If you have several servers that you need to maintain and make sure all are up and running smoothly, what power backup architecture would you suggest?
Would an individual power backup attach to each one a better solution as oppose to installing a big that is centrally attached?
What are power backup strategies
Hello Samantha,
Given below are advantages and disadvantages for both distributed and centralized power backup solutions:
Distributed Power Backup: In a distributed architecture UPS is typically placed alongside the server rack.
Advantages:
1. Lesser Expenses: Distributed backup helps conserve cash as you can add incrementally when adding new server racks. Unlike a centralized solution where one may have to overcommitt due to future capacity expansions.
2. Better power availability: Since UPS will be placed quite near to rack, it will result in shorter wires and increase power efficiency (lesser grounding issues, electrical noise and interference).
3. Easier Deployment and redeployment: Distributed architecture employs smaller and lighter UPS which are easy to redeploy and install.
Disadvantages:
1. Complex Management: Monitoring many UPSes would be challenge and management overhead.
2. Less efficient Rack space usage: A lot of space will be required to install UPSes adjacent to server racks.
Centralized Power Backup: A centralized backup solution typically comprises of one or two large UPS generally placed at the perimeter of the server room.
Advantages:
1. Easier Management & Redundancy: It is easier to manage 1 or 2 UPS as against many in a distributed architecture. Adding redundancy in distributed setup is cumbersome as it requires to add 1 more UPS into server room.
2. 3 Phase protection: The smaller UPS in distributed architecture generally provide single phase protection. However high density equipment like Blade servers require 3 phase protection. Centralized UPSs can protect both 3 phase and single phase electrical loads.
3. Longer Battery life in High Temperature server rooms: Server room temperature are rising steadily. Centralized architecture will ensure UPS batteries will be placed at a sufficient distance from such high temperature zones (Unlike distributed setups where UPS are placed close to server rack).
4. Efficient rack space usage: All available space can be used for servers.
Disadvantages:
1. Higher initial costs: Large UPS in centralized architecture are far more expensive than distributed ones.
2. Lower Energy Efficiency: TO accommodate future growth most organization deploy high capacity UPS upfront. This results in lower power efficiency. e.g. in first year server room is lightly loaded as a result UPS (which was over committed) will waste around 25 percent of the power it consumes. Additional cooling that it require will further lower the efficiency.
When designing a power protection scheme for your data center, you should ask which solution seems relevant to your need. You must weigh each architecture’s advantages and disadvantages against their financial constraints, availability needs and management capabilities before deciding which one to employ.
Thanks
Divina
