Fluke 975 AirMeter Application Note page 2

Using the Ti0 to scan
heat output from the
backside of blade servers.
The Fluke Ti20 Thermal
Imager makes two-dimensional
representations of the surface
temperatures of objects in an
infrared image. The support
analyst uses the Ti0 to monitor
data centers for general cool-
ing efficiency and to inspect law
firm's servers in those centers.
Software that comes with the
imager allows him to change key
parameters, optimize images, and
extract maximum details from
collected data.
Problems and solutions
As the law firm seeks to expand
its data handling capabilities,
the biggest problem the support
analyst faces is that data centers
lack the required power and
cooling capabilities to support
new technologies.
"We want to take advantage
of the latest blade servers, but
it's difficult to find data centers
that can support them," he says.
"Blade servers are much more
efficient [than traditional serv-
ers]. We can pack six or seven
 Fluke Corporation Monitoring temperature, humidity, and airflow in datacenters
virtual servers onto a single
blade. An enclosure or rack
holds eight blades, but each full
enclosure requires a lot of power.
Many data centers simply can't
supply that power. They want
us to use an older technology so
they can support our needs."
Blade servers also produce
considerable heat and require
more cooling than many cen-
ters can supply. In such cases,
the analyst uses the Fluke Ti0
and Fluke 975 to 1) map cool-
ing patterns in data centers, )
find faulty cooling arrangements
and 3) determine when cooling,
air flow and air temperatures
are inadequate to guard against
breaches of server warranties.
Mapping cooling patterns
allows company personnel to
see the overall effects of cooling
within a data center. This may
seem like a duplication of effort,
since data centers themselves
monitor the environmentals—
power, air, humidity, cooling, etc.
However, "our primary use for
these tools is to check what we
are told by the data centers," the
analyst says. "Then, if necessary,
we can suggest corrective mea-
sures to keep our servers func-
tioning efficiently."
The support analyst cites the
local data center as an example:
"The way the room is set up
right now greatly restricts the air
flow going to some of the devices
positioned across the room from
the air-conditioning unit. Using
the Ti0, we were able to take
temperature readings of surfaces
in each area of the room. Then,
using those readings, we were
able to plot out where the cool
air travels. We found that while
one area of the room is cold,
as we worked our way around
the room, areas were gradually
warmer and warmer."
He says that the Fluke 975
AirMeter used in conjunction
with the Ti0 allowed for a
more in-depth analysis of the
local data center: "Temperature
and humidity readings indicated
that the hot air that should be
exhausted from the room is actu-
ally being dumped back into the
room in an endless cycle. The
air-conditioner cools itself down
and shuts off. But the circulation
fans keep working. They actu-
ally kick the hot air back into the
room. Overall, it's a very poorly
designed room. We're looking to
the data center to restructure the
cooling system."
Finding faulty cooling
arrangements for the law firm's
servers is another of the analyst's
uses for the Ti0. "Because of the
cooling requirements for blade
servers, we have been using the
Ti0 to monitor the temperatures
of the air flowing into the fronts
and out the backs of our blade
racks," he says.
A common problem experi-
enced by their blade servers is
hot air entering the front of the
blades. Only cooling air should
be entering the rack fronts.
Two situations that lead to this
problem are 1) missing blanks
on empty rack slots and )
server aisles set up with servers
arranged front to back.