Posted by Brian Brown on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
Due to audio recording issues on my end, Ian's full interview could not be posted in a quality suitable for our site. I have transcribed the first part of our interview to share with our readers.
Ian Seaton (LinkedIn profile here) of Chatsworth Products, Inc is THE expert to consult when it comes to data center thermal management or really anything related to your data center needs.
From chatsworth.com: "Ian Seaton has over thirty years of product development experience in electro-mechanical systems. He serves on the BICSI standards committee responsible for the new data center design manual as editor of the rack and cabinet section and as a thermal consultant to the mechanical working group. He teaches BICSI accredited data center thermal management courses. Ian has written and spoken extensively on data center thermal management over the past 7+ years. He has a masters degree from California Polytechnic State University and is currently the Technology Marketing Manager for Chatsworth Products."
Ian, who is the Technical Applications Development Manager at CPI, was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss a few key techniques for data center operators.
BB: I’d like to start things off by asking the one question I hear most often: taking you typical datacenter operator, what’s the one the thing he can do to improve his datacenter cooling efficiency?
IS: Well, there’s one simple phrase, divide and conquer. Look at the hot aisle / cold aisle data design that was intended to separate the supply airstreams from the return air streams. Now we have solutions that allow you to essentially contain or isolate those two bodies of air from each other. This isolation is really the most important thing which can be done.
BB: With this sort of containment, what sort of benefits can be derived?
IS: The most important is you eliminate all the hot spots. When you remove all the hot air from the datacenter and completely separate that air from the supply airstream, it’s really impossible to create a hotspot for any server in the data center. Secondly, you have the opportunity to support much higher densities in the data center because when you remove that hot air. Finally, you eliminate the need to overproduce air in the datacenter and that gives you access to some of the energy savings on your air handler power. For example, if you have variable air volume fans running at 80 percent airflow, you’re only consuming 50% of the energy required for those air handlers.
In addition to those three opportunities, you also have the opportunity to change you thermal management thermostat, as it were, from the return air path to the supply air path, because you no longer care what the temperature of that return air is because it doesn’t affect anything in the datacenter.
IS: Also, I’d like to remind everybody that the Environmental Protection Agency has recently released an energy star rating for data centers (found here). The kinds of savings that can be achieved by the strategies I’ve mentioned —beyond the economic impact— also have an impact on helping to qualify for energy star ratings.
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Be sure to check out some of Ian's work here CPI White Papers and Case Studies and take a moment to browse CPI's product spec sheets.
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Posted by Brian Brown on Tue, Jun 08, 2010
Friday June 4th marked the 13th Annual Accu-Tech Golf Tournament
and Trade Show hosted by the Accu-Tech Atlanta branch. Similar to previous years, the outing was held at the beautiful Bear's Best Atlanta golf club.The event, geared towards the local contractor community, featured training and demonstrations from some of the industry's top suppliers and was followed by a golf tournament and prize drawings.
Todd Delavie, Atlanta Branch Manager and host, had this to say "We had just over 150 people for the trade show and 138 stayed to play golf. It was an incredible turn out and a very successful event."
"It was great for me being that is was my first big customer/vendor event here in Atlanta. It gave me some time to spend with all of our vendors that support us on a day to day basis and I was able to meet many valued customers that I have not been able to see as of yet."
Todd leads Accu-Tech Atlanta as branch managers having come from our Ft. Lauderdale branch last year.
Manufacturer Trade Show
Everything got started early with the trade show kicking things off from 8-11am with an extensive collection of manufacturers:
CPI,
General Cable,
Panduit,
CommScope,
Berk-Tek,
Quiktron,
Hubbell, and
STI, just to name a few. The trade show wasn't limited to voice and data manufacturers,
Sony and
Keyscan were also in attendance to show off the latest in camera and access control technology. Although attendance was high, it wasn't like your typical trade show where you could get lost in the crowds. There was never a shortage of things to see, and the manufacturer's reps were great about giving one-on-one demos or training.
From the Show
For more pictures from the trade show, check out our Facebook page here.
Golf
Threats of rain didn't stop the 138 participants from hitting the course and competing in the tournament. The scramble format allowed players of all skill levels to compete and enjoy the day. The groups came out swinging as two teams shot 58 to tie for the lead and the winning team was chosen based on how they played the course's toughest holes.
From the scratch golfer to the weekend warrior, everyone had their eyes on the par 3's. On these holes, a hole-in-one got you a speed boat, a 2010 Camaro, or a check for $10,000 (sadly, no aces this day).
After the tourney, everyone gathered back at the club house for dinner, prize drawings, and to announce the winners of the long drive and closet to the pin contests.
Todd summarizes the day perfectly; "We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from all sides. We heard from many of the suppliers that year in and year out, our event is the 'best there is in the Atlanta market'. With the demonstrations at trade show and the relationships made out on the course, I believe this was a very worth while event."
