Power Redundancy in the Data Center Outline

Course Description:
Power may be the most critical element of the Physical Data Center today, impacting availability,
performance and budgets. This foundational course explores common commercial AC voltage
types, transformers and turns ratios, K-rating and Delta-Wye configuration. It also discusses
voltage distribution, current ratings and electric fuses. Different types of circuit breakers, their sizing,
and grounding requirements are also explained.

Course Outline:
Learning Objectives
Understand the impact that planning for redundancy has on the availability of a data center
or network room
Recognize various types of Uninterruptible Power Supplies, including Standby, Line
Interactive, Standby-Ferro, Double Conversion On-Line, and Delta Conversion On-Line
Determine the benefits, limitations, and common applications for these UPS types
Recognize the five UPS System Design Configurations, including Capacity or “N” System,
Isolated Redundant, Parallel Redundant or “N+1” System, Distributed Redundant, and
System plus System Redundant, or “2N”
Understand dual- and single-power path environments, and the impact they have on
mission critical applications
Comprehend the importance of generators in mission critical applications

Course Content or Material

Agenda
Introduction
Availability
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
System Design Configurations
Dual-corded equipment
Generators
Summary

1) Introduction
a) The estimated percentage of time that electrical power will be online and functioning
properly to support the critical load
b) 93% of businesses that have lost availability have filed for bankruptcy within one year
c) Public power distribution is ill-equipped to support mission-critical functions
d) Redundancy: the introduction of alternate or additional means of support
e) Redundancy can be thought of as a safety-net or Plan B

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2) Uninterruptible Power Supplies
a) Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
(1) Device which provides battery back-up power should utility power be unavailable
or inadequate
(2) Provide power in such a way that transition from utility to battery is seamless
(3) Range in size and capacity
(4) Many systems incorporate software management capabilities

3) Types of UPS
a) There are many different types of UPSs
b) Standby
c) Line Interactive
d) Standby-Ferro
e) Double Conversion On-Line
f) Delta Conversion On-Line

4) Standby UPS
a) Most common design configuration for personal computers
b) Contains a transfer switch
c) Uses filtered AC power as the primary power source
d) When AC power fails, the UPS switches to the battery
i) The inverter is not always on, hence the name ‘standby’
e) Limitations
(1) Uses battery during brownouts
(2) Degrades overall battery life
(3) Impractical solution over 2kVA

5) Line-Interactive UPS
a) Most common design configuration for small business, web and departmental servers
b) The inverter is always connected to the output of the UPS
c) Operating the inverter in reverse provides battery charging
d) When AC power fails, the transfer switch opens
e) Incorporates a transformer which adds voltage regulation

6) Standby-Ferro UPS

7) Double Conversion On-Line UPS

8) Delta Conversion On-Line

9) UPS System Design Configurations

a) Capacity or “N” System

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 b) Isolated Redundant
c) Parallel Redundant or “N+1” System
d) Distributed Redundant
e) System plus System Redundant, or “2N”

10) The Concept of “N”

a) A common nomenclature for describing redundancy
b) The ‘need’ of the critical load
c) The minimum requirement for the system to operate

11) Capacity or “N” System

a) N system is comprised of a single UPS, or a paralleled set of UPSs whose capacity is
equal to the load
b) This type of system is by far the most common in the UPS industry
c) An N configuration is the minimum requirement to provide protection for the critical load

12) Isolated Redundant

a) Advantages:
(1) Flexible product choice
(2) Provides UPS fault tolerance
(3) No synchronizing needed
(4) Relatively cost effective
b) Sometimes referred to as “N+1” System
c) Primary UPS that feeds the load
d) Isolation/Secondary UPS feeds the static bypass of the main UPS module
e) Requires the primary UPS module to have a separate input for the static bypass circuit
f) In normal operating mode, the UPS will carry the full load

13) Parallel Redundant or “N+1” System

a) Allow for the failure of a single UPS module without transferring the load to the utility
source
b) Consists of paralleling multiple, same size UPS modules onto a common output bus
c) The system is N+1 redundant if the “spare” amount of power is at least equal to the
capacity of one system module
d) Parallel redundant systems require UPS modules of the same capacity from the same
manufacturer
e) The UPS modules share the critical load evenly in normal operating situations
f) When one module is removed the remaining UPS modules accept the load of the failed
UPS module

14) Distributed Redundant

a) Developed to provide the capabilities of complete redundancy without the cost

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 b) This design uses three or more UPS modules with independent input and output feeders
c) The independent output buses are connected to the critical load via multiple Power
Distribution Units and Static Transfer Switches
d) As the load requirement, “N”, grows the savings in quantity of UPS modules also increases
e) Usually chosen for large complex installations and most loads are single corded

15) System plus System Redundant or “2N”

a) System plus System, Multiple Parallel Bus, Double-Ended, and 2N
b) This design never requires the load to be transferred to the utility power source
c) Most large system plus system installations are located in standalone, specially designed
buildings
d) This is the most reliable, and most expensive, design in the industry
e) It can be very simple or very complex depending on the vision and requirements
f) The 2(N+1) variation of this configuration revolves around the duplication of parallel
redundant UPS systems
g) Many of the world’s largest organizations have chosen this configuration

16) Selecting the Right Configuration

a) Cost / Impact of downtime
b) Risk Tolerance
c) Availability Requirements
d) Types of Loads (Single vs. Dual-Corded)
e) Budget

17) UPS Rightsizing

a) Data centers are oversized to three times their required capacity
b) The utilization of power in a data center is typically much less than 50%
c) Over sizing drives excessive capital and maintenance expenses

18) Dual Power Path Environments

a) Most high availability data centers use dual power paths or 2N
b) They have redundant power supplies and power cords to internal power bus
c) Equipment can continue to operate with a failure at any point in either power path

19) Dual Power Path Environments

a) Equipment with a single power path (single-corded) introduces weakness

20) Single Cords in Dual Path Environments

a) There are three fundamental approaches to powering single-corded equipment in a dual-
path environment:
(1) Power equipment from one feed

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 (2) Use a transfer switch to select a preferred source, and then switch to the second
power path
(3) Use a large centralized transfer switch fed from the two sources, to generate a
new power bus to supply a large group of single corded loads

21) Standby Generators

a) One of the most efficient ways to provide redundant powering is with a generator
b) Diesel or natural gas generator systems are usually the solution for standby power
generation
c) Includes the standby generator, automatic transfer switch (ATS), output distribution, and
communication or management system
d) The ATS is fed by two sources, the utility and the generator, with the utility the preferred
source
e) When the preferred source is unacceptable, the ATS automatically switches to the
generator
f) Standby generator systems are often used in conjunction with UPS systems

22) Summary
a) Planning for redundancy has a significant impact on the availability of a data center or
network room
b) Various types of Uninterruptible Power Supplies exist, including Standby, Line Interactive,
Standby-Ferro, Double Conversion On-Line, and Delta Conversion On-Line
c) Determining the benefits, limitations, and best applications for these UPS types helps to
ensure a more available network
d) There are five UPS System Design Configurations, including Capacity or “N” System,
Isolated Redundant, Parallel Redundant or “N+1” System, Distributed Redundant, and
System plus System Redundant
e) Dual- and single-power path environments play an important role in the availability of
mission critical applications
f) Generators are an important safeguard when trying to increase runtime in mission critical
applications

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