If you’ve ever tripped a breaker and lost power at your home, you know how disruptive it can be. However, once you’ve found your breaker and restored power, the inconvenience is generally over. With expensive electronics—like servers—drawing too much power can be much more problematic.
Powering a server is not as simple as plugging the cord into an outlet. While servers do use standard plugs, they draw a lot of power. When grouped together on a single circuit, the amperage can shoot through the roof. Without proper monitoring and controls, elevated power use may trip the breaker, fry the power strip, or even damage or destroy your servers. In some cases, a power strip may be pulling too much power but not enough to trip the breaker, which can lead to serious hardware problems. No matter what the cause, offline servers could lead to missed sales and internal disruption for your employees.
Fortunately, Data102 offers Power Distribution Units (PDUs) to keep your servers safe.
PDU Options
Every client purchasing colocation space from Data102 is given the option to lease two 24-outlet APC power strips. This A/B redundancy ensures that the any single power failure will not affect your duel fed equipment. However, the basic models do not provide any information about power usage. For that Data102 offers two systems that provide added levels of information and control:
- Metered PDU — A metered PDU includes an LED monitor that displays the power usage of the whole unit. These reports will indicate if the PDU is drawing too much power overall. From this your technical support staff will then have a better idea of how to address any issue that may arise.
- Switched Rack PDU — The most advanced option is a switched rack PDU. These units monitor and control each outlet individually. This level of granularity provides detailed information on all power usage throughout the strip. Additionally outlets may be remotely power cycled, saving your IT staff a lot of time and hassle.
Power Solutions from Data102
The technical support staff at Data102 has years of experience with server maintenance and safety. We have seen firsthand the consequences of ignoring server power usage. Don’t put your servers at risk. Contact us today about to find out more about PDUs and what Data102 can do to protect your equipment and your business.
