the capability to use installed cabling rather than rip and replace and trench work to replace old cable with new fibre infrastructure. Global shortage of fibre optic cables, especially in Europe, Asia and China, has led to delays and price increases to almost double in 16-months. As technology demands across campus infrastructure expands to support more connected devices, running more cloud services, the bandwidth limitations of multimode fibre installations become the barriers to efficiency and new technology uptake. Panduit’s OneMode devices can be installed in half the time that rip and replace requires. The device is simply to install, with access to the telecom closet, and creates no disruption to the network regardless to the topology during deployment. This technology provides a flexible and affordable solution to reduce the investment in upgrading multimode cabling infrastructure. OneMode can support the evolution in network traffic, without long, complex, and expensive new cable deployment.

Neterra launches a new fibre metro network in Sofia

Neterra has built and launched a new, fast and secure fibre metro network in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It covers the entire capital, including all important business centres, central streets, and boulevards. Through it, the company offers internet for businesses, protection from DDoS attacks, other connectivity services and media streaming. Qualified engineers are responsible for maintenance and provide technical support 24/7. Neterra's new network has several major advantages compared to the networks of other operators. It is the only fibre network that reaches all the data centres in Sofia, enters them, and connects them. This includes both Neterra's data centres and those of other operators. Another benefit is that cables are run deeper underground and in protected conduits to prevent risks of outages. For the Sofia fibre metro network, the company uses the most modern and high-quality equipment - from cables to optical distribution frames (ODF) and connectors. As a result, the connection is of exceptional quality. In the capital of Bulgaria, Neterra maintains over 550 active business services and consciously invests in reliable components. Thanks to the large capacities set in advance, Neterra's metro network is expected to meet the needs of businesses in Sofia for years to come. At the same time, it is connected to the Bulgarian core fibre network of the company, which connects all major Bulgarian cities such as Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Burgas, Plovdiv and Ruse.

Lindy Electronics has launched the DST-Pro 100 USB-C Laptop Docking Station with Triple Display (Full HD) or Single Display (4K) and 100W Power Supply. Available now, the DST-Pro 100 is Lindy’s powerhouse docking station. Designed with pros in mind, this product allows for easy, fast and reliable charging of your device, ensuring you can perform power-hungry tasks with ease. Housed in a robust aluminium body, this dock has been constructed to facilitate elite performance. The UK retail price is £264.95. Connects a DisplayPort and/or up to two HDMI displays, USB peripherals and powers the laptop over a single cable Supports 4K 60Hz for a single display or dual 4K 30Hz displays Integrated four port USB SuperSpeed 5Gbps Hub (2 x Type A, 2 x Type C) Connect a soundbar using TosLink (Optical) Two-year warranty Extended display This docking station comes with HDMI and DisplayPort connections, all with 4K capability. With one extended display connected, you can expect Ultra HD 4k 60Hz. This product is also capable of supporting 4k@30Hz for dual displays (using HDMI ports) and crisp Full HD@60Hz for triple display setups. Added connectivity Providing all the ports and card slot options you would need for a professional-grade workspace, this desktop delivers SuperSpeed (5Gbps) USB ports as well as some unique audio connectivity options. Through a single USB-C connection, access four USB Type A ports, two USB-C ports, Card Readers (SD and Micro-SD), separate 3.5mm audio and microphone jacks, two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet and an optical TOSLink output. The TOSLink output is ideal for connecting high-end audio equipment such as soundbars and with a wired Ethernet connection and SuperSpeed data transfer, you can expect to have a blazing fast and reliable desktop experience. Power delivery With a 100W PSU (Power Supply Unit), this docking station has the capability to ensure your device is always fully charged and ready to deal with power-hungry, demanding tasks. Simply connect your docking station with one USB-C cable and be confident that your laptop is being charged whilst you work. This also leaves more available ports both on your device and docking station for connecting additional USB accessories and peripherals. Plug-and-play This docking station does not require any driver installation. This allows for seamless large-scale implementation and a hassle-free experience.

