How much power does a server rack consume?

The issue of server rack energy consumption is topical since it has lots of units that require sufficient feeding. A server rack serves as a place of storage for highly computing equipment, where each device requires powering. When the number of devices totals several hundred or even thousand, the amount of consumed energy rises exponentially.

Another important issue here is the need to power other servicing units, such as cooling devices and others. Obviously, when in operation, IT hardware tends to heat well. When we accumulate the heat produced by all equipment components, the need for forced ventilation tools (fans, evaporators, etc.) arises.

Consequently, one server rack has multiple units that require feeding. Data centers can have dozens of racks, meaning that the need for powering augments drastically. Thus, tech staff and maintenance employees should take time and effort to calculate the amount of the required power to feed one rack and an entire center.

The main purpose of calculating the needed energy consumption is related to the fact that power distribution units can produce different amounts of energy.  Each station has a maximum capacity of produced power, meaning that if your system requires more energy, some units will lack feeding. Sufficient feeding of all units is vital for communications systems; otherwise, they will work improperly, resulting in malfunction, downtime, and breaking. This is why it is essential to make sure that the available power distribution unit is capable of generating the required amount of energy to feed all devices.

Distributing Power

Based on the above-mentioned information, equipment examination and monitoring for power management efficiency is an obligatory step in large data centers. Thus, when setting up a server system, administrators should create maps of ampere distribution between racks.

PDU management for an effective server room power consumption is an important part of network system arrangement. Note that modern technologies provide technicians with a wide range of continuities. Thus, they can configure PDUs to feed particular modules and units and redirect energy to certain hardware. Also, PDUs provide remote access and environmental monitoring options to simplify handling and guarantee security.

When planning server feeding, it is vital to connect devices to appropriate power supplies to guarantee stable and uninterruptible functioning. Even a short-time breakout of servers can cause data and money loss, which results in significant expenses to businesses and infrastructures. Thus, when connecting servers, take into account their power needs.

When dealing with settling a server infrastructure, keep in mind that stronger and more powerful servers compute more complicated tasks and deal with large amounts of information, meaning that they emit more heat. Thus, they require more cooling devices. Make sure to surrender powerful servers with a sufficient number of coolers. At the same time, take into account that the need for feeding fans and coolers will also rise the power capacity of the PDU.

If you consider how energy is distributed in the data center, you’ll be surprised. Here are some figures:

• 50% of an entire demand for power goes for feeding cooling mechanisms that are responsible for maintaining proper climatic conditions;
• 36% of power is left for critical loads, powering active and passive hardware and foreseeing future improvements and integration of additional units;
• 11% of energy goes to UPS modules;
• 3% is left for lighting the room.

Judging by these figures, it becomes clear why it is important to organize a cooling strategy effectively. Yet, note that although the share of digital processes rises annually, an average server room power consumption has increased by 6% only for the period between 2000 and 2018, which demonstrates that it is possible to figure out a power-effective strategy for running DCs.

How to Calculate the Energy Consumption of a Data Center?

Now, let’s consider how to determine power consumption on server room. Here’s a step-by-step instruction on how to cope with calculation effectively and guarantee sufficient feeding for all units.

1. Consider hardware. Make a list of all the devices stored in a data center or a server rack and mini server rack, if you have a single cabinet for equipment accommodation.
2. Find out the energy consumption of each device.
3. Add up the obtained figures using a calculator. Here, you will get an exact figure of the required power to be generated by the PDU. Yet, it is recommended to use the PDU with excess capacity to foresee probable system expansion in the future.

Alternatively, technicians can observe the consumption in real-time or calculate the power consumption of an entire server room and divide the obtained figure between all devices.

Also, note that they distinguish between server room steady state vs peak power consumption. These are two different parameters that require due attention. While systems are designed to operate under steady-state conditions, the connected PDU must be capable enough to withstand peak energy consumption.

The efficiency of data center powering is topical since DCs consume a huge amount of power. A significant shape of this energy is spent to feed cooling systems and other servicing units. Thus, proper organization of a server room layout and a wise application of cooling strategies (such as hot and cold aisle maps) allows for avoiding wasting tens of kilowatts of energy and improving power consumption efficiency.

Tips to Calculate Energy Consumption Correctly

Calculating energy consumption is the first thing to do when you planning to arrange a server room. Your job should start from this very step. Make sure to consider the following parameters:

1. Location. When searching for a suitable location, consider the floor, space, and square meters. It is preferable to choose colder premises, in which the natural environment will help cool down devices. As a result, fewer coolers and fans will be needed.
2. Power limits. Once you’re done with the room, pay attention to nearby PDUs and their limits. Find out the maximum energy capacity produced by them and compare them with the needs of your system. Think about where your DC will consume energy. If you plan to buy a new PDU, make sure to calculate the required power consumption of server room and buy a more powerful PDU since it is likely that you’ll have to add more devices to an existing system.
3. Budget. Set the budget for system setup and do not exceed it. Think about how much money you can spend to power devices. Compare the space and electricity budgets to find out the limits.
4. Type of cabinets. Note that depending on the size of your system, you may choose between wall-mount and floor-standing products. The first group is popular for small compact sets. Such models allow for improving room ergonomics and freeing floor space. Wall products are popular for small premises and co-location in public places.

Note that in some cases, there is no need for arranging a separate server room. Colocation comes as another option for saving money on proprietary server rooms. Assess whether you need to arrange a separate room or you can just rent some place or use cloud storage of other systems. For small businesses and infrastructures, this option comes as a cost-effective solution for easy and trouble-free usage of network capabilities. The privacy policy is used to keep collocated datum confidential and prevent leakage. Terms are set by a holder and are agreed upon by all co-locators.

Data centers consume terawatts of energy daily, depending on the size and the number of hardware pieces. The main task of technicians and systems administrators is to calculate the feeding needs of the arranged system. Miscalculations may lead to network system malfunction and premature breaking, as well as data loss. Thus, the calculation of the needed power capacity is the first task to cope with when planning IT system setup. In this case, you’ll know what PDU to search for.