[AusNOG] Question about hardware spec for a DC

[Mark Newton]

On Apr 24, 2014, at 1:41 PM, Greg Lipschitz <Greg at thesummitgroup.com.au> wrote:

> Sounds like you got Schnidered Tom! :P

APC is Schneider too.  Sounds like he got “differently Schneidered.”

A few DCs (notably Nextgen/Metronode and Internode adl6) strongly recommend ATSs because there
are OHS&W considerations which sometimes require isolation of switchboards when electricians are
working behind the escutcheon.

It’s far easier to organize maintenance windows with customers if the consequence of a switchboard
shutdown is “equipment runs on supply from the other switchboard” instead of “equipment goes down.”

The hook at those sites is that there’s a bulletpoint in the induction documentation which says the 
provider reserves the right to isolate one supply per rack without warning at any time.  They might
not ever necessarily actually *do* it, but if they’ve said they might then you’d better plan for it!

perrin.richardson at icloud.com wrote:

> I guess you'll want to be conscious of whether your DC provider allows ATSs. I can't help but thinking I've heard one or two don't locally 

Then I’d strongly recommend against using those sites.

There are lots of DCs which won’t let you run in-rack UPSs (they’re already providing you with UPS
power, there aren’t a lot of reasons for the extra inefficiencies and power factor considerations involved
in quadruple-conversion power, eh?).  

Fire regulations might require the DC to be able to shut equipment down before fire fighters start
spraying water around.  They can’t do that if you have a UPS in your rack.

But I can’t think of a good reason for not allowing ATSs, which, in most of the 1RU variants, are
basically equivalent to a piece of wire with a switch in it.  


  - mark


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