Posted by Will Roles on Mon, May 24, 2010
New Product Release: Velocity Cable Management System
From Kim Ream at the CPI Blog-- Cross Connect:
VelocityTM Cable Management: An Economical Solution That is Easy to Ship, Store and Assemble
CPI has long been a leader in cable management solutions for racks and cabinets, offering a variety of styles designed to meet the cabling needs of small and large applications. Our newest addition is VelocityTM Cable Management - an economical solution that is easy to install, easy to transport and offers more capacity and simplified cable management. Available in single and double-sided vertical managers and single-sided horizontal configurations, Velocity creates a complete pathway for premise cabling and patch cords, supplying comprehensive cable management solutions for open two- and four-post Rack Systems.
Watch our three minute video overview
to see how simple Velocity is to assemble!
If you are unable to view this video, please visit our Video Library.
Visit www.chatsworth.com/velocity for complete product information and downloadable documentation. Please contact us for any questions you may have or feel free to leave a comment.
Posted by Brian Brown on Fri, Apr 16, 2010
Yesterday was our training event at Louisville Slugger Field, home of minor league baseball team the Bats. This was a massive day of training, with a total of 7 BICSI Continuing Education Credits available through three unique classes. When all was said and done, I called in to Stephen Chew (Accu-Tech) and Phong Pham (Corning Cable Systems) to discuss the event and get their thoughts on how these training events help customers.
"We had a successful day of BICSI training with some of our largest suppliers: Corning, CPI and Quiktron. We had a nice turn out of people who received their BICSI credits, learned about product, and, hopefully, learned how to make a little extra money " says Stephen Chew of Accu-Tech.
The Bottomline
Phong Pham, Corning Cable Systems, agreed: "To Stephen's point, the ultimate goal is the bottom line. We're looking at how can we help customers generate revenue and increase their bottom-line. It's about choosing the right equipment which increases productivity."
Courses Offered
The course was an all day event, lead off by
Corning's OTDR & Fusion Splicer Equipment, followed by
Quiktron's A/V Connectivity Basics, and
Chatsworth Products, Inc. wrapped up with their class:
The Cabinet's Place in the Data Center for Thermal Management. Each class was designed to be a hands on and interactive experience rather than a stale lecture.
While a total of
7 BICSI CEC's were available, the training was so much more. "Whether you need BICSI credits or not, if you're in the industry, these classes have information you need to know so you can build your business. We try to make these events as fun as possible. We're taking people out of the field for a few hours and by the end of the classes, we hope we've made them better contractors. Our plans are to take this type of training on the road and offer classes which hook people's attention" said Chew.
What's Next?
As to when and where we can expect another major event like this one, Phong says; "Well, I go wherever Chew sends me; that's where I'm going, east coast, west coast, it doesn't matter. The focus is your network; where it stands today and how to move forward in the future. Many networks aren't ready for the future. We are looking to change that."
These events are about the contractor community. We're looking to provide individuals with an edge that sets them apart from their competition. If you have ideas for a training event in your area or particulars areas of interest you'd like to learn more about, let us know.
photo credit: Michael Martinez
Posted by Brian Brown on Tue, Mar 30, 2010
Join Accu-Tech, Chatsworth Products, Inc., Corning and Quiktron for a day of training and a night of baseball. With 7 BICSI CEC's available, the event will be held Thursday, April 15th at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky. Due to high demand, seating is limited. To reserve your spot, RSVP by Thursday April 8 to tim.flannagan@accu-tech.com or call 800-227-0628, ext. 106.
Classes Offered
OTDR & Fusion Splicer Equipment
Hands-on training and lecture on the proper equipment for testing and splicing applications, interpreting OTDR traces, splicer technology, and terminations.
***Earn 4 BICSI CEC’s Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm***
A/V Connectivity Basics
Participants will receive an introduction into the realm of audio and video with a look into the various connection types and common applications in the industry. Helpful suggestions related to maximum distance supported by each signal type and how to receive best results when connecting an A⁄V system.
***Earn 1 BICSI CEC Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00pm***
The Cabinet’s Place in the Data Center for Thermal Management
Best Practices will be presented for data center design, for optimum thermal management performance; including room space equipment organization, managing cable distribution, deploying open access floor tiles, and using the cabinet as an airflow management tool.
***Earn 2 BICSI CEC’s Time: 2:00pm to 4:00pm***
For more details you can download the event pdf here and be sure to read CPI's article detailing the event as well. Thanks to Jeff Steen, and all our vendor partners, for helping to spread the news about this unique training opportunity. We hope to see you there!
Connect with Accu-Tech
Posted by Brian Brown on Mon, Dec 21, 2009
A few days ago, Kim Ream wrote a post over at Chatsworth's blog entitled 8,472 and Counting. Its sort of 'year in review' with a focus on new products and technology offered by CPI in 2009. To say Chatsworth had a busy year is a vast understatement.
The products and technologies featured in the review include:
- Enterprise Infrastructure Management
- OnTracTM Wire Mesh Cable Tray
- F-Series TeraFrame® Cabinet Accessories
- CPI PUE CalculatorTM Available
- CPI Acquires Epicenter, Inc.
- New Research, Development & Training Center
- CPI Now Manufacturing in Europe
Definitely worth the read (article found
here) and a nice reference point if you need to review Chatsworth's product features. With 2009 being such a productive year for CPI, I'm looking forward to what 2010 brings.