In-row cooling keeps servers chilled using towers of air conditioning units that sit between racks. These systems are standard rack-height and can be as narrow as a half rack-width. Each in-row cooling unit provides direct, close-coupled cooling to its targeted row. The units’ focused air conditioning limits hot and cold air mixing and can scale to meet the needs from the smallest server rooms to larger data centers.
What Are the Advantages of In-Row Cooling?
- Space efficient. In-row cooling units’ narrow frame and powerful cooling capacity can make them a significant, space-efficient alternative to larger CRAC units.
- Energy efficient. Unlike CRAC and CRAH chillers, in-row machines waste very little power cooling empty air. This power efficiency can translate to significant savings for smaller data centers.
- No need for raised floor. These cooling systems do not require raised flooring, making them perfect for transportable data centers or spaces converted into data centers.
- Adjustable airflow. Many in-row cooling units also feature an adjustable cooling capacity of up to 85,000 BTU per hour, ensuring that they can match a data center’s needs as it grows in density.
- Modular. Many in-row cooling systems are modular and hot swappable so more units can always be swapped in and installed to accommodate a growing data center.
- Redundant. Some in-row cooling systems can even be linked in a network, so if one unit goes down, nearby offline units will activate, making the job of managing an enterprise environment that much simpler. These cooling systems can be used alone or serve as an added layer of redundancy, set to activate in case a CRAC system fails in a high-priority data center.
What Are the Disadvantages of In-Row Cooling?
In-row cooling isn’t without its faults, however. These cooling systems are expensive, and their costs can add up quickly. Likewise, in-row cooling units are not contained systems, and will need to work alongside external humidity and air-filtration controls to maintain an optimal data center environment.
Increase Cooling Efficiency with DCIM Software
Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software uses a modern polling engine to capture, trend, and report on environmental data. A modern DCIM solution provides you with at-a-glance updates on your data center’s health, including temperature and humidity. This data can be visualized through thermal map time-lapse videos, out-of-the-box charts and reports, 3D data center visualizations complete with color-coded racks that reflect the rack-temperature, and ASHRAE psychrometric cooling charts. Actionable insights like these empower DCIM software users to make the most of their cooling systems.
Want to see how Sunbird’s DCIM solution helps you cool your data center efficiently? Get your free test drive now.