LAS VEGAS -- It's not quite time to bust out the flame-retardant suits, but the latest server technologies run the risk of crippling data centers because of the massive amount of heat they are generating.
This was a hot topic (okay, enough already) here at this week's Afcom Data Center World conference. Mark Evanko, principal engineer of design specialist Bruns-Pak said newer blade servers and high-end "super-servers" from vendors such as IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM)
and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) are generating large amounts of heat that must be handled properly to avoid catastrophic shutdowns -- or worse.
Evanko warns, If the heat is not dissipated properly, it will actually shut the computers down, and then we talk about interruption of operation that could be catastrophic.
Data center managers should address the issue as a matter of urgency, according to Evanko. He says, Do a study immediately to see whether, in fact, your existing facility infrastructure can support what the new technology is going to be able to do.
Cooling, therefore, became a topic at the conference. One delegate, who manages a data center in the manufacturing industry, says, From a data center facilities standpoint, cooling is a major issue for a lot of people because of the blade servers.
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