Site preparation and physical planning
These guidelines help you prepare your site for the delivery and installation of your server.
- Site selection
The selection of a site for information technology equipment is the first consideration in planning and preparing for the installation. Determine whether a new site is to be constructed or alterations are to be performed on an existing site. - Access
Define an access route from your loading dock to your data processing area before delivery of your server. - Acclimation
Server and storage equipment (racks and frames) must be gradually acclimated to the surrounding environment to prevent condensation. - Acoustics
Acoustic noise emission data allows you to assess noise levels for your data processing equipment. - Air conditioning determination
The air conditioning system must provide year-round temperature and humidity control as a result of the heat dissipated during equipment operation. - Computer room layout
Effective computer room layout is dependent on several important factors. - Computer room location
Computer room location is affected by several factors. - Electromagnetic compatibility
Use this information to plan for server installation in an environment that has a high electomagnetic-radiated field. - Emergency planning for continuous operations
Planning for emergencies ensures that your data center continues to operate in the event of a power outage. - Environmental design criteria
Use these environmental design criteria to ensure that your data center environment provides optimal conditions for your server operation. - Floor construction and floor loading
Calculate the floor loads for your server with these formulas. - General power information
Reliable electrical power is required for the proper functioning of your data processing equipment. - Lighting
Proper lighting is required to normally operate the server and when service is required. - Material and data storage protection
Special safety considerations are required when storing data or other material. - Overhead cabling
Historically, cabling (power or signal) for computer systems has been done within a rack or under a raised floor. There has been growing customer interest in using nonraised floors, requiring some or all of the cabling to be overhead. - Planning for communications
Your installation requires a variety of communication equipment to support the computer installation. Telephone lines, fax lines, and the remote support facility (RSF) are just some of the types of communications that you will need to have installed. - Planning for the installation of rear door heat exchangers
Use this information to prepare your location to facilitate the use of the IBM® rear door heat exchanger. - Power load
A preliminary sizing for total power load can be obtained by adding the total power requirements for all devices to be connected. - Power quality
The quality of electrical power significantly impacts the performance of sensitive electronic equipment. These guidelines ensure that quality electrical power is provided to your data center. - Power source
These guidelines help to ensure that your data center has a quality power source. - Raised floors
Learn how a raised floor environment improves data center operational efficiency. - Relocation and temporary storage
Shipment or storage conditions that exceed the specified limits can cause permanent damage to your server. These guidelines should be followed when relocating or temporarily storing your server. - Space requirements
The floor area required for the equipment is determined by the specific servers to be installed, the location of columns, floor loading capacity, and provisions for future expansion. - Static electricity and floor resistance
Use these guidelines to minimize static electricity buildup in your data center. - System air distribution
Careful attention should be given to the method of air distribution to eliminate areas of excessive air motion and hot spots. - Temperature and humidity recording instruments
Temperature and humidity recording instruments should be installed to provide a continuous record of the environmental conditions. - Vibration and shock
Use this information to plan for possible vibration and shock in your data center. - Voltage and frequency limits
Voltage and frequency limits must be maintained to ensure proper functioning of your server.
Last updated: Thu, April 16, 2020