Introduction to NonStop Operations Management

The Operations and Support Areas
Introduction to NonStop Operations Management–125507
3-3
Computer Room Environments
accessed easily and provide opportunities for entry or damage. Basement locations
are at greater risk to damage caused by faulty plumbing and flooding.
•
Depending on your company’s needs, you might want to consider creating a high-
security facility to prevent disasters, which has:
•
A perimeter security system to limit site access to only those people who are
critical to operations or support
•
Redundant hardware, including redundant environmental systems and
communications equipment
Computer Room Preparation
Consider the following when planning the computer room:
•
Air conditioning and electrical service must be available. Your Tandem
representative will inform you of the requirements. Prior to the installation of any
computer equipment, request an environmental audit (with a written report). An
environmental audit helps you ensure that the air conditioning and electrical service
will be of high quality. Tandem and other vendors can perform an environmental
audit.
•
The room should be protected from disasters. You can protect the computer room
by:
•
Installing sensors for detecting smoke, high temperature, and high humidity.
•
Fireproofing the room and installing fire-extinguishing systems.
•
Providing a dedicated heating and cooling system. Computer room fires are rare,
but smoke damage from someone else’s fire is more common.
•
Enforcing a strict no-smoking policy. Some insurance companies choose not to
cover a company that allows smoking in its computer room.
•
Ensuring that water pipes are not located over the computer room (to prevent
flooding).
•
Installing a Halon gas system.
•
You might want to add a second power source or uninterruptible power supply
(UPS). In some installations, geographic location or system size might require that
you also add a second or alternate air-conditioning system. When adding air
conditioning, avoid installing water pipes directly over computer equipment and in
the floors directly above the computer room.
•
The computer room floor should be strong enough to support the weight of all
necessary equipment. If you are unsure of the floor strength, contact a qualified
structural engineer.
•
The ideal flooring for computer rooms is a raised floor. Raised floors allow you to
route equipment cables freely and to protect cables from damage. If you do not
choose to use a raised floor, make sure that cables do not get in the way of the staff
and that they are installed in accordance with all safety standards and regulations.