Redundancy of the network, power and cooling

Datacenter Groningen has had an uptime of 100% for several years in a row.

N+1 redundancy was chosen for the facility at the electrical and refrigeration component level.

Two electrical paths are available to the servers. This means that if a critical component in the electrical or cooling system is under maintenance or fails, the data centre will continue to operate as normal.

This design corresponds to the Tier 2 specification known in the market (TAI 942), with the redundant path from the final distributor to the 19-inch racks being a Tier 3 specification.

Electrical

In the event of a mains power failure, the initial voltage drop will be absorbed by the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). After that, the emergency power generator (12 hours of fuel) will take over power generation.
The UPS ensures that all critical equipment is supplied with voltage in all cases and that this voltage is ‘clean’. The UPSs used are modular and also in an N+1 configuration.

Cooling

On the data floor, we use so-called hot and cold paths (cold-corridor). This prevents the cold and hot air from coming into contact with each other. This arrangement is the most efficient way of cooling. The cold air is blown under the floor. Through strategically placed ventilation tiles, the cold air enters the enclosed ‘cold path’ where it is drawn in by the servers. The servers use this air to transfer their heat to. This warmer air is then blown out into the room and processed.

As much direct freecooling as possible is used for cooling purposes. This involves cooling using outside air. This is possible because the temperature in the room is usually higher than the temperature outside. If direct freecooling is no longer sufficient, a cooling unit that also controls humidification and dehumidification is used. This provides an optimal indoor environment for ICT equipment.

Energy consumption

As much direct freecooling as possible is used for cooling purposes. This involves cooling using outside air. This is possible because the temperature in the room is usually higher than the temperature outside. This application saves a lot of energy.
The UPSs are highly efficient and low-energy.