How Power Distribution Units Work
If your organization is growing, you need to have the infrastructure to support that growth. Investing in the right systems and keeping up to date with new technologies will help minimize downtime and maximize efficiencies. One important, and often overlooked, component to your back-up power set-up is a PDU. We’ll discuss the benefits of using a Power Distribution Unit (PDU.)
What Is a Power Distribution Unit?
A power distribution unit is an electrical device that controls electrical power distribution in data centers. The basic form of a power distribution unit (PDU) is a big power strip, which lacks surge protection. Its primary purpose is to provide the data center equipment with standard electrical outlets. This form of the PDU lacks remote access and monitoring functions. On the other hand, rack-mounted and floor-mounted PDUs have greater sophistication. This type of PDU distributes power through a system of breakers to the server racks and other equipment. It is possible to carry out calculations for power usage effectiveness with these devices.
Floor-mounted PDUs (Power Distribution Units) are also known as main distribution units. They offer a key link between the facility’s primary power and different equipment racks maintained within a network operations center (NOC) or a data center. PDUs have a higher power handling capacity as compared to ordinary power strips. Depending on the model and manufacturer, the power can range over 300 kilovolt-amps. PDUs can be utilized to distribute electrical power between various equipment racks.
Rack-Mountable PDU
As the name implies, rack-mountable PDUs can be installed on equipment racks from where they monitor and control electrical power distribution between IT equipment, such as network switches, storage units, and servers. In addition, they can also balance power loads. These devices are also known as intelligent PDUs and smart PDUs. They have 3-phase displays for power-sharing equipment. Administrators can employ the Simple Network Management Protocol to monitor and control power requirements from offsite places. Remote management tools use this protocol.
Over the past few years, rack-mountable PDUs have evolved from basic power switches to smart monitoring and control tools. PDUs are now much more sophisticated and they provide detailed power data to help improve energy efficiency and control heat generation. As part of the LAN network, PDUs can be managed by command-line interface or a web browser.
PDUs are capable of measuring the input current and voltage for each circuit. The measurement of these parameters allows the PDU to calculate power expended in the racks. PDUs also track the time elapsed. The energy consumed can be computed from power and elapsed time. The results for each unit can be added up to ascertain the power and energy consumption of the entire data center LAN. This provides valuable information on operating costs to the data center administrators. The data can also be used to determine if additional PDUs are required to manage the power load.
Granularity
PDU granularity varies with make and model. Some PDUs are only capable of measuring the power characteristics of the entire load they are connected with. Sophisticated models can also measure the power characteristics at the socket level. This in-depth data can help data center operators to identify devices that consume excessive power. These devices are prime candidates for replacement during upgrade cycles.
Odyssey Power can help you figure out exactly what kind of power distribution unit is best for you. Give us a call!