Heat as the primary constraint.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DOES
Converts essentially all the electricity it consumes into heat.
WHAT THAT MEANS
A rack consuming several kilowatts produces several kilowatts of heat, continuously.
WHY THAT IS A PROBLEM
Without removal, temperature rises quickly.
WHAT HAPPENS AS TEMPERATURE RISES
Equipment reduces performance to protect itself Failures become more frequent Equipment shuts down Component life shortens
WHAT THAT LAST POINT MEANS
Equipment run consistently warm fails sooner, even when it never shuts down.
HOW QUICKLY TEMPERATURE RISES ON COOLING FAILURE
Minutes, in a dense hall.
WHY THAT MATTERS
Cooling failure is more urgent than most people expect.
WHAT THAT REQUIRES
Cooling on backup power, and redundancy in cooling as much as in power.
WHAT TO ASK
Whether cooling is supported by generators.
WHY
Power restored without cooling buys very little time.
WHAT TO MONITOR
Temperature, continuously, at equipment intakes.
