Considerations for Deploying Open

Compute in a Colocation Facility

Mark Dansie

Technical Project Manager - Inflectiontech

@markdansie

Ludovic Juraver

Senior Business Development Manager - Aegis Data

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DCD London November 2016 - Data Center Project Engineering Workshop

Checklist Concept

• To be useful world wide

• Consider only the white space

• Simple and easy to use so that the older style Colo facilities can easily adopt Open Racks

• First step - create a ‘Minimum Viable Product’ checklist for one average Open Rack variant

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The Checklist will help to avoid this

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Open Rack Standard V2.0

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Key Rack Features Include : -

• Base rack loading to 500Kg

• Heavy rack loading to 1400Kg

• 2 Power zones with optional kit to

convert to a single zone

• Dimensions

OpenU Height 48mm (1.89 inches)

Height 2210mm (87 inches)

Width 600mm (23.6 inches)

Depth1067mm (42 inches) Front Isometric View Rear Isometric View

Rack and Packaging

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Exploded view of Packing

Crate

Open Rack V2 Loaded Rack in

Crate ( Front / Rear Removed )

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Contained hot aisle

facebook Open Rack Variant Type 1

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Open Rack Variant Considerations

Is a typical facility requirement for an Open Rack 12.5kW and

800Kg?

Could that typical Open Rack Variant be accommodated by 80% of

the world’s colocation facilities?

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The Colo Facility Challenges

• Structural

• Electrical System

• Cooling

• Pathways

• Network Architecture

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Delivery

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Ramps and Railings

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11

Ramps

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600 mm 12 x 600 = 7,200 mm

• 1,800 mm minimum width

• Landings both ends of minimum 1,800 mm square for manoeuvring equipment

• No steeper than a 1 in 12 incline

What are the Rack Delivery & Placement

Considerations?

Can a crated Open Rack be delivered and manoeuvred into the Data

Centre store room/ goods in using a fork lift via the loading dock

Is there sufficient clearance at access doors and in corridors between

the loading dock and white space

Is there an adequately sized turning landing at the top of any ramp

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Floor

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Raised/ Access

Solid/ Slab

What are the Floor Considerations?

Solid or raised access floor

Maximum rolling load that can be accommodated between the

loading dock and the white space

Maximum static load that the white space can support

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White Space slab to slab and ceiling heights

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Ceiling slab

Floor slab

Min

4.5 m Min

3.1 m

Min

3.1 m

Notes :

1) Minimums of 3.1 m allows for a one metre minimum clearance above a 2.1 m tall rack.

Access floor

Access ceiling

Clearances

900 mm to

450 mm

What are the Clearance Considerations?

Height and width of the access door at the loading dock

Height and width of the access door into the white space

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Power Transformation

From This

18 Thanks to Kushagra Vaid for graphics

Power Transformation

To This

19 Thanks to Kushagra Vaid for graphics LES = Local Energy Store

What are the Electrical Considerations?

Spare ways in electrical switch gear/ distribution board / PDU fed by

3 phase non UPS supplies

3 phase busbars within the whitespace with sufficient power capacity

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Cooling Transformation

From This

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20

11

10

1

Contained front cold aisle

Cooling Transformation

To This

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20

11

10

1

Contained rear Hot aisle into ceiling air

plenum return

Thanks to John Laban for images

What are the Cooling Considerations?

Can the white space be adapted to allow for a contained hot aisle

Is there sufficient clearance above the rack to install a ceiling air

plenum return

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Pathways

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OCP server cabling interfaces at the front

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LAN on front

Thanks to John Laban for graphics

What are the Pathway Considerations?

Can power and network connections be moved from the rear to the

front of the rack

Can network and power connections be routed from the access floor

to the top of the rack

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Lighting

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What are the Lighting Considerations?

Are light fixtures positioned at a minimum of 2.6 m (8.5 ft) above

finished floor (AFF) and positioned close to the rack

Is there a minimum of 500 Lux measured at the points of cable

termination and connectivity and 1.0 m (3.28 ft) AFF measured in the

middle of all aisles between cabinets

Is there 200 Lux available horizontally sideways and both at all points

in the white space

Should we consider light colour Open Racks

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Network Topology Transformation from This

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Large Core Switch at

MDA

Aggregation Switch

at HDA Aggregation Switch

at HDA

Edge Switch

at EDA

Edge Switch

at EDA

Source JR

Laban

Network Topology Transformation to This

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Leaf – Spine Network Topology

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Source AFL Hyperscale

Server TOR Sw Leaf Sw Spine Sw Patch Panel

EDA EDA

EDA EDA EDA EDA

EDA EDA

MDA

HDA

HDA HDA

HDA

Thanks to John Laban for images

Thanks to Alan Keizer for image

What are the Network Considerations?

What are the maximum transmission speeds supported by the

existing copper structured cabling e.g. 10Gb

What are the maximum transmission speeds supported by the

existing fibre structured cabling e.g. 10/40/100 Gb

Link distances between Spine to Leaf and Leaf to equipment

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Questions?

Appendix

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Website - http://www.opencompute.org/

Wiki - http://www.opencompute.org/wiki

Data Centre Project Mailing List -

http://lists.opencompute.org/mailman/listinfo/opencomput

e-datacenter

OCP Web Links and more information

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Ask

Mark Dansie

+44 7986 502896

mark.dansie@inflectiontech.net

@markdansie