Server and network equipment generate a lot of heat, while simultaneously demanding precise temperature and humidity levels for optimum performance. The best levels for servers are standard room conditions, a temperature of 72 degrees and a maximum of 45% humidity. Both the Lightwave and Tech Center San Diego colo facilities are designed to manage heat and maintain the best server climate conditions through the facility design and cooling systems:

• Temperature and humidity sensors throughout both San Diego colo facilities for early warning of an air handling system failure.
• Monitoring for hydrogen in critical airflows.
• The San Diego colo facility features designated hot and cool rows to control air flow between servers. This server room design directs server intakes to cool rows to bring in cool air and all the exhausts to specific hot rows; this minimizes the effect of equipment-generated heat and prevents servers from overheating.
• Redundant 20- and 30-ton computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units, which force cold air through the floor and across the server racks.
• Data center-specific chiller systems. Chillers are specialized air handling systems which continually circulate cold water through a San Diego colo facility, providing constant cool air. This supply of cold air is critical to lower server room temperatures. The Lightwave San Diego colo facility has three 500 ton chillers, and the Tech Center colo has three 180-ton chillers. Both San Diego colo facilities have fully-redundant systems for the chillers, pipes, and pumps.

Why this matters to your business...
Cooling is a vital part of equipment maintenance. Overheating equipment can cause hard drive and hardware failures, shorten server lifetimes, and significantly affect server and network performance. Because servers generate so much heat, a San Diego colo facility of several thousand square feet can overheat in minutes without proper cooling. AIS’s San Diego colo centers are designed to control heat, maintain the right temperature and humidity, and seamlessly handle unit failures or maintenance without interrupting the climate control.