​Assignment A6

The following are specific criteria which should be considered when designing and constructing a computer server farm.  These criteria will be further examined in the criteria matrix in order to determine how they factor into designing a server farm in a specific area at a certain size.  

 

Owner Concerns

 

• Cost - 5

  • Initial Costs

    • Required cost for initial building plan and facilities.

    • Cost for equipment (servers).

      • Includes: Transportation, labor costs, installation, etc.

 

• Maintenance - 4 to 5

  • Operating Costs

    • Cost to keep facilities running at full capacity.

    • Covers a wide range of smaller costs.

      • Energy Consumption

      • Unexpected Repairs

      • Gas Content Expenses

 

• Aesthetics - 1

  • Influences where possible HVAC systems can be placed or hidden.

  • For a computer server farm this is not a controlling factor due to it not being a typical public open space.  

 

 

• Size - 5

  • Physical size of units.

  • Size of mechanical space available.

  • Occupancy of workers.

 

 

Environmental Factors

 

• Design Temperatures - 5

  • Temperature is kept consistent with equipment needs.

    • Cooling is utilized over heating for a computer server farm.

    • Most servers are running continuously and constantly generating heat, therefore an efficient cooling capacity is necessary for this type of system.

 

 

• Humidity Control - 5

  • Extremely important factor to consider due to large electrical needs and heat levels in the space.

  • Humidity levels are kept low in order to promote longer life span of equipment.

    • Helps prevent corrosion of individual components of equipment.

 

 

Inherent Characteristics of the Systems

 

• Flow Rates - 4

  • Ventilation of space is kept on separate system from standard HVAC units due to chemical content of server room.

 

 

• Noise and Vibrations - 3

  • Noises are kept to a minimum in order to keep the relative comfort of the space in a comfortable zone.

  • A server farm is not going to be accessed at all times by humans, so this is not necessarily important on a comfort level, but should be considered on a vibration level in order to keep the calibration of the equipment aligned where necessary.

 

 

• Gas Content/Fire Protection - 5

  • Server rooms require adequate fire protection means in order to protect the integrity of the data on the servers.  

  • Correct levels of inert gases and air solutions to keep oxygen levels low need to be kept at correct levels to provide maximum protection from fire and maintain functionality of the space.

 

 

Performance Measures

 

• Capacity - 5

  • Air flow capacity.

    • Important to consider for a server farm due to large heat loads that must be cooled efficiently in order to allow for peak performance of HVAC system.

 

• Efficiency - 4 to 5

  • Energy efficient.

  • System is able to perform at full capacity when necessary and have a back-up system available when primary system cannot handle initial performance loads.

 

• Lifespan - 5

  • Longevity of system before replacement.

    • System must be able to function at full capacity for a long period of time before replacement parts are needed.  Thus keeping maintenance costs low.