BIG DATA

Verari Systems is using Future Facilities' 6SigmaDC data center cooling simulation software to demonstrate to potential customers the advantages of its patented Vertical Cooling Technology. "The other simulation software packages that we tried calculate flow above and below the floor separately so they do not capture a key advantage of Vertical Cooling Technology - increasing the performance of the computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units by up to 30%," said Dave Driggers, Chief Technology Officer for Verari Systems. "6SigmaDC is the only package we have seen that simultaneously calculates flow above and below the floor so its simulation results clearly show our product's advantages."

Verari Systems' patented Vertical Cooling Technology creates a high velocity airstream of cool air driving away the hot air created by high performance components and power suppliers. Vertical cooling draws cool air out of the floor, forces it through the entire rack and exhausts it into the ceiling, creating a cool and secure environment for the data center. This technology is utilized in all Verari's BladeRack® servers, BladeRack storage systems, and in its FOREST container, which can house over 26PB of storage or 2,880 servers in an industry standard form factor"

"6SigmaDC has helped us advance the sales process in numerous cases by making it much easier for prospects to understand the advantages of our technology," Driggers said. "6SigmaDC simulations also provide a valuable pre-installation benchmark of our customer's facility. After we install our equipment, we test the facility to make sure the measurements match the simulation predictions. If the measurements ever did not match up, it would indicate some sort of problem with the installation."

Verari Systems also used 6SigmaDC to optimize the design of its FOREST containers from a thermal management standpoint. "We used 6SigmaDC to evaluate nearly every aspect of the design from a thermal standpoint without having to build a prototype. For example, we looked at the effect of using different types of fans and different rack heights. For each design alternative, we visualized the flow and temperature of air into and out of the racks. This approach made it possible to quickly validate a wide range of potential configurations from a cooling standpoint. We also frequently use 6SigmaDC to simulate our customers' current data center configuration and evaluate alternative locations for our equipment. Being able to provide quantitative evidence to the customer that our equipment can be added without creating thermal problems often plays a positive role in the selling process."

6SigmaDC makes it practical for the first time to model complete data centers down to the level of the individual pieces of equipment. 6SigmaDC addresses every stage of the data center lifecycle so it improves communications and coordination throughout the supply chain. Equipment manufacturers can define the characteristics of their computing systems. Architects and engineers can evaluate different computing equipment layouts and cooling systems during the design process. Owner-operators can evaluate changes such as the cabinet layout, cabinet orientation, cabinet type, equipment installation, blanking, cable penetrations, and so on.