HP Performance Optimized Data Center (POD) 240a White Paper

Technical white paper

Power and cooling technologies
in the HP POD 240a

Table of contents

Introduction 2

HP POD 240a 2

Power distribution 4

HP Adaptive Cooling Technology 6

HP Environmental Control Suite 8

Conclusion 8

For more information 8

Introduction

Updating a traditional data center or building a completely new one requires substantial capital expense (CAPEX) and
months to a year or more of planning and construction. Even when finished, the facility may require high operational
expense (OPEX) and may not achieve adequate power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating. A PUE of 2.0 to 2.4 is considered
very good for traditional data centers but is difficult to achieve.

That’s why we’ve developed the HP Performance Optimized Datacenter (POD) 240a. The HP POD 240a is a complete data
facility that can be operational in a matter of weeks after placing your order.

This paper describes the HP POD 240a and explains how it can achieve a PUE as low as a near-perfect 1.05 while meeting
your performance and serviceability goals.

HP POD 240a

The pace of change in IT equipment (ITE) technology is quickening to the point that it’s difficult for existing data facilities
to keep up. Traditional data center design is based on estimates of total ITE inventory, ITE power consumption, and the
amount of cooling required. Data center facilities administrators commonly populate one-half to two-thirds of each
rack, leaving the extra space for ITE expansion. However, recent IT technology trends—high-density server systems,
virtual machines, and converged networks—make it difficult and costly for facilities to adapt.

The HP Performance Optimized Datacenter 240a is a modular, scalable solution for data center deployment and
expandability. The HP POD 240a (Figure 1) provides an intelligent, energy-aware environment that optimizes compute
space to maximize facility capacity and reduce energy costs.

Figure 1: This illustration shows a complete HP POD 240a.

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The HP POD 240a represents a new approach to data center. Combining IT, cooling, and power infrastructures in a self­contained modular unit minimizes the data center footprint. The POD 240a packs the equivalent of a 10,000 square foot
traditional facility into an area only 24 feet wide and 45 feet long. This 90% reduction of space yields several immediate
benefits:

• Up to 75% in CAPEX savings over traditional facilities

• No disruption of existing facility and operation

• Environmentally friendly solution that substantially reduces the amount of concrete required and significantly lowers

the carbon footprint

• Enhanced serviceability by deploying more IT equipment in a smaller area

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ITE area within an HP POD 240a module. The module contains two rows of full­depth, 50U, 19-inch ITE racks with a 39.5-inch cold aisle in front of each row and a common 8-foot wide hot aisle. Unlike
many traditional facilities in which air exhausted from the equipment mixes freely with cold air, the HP POD 240a uses
isolation baffles to separate cold and hot air flow. This layout gives you the full ITE serviceability of a traditional data
facility combined with the highly efficient closed-loop cooling of a customized module.

Figure 2: Shown below is the cross-section of an un-configured HP POD 240a ITE area.

Primary Isolation Common Isolation Secondary
cold aisle baffle hot aisle baffle cold aisle

50U 19-in ITE racks

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