Maintenance for Panelboards for Data Centers
Just about every piece of computer equipment requires regular maintenance. From a basic CPU to panelboards for data centers, it is important to keep every part of a business’ computer equipment up to date, running properly and available for use.
Keeping a Data Center Online
To keep data center services online and available, IT professionals work hard to ensure that all components of the facility are maintained and healthy. Data centers are incredibly complicated facilities with a variety of different components, hardware, software, power systems, and more. Data center equipment is also very expensive to both service and maintain. While the complexity of data centers will vary, many of the maintenance concerns will be the same.
A recently published whitepaper specifically explained the definition of availability according to IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) as “the degree to which a system or a component is operational and accessible when required for use by an authorized user. A simple formula for expressing availability is the ratio of uptime to total operating time, when uptime is the difference between total operating time and downtime.” Obviously, it is important to keep data centers online and available for use.
Maintenance of panelboards for Data Centers
Every piece of equipment, including panelboards for data centers, has a probability of failure. There are a number of different ways to help reduce that probability. For example, an experienced power professional should test and inspect each piece of equipment, including the panelboards for data centers. If any piece of equipment appears to be failing, it should be scheduled for replacement.
Maintenance of Computer Components
Just like the panelboards for data centers, all computer components should be checked and tested periodically for stability. Any components at risk for failure should be repaired or replaced immediately by following change management best practices. Some components have a greater chance of failure than others, such as power supplies and fans, should be checked frequently. It is also important that all mission critical systems have proper redundancy in place.
One of the best ways to avoid data center failures, including panelboards for data centers, is through proper monitoring of all equipment within the facility. In addition to immediate notification of the data center manager via text message or email, the monitoring data collected should also be reviewed regularly to identify potential anomalies. While comprehensive monitoring systems can be a significant capital expenditure, preventing a data center failure by identifying and resolving a potential issue more than validates the cost. Many monitoring systems capture and monitor information related to network performance, virus detection systems, and data capacity, to name a few.
Ultimately, properly maintaining a data center’s hardware, software, network components, and electrical system will keep systems online and available for use and avoid catastrophic failure. Reviewing monitoring data will help to identify potential issues so they can be rectified before they create downtime. Have a power professional periodically check and test all power systems housed within the data center to help avoid electricity issues. Preventive maintenance will be well worth the time it takes.
