1. Behind the Curtain: Games Service
Providers Play
Chris Crosby, CEO, Compass Datacenters
2. About Us
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• Compass Datacenters provides dedicated data centers
• Built using our patented architecture
• Uptime Institute Tier III certified design and constructed
• LEED certified
• Wherever you want it
• Controlled by you
• Ownership or lease
• Operations and security
• Expansion
• Simplify Capacity Planning
• Growth in 1.2MW Increments
• The building is the standard unit “Everything you want in your next data center.
It’s in here”
3. Fast and Loose
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• Tier Certification
• Power Guarantees
• PUE claims
• SLA’s
• Codes and Compliance
• OSHA
• National Electrical Code
• NFPA 75 (Fire Protection, ITE)
• NFPA 70E (Workplace Electrical Safety)
• Commissioned Data Center
4. “It’s a Tier III facility”
• Only 0.3% of service provider facilities in U.S. are UI
constructed facility certified
• Tiny little delta between fact and fiction
• Brian Williams has a certified data center too…
• America’s new number one fun game: Find the single
point of failure
• Physical
• Logical
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Source: UI Website, 451 Research
5. Degrading a Standard
• Issues:
• Many use the terminology; few actually obtain certification
• Design certification isn’t equivalent to constructed facility
• If it’s not constructed certified it’s not a Tier III or Tier IV facility
• Looking good on paper isn’t good enough
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6. Everyone Can’t Have 200w/sf
• Oversubscription of power
• Renders the concept of guaranteed power null and void
• The amount of power is fixed
• Can live on the “float” for only so long
• How do you cool it?
• Show me the CFD and commissioning results
• How is it managed?
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9. “Sure You Can Tour the Electrical
Room”
• Might want to check with OSHA
• NFPA 75 exists for a reason
• NFPA 70E (Workplace Electrical Safety)
• Arc Flash
• PPE
• Labeling
• Calculating
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10. If You Want a Tour
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• Limited Approach Boundary
• Shock protection boundary to be crossed
by only qualified persons which is not to
be crossed by unqualified persons
unless escorted by a qualified person
• Restricted Approach Boundary
• Shock protection boundary to be crossed
by only qualified persons which, due to
its proximity to a shock hazard, requires the use of shock protection
techniques and equipment when crossed
• Prohibited Approach Boundary
• Shock protection boundary to be crossed by only qualified which,
when crossed by a body part or object, requires the same
protection as if direct contact is made with a live part
13. What to Do
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• Many data centers will require significant upgrades
• This will cost a lot of service providers
• Some may elect to take their chances
• Risks:
• Down time
• Safety breach
• Poor publicity
• Increased regulatory scrutiny/fines
• Worse
• Customers will begin to require compliance assurance
• Certifications
• Inspection certificates
14. The Multi-Tier Dilemma
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• “Just” add capacity later
• UPS, generators, breakers, etc.
• No hot work
• “Business reasons” don’t count
• Required shut downs for maintenance
N and N+1 electrical schemes could mean that your data center
turns off more than just when there is an outage
16. Level 5 Commissioning
• There are five levels of commissioning
• Level 5 tests the interoperation of all systems under full load and
failure scenarios
• “Commissioned” facility shouldn’t be subject to liberal
interpretations
• “Phased” build-outs can’t meet the test
• Common backplanes don’t support failure scenario testing
• There are ways to do it
• Expensive, so most providers don’t do it
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17. Summary
• Time to grow up
• If you say it, certify it
• Standards adherence builds industry credibility
• It only takes a few
• False claims, bad customer experiences impact us all
• Time to decide
• Do we want a few “used car” salesmen to define us?
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