Saft batteries provide backup to TotalEnergies’ technical centre

Saft has delivered a Flex’ion lithium-ion battery system to ensure continuity of critical systems at TotalEnergies’ Technical Centre for the Asia Pacific (TCAP). This research facility develops, analyses, and tests lubricants, special fluids and fuel additives for the automotive, off-road, and industrial sectors. TotalEnergies’ laboratory experiments in Mumbai often need to run continuously over months. Any power outage could lead to a test failure, disrupting the laboratory’s research and delaying the introduction of a new product to the market. The site’s researchers wanted to improve efficiency and reliability by upgrading the existing decentralised UPS with a single centralised system. They turned to Saft for a system to deliver 250kW for up to 15 minutes. Partners were able to integrate their technologies smoothly, and produced a system for TotalEnergies within a tight timescale of less than four weeks. Amandine Racaud, Head of TotalEnergies’ Technical Centre for Asia Pacific, says: “We want complete reliability from our backup system so that we can plan our research programmes with confidence. Being safe and reliable, Saft’s Flex’ion batteries are ensuring power continuity to keep our experiments on track. Flex’ion systems are also recognised for their lower environmental footprint, in line with TotalEnergies sustainability approach.” Flex’ion batteries were developed for high-performance UPS applications where space and safety are vital. Housed in five cabinets, the battery system is compact enough to fit into the limited space available. Also, Saft’s patented lithium-iron-phosphate electrochemistry and battery design ensure the safest battery solution. Flex’ion's lithium-ion battery technology can operate reliably at high temperatures (35°C), which reduces HVAC requirements, minimising energy bills and carbon emissions. Lithium-ion batteries are six times lighter than valve-regulated lead-acid batteries. Furthermore, with its robustness, design life of over 20 years and maintenance-free characteristics, Flex'ion is the solution that offers the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the system. Once delivered, Saft’s team in India provided support to ensure installation and commissioning was completed smoothly in six days. The battery system’s smart monitoring capability will enable TotalEnergies to have full confidence in its condition and calendar life. The project builds on Saft’s successful delivery of battery systems for TotalEnergies, which has Flex’ion batteries running in its offices in Singapore and at the High-Performance Supercomputer Centre in Pau, France. In India, Saft has also delivered nickel technology batteries to TotalEnergies for industrial backup applications at the Dhamra LNG terminal and for the Adani Green Solar Parks.

Schneider Electric makes eConversion the default mode for its Galaxy UPS series

Schneider Electric has announced an enhanced version of eConversion (formerly known as ECOnversion), to provide increased sustainability for its Galaxy V Series three-phase UPS. After years of field tests, all Galaxy V Series UPS' will be shipped to customers with eConversion as the default. eConversion mode provides the highest protection level for critical loads with Class-1 (UL certified) and results in savings up to three times the UPS price. Providing critical back-up power solutions for IT and non-IT environments, such as industrial edge applications, the Galaxy V Series’ eConversion delivers reliable power protection and helps attain new levels of sustainability. eConversion has over eight years of field deployment and thousands of customers worldwide who use it daily to protect their critical loads since its launch in 2014. “With eConversion as the default mode for Galaxy V Series three-phase UPSs, we expect to facilitate the conservation of 175GWh of electricity annually - which is the equivalent of the energy produced by nearly 60,000 rooftop solar installations.” Says Mustafa Demirkol, Vice President of Data Centre Systems, Offer Management and Marketing, Energy Management at Schneider Electric. “We’re looking forward to helping customers meet their sustainability goals while reducing their electricity spending and corresponding carbon emissions.” High efficiency mode mitigates impact of rising energy costs According to the World Bank, energy prices are expected to rise more than 50% in 2022 before easing in 2023 and 2024. Utilising eConversion enables operators to mitigate some of the cost and climate impact while continuing to benefit from the highest protection level for critical loads with Class-1 (UL certified). Additionally, with the eConversion savings metre, customers can check electricity savings on the UPS display. Customers can still choose to use the Double Conversion mode, but field experience has shown that modern electrical installations do not justify such high permanent use of electricity. EcoDataCenter, a climate-positive HPC data centre, deployed four Galaxy VX UPS’ at 1250kW each to support customer loads with the possibility to run at 99% efficiency with eConversion mode. As digital demand will continue to grow and require resilience to reap the benefits of automation and efficiency, data centre, OT, and IT professionals will need to make step-changes towards a net zero world. eConversion is available as a feature in all Galaxy V Series UPS’ worldwide.

