Data center efficiency, power and cooling management are primary issues facing Facilities and IT managers. The cooling management dilemma is complex and the cost of energy is increasing in addition to the demand. Facilities and IT managers are eager to implement one or more tools to manage their cooling efficiency and capacity. One frequently used solution is computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It is relatively new but growing rapidly. CFD is a technique for analyzing computer generated simulations of airflow and thermal conditions in enclosed spaces.  Applied to data centers it takes into account all aspects of the floor layout and the equipment contained therein.  Three dimensional renderings (based on actual or projected deployment) consider the complex processes that control the flow rate distribution. Engineers can create what if analyses in search of optimal equipment placement.

Cooling management solutions are frequently to design new data centers. Engineers can run predictive analysis and determine how to position the equipment to maximize efficiency. Although more difficult to implement, one could argue that operational data centers are in greater need of tools such as CFD because Facility and IT managers are charged with reconfiguring their existing environment to improve efficiency.  They may have a limited capital budget (or none at all) and need to carefully consider the purchase and placement of new/legacy equipment.  Simply stated, they are actively seeking strategies and recommendations to maximize resources immediately and in the future. Operational data centers have not been successful in utilizing CFD because the costs and resources needed to gather the initial and ongoing data negate the return on investment.

Sample CFD output displaying temperatures in front of the rack

Aperture Support for Cooling Management
Aperture provides a central repository of all data center infrastructure information needed by CFD and other data center cooling management tools to model the data center physical environment. Aperture Configuration Manager is the single source for information (reporting and analytics) on the data center infrastructure. The extensive Symbols Library contains the data needed to enable accurate dimension, weight and environmental modeling.

A standard CFD export is part of Aperture Integration Manager, which is a fundamental component of the Aperture product line. It includes tools, utilities and documentation needed for integrating with other ITSM products. IT organizations can choose a CFD solution that fits their unique data center's requirements and rely on Aperture to provide the necessary data for sucessful cooling analysis.

Aperture supports data center cooling management by:

• Quickly providing comprehensive and accurate data to external tools. The detailed server rack information can be exported easily and imported into third party tools saving valuable time and money.
• Giving users flexibility to run the interface on demand. Facility and IT managers can run the interface on demand to get a current status of the environment and anticipate cooling demands as it evolves.
• Maintaining server rack information in a single repository. As part of a holistic cooling management solution, IT and Facility managers have one system to update and can rely on that information to be accurate.
• Allowing the customer to choose the best tool for their environment. Many tools exist on the market for CFD, and Aperture customers can make the best decision for their unique data center.
• Providing capacity management and workflow tools that in tandem with cooling management solutions provide a holistic view of the data center.

Learn more about how Aperture is the leading data center planning and management system for today’s space, power and cooling challenges.