Sun Fire 15K/12K Site Planning Guide

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2.1 Environmental Requirements

The design of the environmental control system (such as computer room air conditioning units) must ensure that intake air to the system meets the requirements specified in this section. Air enters the cabinet through the access panels and through an air intake that is located underneath the system cabinet. The heated air is exhausted out of the top of the system cabinet. Overheating can occur if warm air is directed underneath a cabinet or toward the access panels. TABLE 2-1 provides the environmental requirements for the Sun Fire 15K/12K systems and the customer selected I/O expansion racks. If the system is significantly colder (40 °F [4 °C] or colder) than the environment in which you will install it, leave the system in its shipping crate at its final destination for 24 hours to prevent thermal shock and condensation.

2.1.1 Suggested Ambient Temperatures

The ambient temperature range of 70 degrees F to 74 degrees F (21 degrees C to 23 degrees C) is optimal for system reliability and operator comfort levels. Most computer equipment can operate within a wide temperature range, but a level near 72 degrees F (22 degrees C) is desirable because it is easier to maintain safe associated relative humidity levels at this temperature. Operating in this temperature range provides a safety buffer just in case the environmental support systems go down for a period of time. Though individual standards vary slightly, 70 degrees F to 74 degrees F (21 degrees C to 23 degrees C) should be used as an optimal temperature choice.

2.1.2 Suggested Ambient Relative Humidity

The ambient relative humidity levels between 45% and 50% are the most suitable for safe data processing operations. Under certain circumstances, most processing equipment can operate within a fairly wide environmental range (20% to 80%), but the optimal goal should be between 45% to 50% because this range:

• Helps protect computer systems from corrosive problems associated with high humidity levels.
• Provides the greatest operating time buffer in the event of environmental control system failure.
• Helps avoid failures or temporary malfunctions caused by intermittent interference from static discharges that occur when relative humidity is too low.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is easily generated and less easily dissipated in areas where the relative humidity is below 35%, and becomes critical when levels drop below 30%. The 5% relative humidity range might seem unreasonably tight when compared to the guidelines used in typical office environments or other loosely controlled areas, but it is not so difficult to maintain in a data center because of the high efficiency vapor barrier and low rate of air changes normally present.

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2.2 Basic Cooling Requirements

TABLE 2-2 and TABLE 2-3 provide air conditioning information for the various components in the Sun Fire 15K/12K systems based upon the maximum system configuration. Use the worksheet in TABLE 2-3 (see Appendix A for an expanded form to use and retain for your records) to determine your system power and cooling requirements. This worksheet will assist you in calculating your total system power consumption in power (watts) and the total system air conditioning required in British thermal units (BTUs/hrs). The amount of air conditioning required depends upon your configuration.

The dynamics of the Sun Fire 15K/12K systems power dissipation depends on the application and configuration. This manual accounts for these dynamics and is based on a rigorous code condition set that has been verified in a lab environment. During these tests, all measurements were taken with the latest-technology, high-speed current probe connected to the 48-volt side. The numbers were then changed to account for efficiency loss and power factor correction.

Once the system configuration (based on the number of system boards and I/O configuration) is determined, the environmental cooling requirements must be calculated. It is important that the site is able to accommodate the appropriate environmental requirements. The numbers in this manual account for these requirements.

To facilitate future upgrades, always provide environmental cooling, not merely limited to the purchased configuration of system and I/O boards, but for the anticipated growth, or maximum power dissipation and cooling needs.

For example, although all cabinets are normally configured with a full-capacity power system, the actual system power dissipation might be much less than the maximum available, and will vary depending upon the number and type of configured components. Therefore, in the design phase of facility development, provide enough power and cooling capacity for the maximum configuration anticipated. When upgrading, system power dissipation will increase, which might require new site planning for power and cooling.

FIGURE 2-1 demonstrates the directions of the air flow within the system cabinet.

 FIGURE 2-1 Sun Fire 15K/12K Systems Air Flow

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2.3 Computer Room Layout

The fan tray redundancy in the Sun Fire 15K/12K systems provide enough air flow for adequate system performance on a flat floor. A raised floor is suggested for optimal system performance. Air enters the cabinet through the front and rear doors and through the air intake panels underneath the cabinet. Review the suggested floor plan layout sample for a fully configured system in FIGURE 2-2 for planning your solid and perforated tile floor configuration. This floor plan is based on floor tiles delivering 600 cubic feet per minute (cfm) cooling for each tile.

FIGURE 2-3 shows a floor plan layout for multiple Sun Fire 15K/12K systems.

The maximum cable distance between the Sun Fire 15K system and the I/O rack is 157.5 in. (400 cm). If you are using a single-ended SCSI device for this connection, the connection cannot be made from the farthest rear corner of the system to the front top of the I/O rack, even if the rack is placed at the minimum distance requirement of 5.0 in (12.7 cm).

 FIGURE 2-2 Proposed Sun Fire 15K/12K Systems Configuration

 FIGURE 2-3 Proposed Sun Fire 15K/12K Systems--Multiple Configuration

Sun Fire 15K/12K Site Planning Guide

806-3510-12

Copyright © 2003, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.