Telehouse set to achieve a 461t reduction in carbon emissions

Telehouse has announced a collaboration with EkkoSense, enabling the organisation to achieve an anticipated 461t reduction in CO2 carbon emissions at its Telehouse North site by the end of 2022. EkkoSense’s ML and AI-powered optimisation technology monitors and visualises the performance of data centre sites. Following an initial trial at Telehouse North that was implemented at the end of 2021, a 10% cooling power reduction has been achieved, leading to reduced carbon emissions. Its success means that the technology is now being rolled out to other data centres at the Telehouse London Docklands campus. The software works by analysing in real-time thousands of temperature and cooling points across the site to identify where levels of cooling can be tweaked, and dramatically increases the level of insightful data available to the operations team to remove risk and improve resilience. Sensor deployment across the data halls provided Telehouse with the ability to monitor and identify performance improvements. If the temperature in a section of the data centre is outside the normal range, the sensors will flag this. The EkkoSoft Critical 3D visualisation and analytics platform continuously provides advice to the Telehouse team about adjusting cooling settings, such as fan speed adjustments, cooling set points and floor grille placements - resulting in quantifiable cooling energy savings and a reduction in carbon emissions. The technology has also proven to be especially valuable for Telehouse at a time of record-breaking temperatures in the UK. During July and August, the software enabled the organisation to successfully monitor and protect equipment and maintain uptime. The EkkoSense software includes 3D visualisation capabilities, which the organisation uses to gain a clear picture of where overcooling is taking place, the location of hotspots or any other inefficiencies that need rectification to benefit its customers. The organisation is also exploring how the solution can be used to improve capacity management processes, identify any capacity constraints and better quantify available capacity. “We’ve already made significant carbon emission reductions from an initial rollout of EkkoSense, and we’re eager to implement the software around our wider campus to extend these capabilities. It’s very difficult to manually inspect every element of a data centre to identify inefficiencies and make improvements. EkkoSense provides a highly granular level of data and visualisation to help support our green agenda and ensure our customers meet their sustainability targets,” says Paul Lewis, Senior Operations Director, Telehouse. “The initial results achieved with Telehouse have proved promising, but this is just the beginning. Our technology works to continuously identify optimisation opportunities and push the efficiency of Telehouse’s operations that little bit further. We’re looking forward to rolling out our unique visualisation and monitoring software at the organisation’s other sites to help progress its sustainability stature,” says Dean Boyle, CEO, EkkoSense.

How reliable is your backup power?

By Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic What does good look like? It’s no surprise that the data centre sector’s reliance on UPS is on the up, and the onus is often on the site manager or maintenance teams to ensure the equipment that provides this power is reliable, well-maintained, and fit for purpose. The maintenance and regular testing of a UPS primary power source is considered best practice and any business that runs this sort of system will likely have a programme of maintenance in place. But this is only half a job done. There remains an astonishing number of data centres that fail to regularly test their backup power system, despite it lying dormant for the majority of the year. Instead, data centres are putting their trust in fate, hoping that the backup system will activate without fail - a fool’s game given the increasing cost of downtime. Why factory testing is not enough UPS systems and backup generators are typically tested at the factory as part of the manufacturing and quality testing process. Some businesses mistakenly think that this will be sufficient to ensure the equipment will operate effectively after installation. The reality is that on-site climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity often vary between locations. These variations in environment, combined with the impact of lifting, moving and transporting sensitive equipment, can mean that the manufacturer-verified testing may be thrown off kilter by on-site conditions or even human intervention during installation. For this reason, it is absolutely critical that backup power systems are commissioned accurately and tested in-situ in actual site conditions using a load bank. Where unplanned downtime is likely to be costly or even devastating to a business’ financial stability - having backup power such as a generator is crucial. Wherever power is generated, there is also a need for a load bank - a device that is used to create an electrical load that imitates the operational or ‘real’ load that a generator would use in normal operational conditions. In short, the load bank is used to test, support, or protect a critical backup power source and ensure that it is fit for purpose in the event that it is called upon. Backup power testing best practice A robust and proactive approach to the maintenance and testing of the power system is crucial to mitigate the risk of failure. However, implementing a testing regime that validates the reliability and performance of backup power must be done under the types of loads found in real operational conditions. What would be considered best practice for testing a backup power system? Ideally, all generators should be tested annually for real-world emergency conditions using a resistive-reactive 0.8pf load bank. Best practice dictates that all gensets (where there are multiple) should be run in a synchronised state, ideally for eight hours but for a minimum of three. Where a reactive-only load bank is used, testing should be increased to four times per year at three hours per test. In carrying out this testing and maintenance, fuel, exhaust and cooling systems and alternator insulation resistance are effectively tested, and system issues can be uncovered in a safe, controlled manner without the cost of major failure or unplanned downtime. Why is resistive-reactive the best approach? Capable of testing both resistive and reactive loads, this type of load bank provides a much clearer picture of how well an entire system will withstand changes in load pattern while experiencing the level of power that would typically be encountered under real operational conditions. Furthermore, the inductive loads used in resistive-reactive testing will show how a system will cope with a voltage drop in its regulator. This is particularly important in any application which requires generators to be operated in parallel (prevalent in larger business infrastructures such as hospital or data banks) where a problem with one generator could prevent other system generators from working properly or even failing to operate entirely. This is something which is simply not achievable with resistive-only testing. Secure your power source The importance of testing is being clearly recognised in many new data centres, with the installation of load banks often being specified at the design stage rather than being added retrospectively. Given that the cost of a load bank is typically only a fraction of that of the systems which it supports, this makes sound commercial sense and enables a preventative maintenance regime, based on regular and rigorous testing and reporting, to be put in place from day one. While testing of power systems is not yet a condition of insurance, some experts believe it is only a matter of time before this becomes the case. At the very least, by adopting a proactive testing regime, data centres can take preventative action towards mitigating the catastrophic risk associated with power loss.

Get ready to dock with Lindy 

The DST-Mini XT is Lindy’s feature-packed mini docking station. Housed in robust aluminium, this compact dock has been designed for those who need greater additional connectivity, in a portable form factor. The DST-Mini XT can support a single extended display at 4K@30Hz through the HDMI or DisplayPort connections. Dual display setups are also possible with crisp Full HD 1080p. This makes this dock the perfect solution for any creative, data analyst or intense spreadsheet worker. This docking station can unlock a world of connectivity for your device. It delivers DisplayPort, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, SD Card Slot, USB-C, SuperSpeed USB Type A ports (5Gbps) and a combined 3.5mm headphone jack. To deliver as much added functionality as possible, the right USB Type A port has both SuperSpeed data transfer and Battery Charging 1.2, meaning you can charge connected mobile devices. Thanks to the USB-C PD 3.0, by connecting a USB-C charger to the DST-Mini XT you can expect up to 100W fast charging as well as bidirectional charging to any peripheral connected to the right USB-A port. With Battery Charging 1.2, this port delivers 5V and up to 1.5A for faster charging. Simply connect one USB-C cable and be confident that your laptop and connected devices will be fully charged and ready to go.  This docking station does not require any driver installation. This allows for seamless large-scale implementation and a hassle-free experience. Simply plug and play.