Welcome to the High Availability Hosting Blog

We’re installing new cooling ducting next week in the Sheffield Data Centre.

The new ducts will tap into our existing Evaporative Cooling system and feed directly into the computer room to a low level, providing more cleaned, cool air to the racks.  The new ducts are to suppliment the existing air intakes.

The cooling system will remain switched on throughout the installation, no servers will need to be shut down beforehand.

Engineers will be on site monitoring all systems during the install.

We’ve penciled in Monday 13th June for the work.

UPDATE:

We got this work completed Wednesday 15th June, and we’ve already had positive feedback from a customer who tells us their servers are already cooler by as much as 10 degrees!  If anyone else out there has an update to server temperature, let us know!

Just before the weekend we test fired our new energy saving, environmentally friendly Evaporative Cooling system for the Sheffield Data Centre.

When running at full capacity, the system puts out 18,000 cubic metres (m3) of chilled air every hour. Filters and “ambient air” fans mix chilled air with ambient air to create a balanced ventilation system. Once commissioned next month the system will replace the existing conventional air conditioning units currently in use. The existing air conditioners will be kept for redundancy.

Powered by water, the Evaporative Cooler chills the air with water vapour, before being filtered and mixed with ambient air to dry and regulate the supply. This air is pumped into the Data Centre via new vents installed in the ceiling. Waste air is extracted by the existing pumps and re-circulated in the roof void before chilling again.

As well as saving energy (and money), the Evaporative Cooler will be more reliable and easier to service than conventional air conditioners, requiring no specialist tools, gasses or vacuum pumps.

New Evaporative Cooler undergoes first testing

Above the ceiling, in the plant room – the Evaporative Cooler pump sits on a vibration cushioning mat. Once the ducting is completed and the control gear installed the system should go live mid-December.

This week we hit a major milestone taget – getting the internal “heavy” construction complete, and taking delivery of the first 4 racks to go in the Sheffield Data Centre.

All the major work within the computer room is now complete, and we can turn our attention to cleaning and removing waste from the computer room.  Elsewhere the carpet tiles have been delivered and are being installed, the air-conditioners are due to be gassed next week and the first phase of Cat6 wiring has begun.  We should also be able to use our office as an office from next week!

The first four racks are due to be positioned Monday, these racks are for the internal comms, CCTV, fibre, infrastructure servers etc… and for the first phase of customer colocation.  Extra racks are on order and will be delivered when appropriate.

We’ll be making an “opening” announcement very soon - but we’re committed to having the first phase of colocation live before the end of June.  Check the blog next week for updates.

Latest pictures…

Computer room construction complete

Rack van

...here they come

First 4 racks ready to be installed next week

While most people have been eating chocolate eggs, our team have been busy over the Easter break pressing on with construction in order to meet our June deadline.  Thanks go out to all involved over the Bank Holiday!

We’ve now removed all the original wiring from the unit, and temporay lights + sockets have been installed, all the computer room and office ceilings have been borded ready for finishing, the entrance hall has been boarded, and construction of the loading bay has begun.

We also got our first real look above the computer room ceiling.  This is where the air conditioning condenser units will go, recycling and cooling the air in the roof void rather than air from outside.  Not only will this enable us to use less power for cooling, but will help create a constant environment in the whole building, recycling the hot air removed from the computer room.

Temporary lights and sockets

Above the data centre

Office walls nearly complete

Into the entrance hall

Watch out for further updates during the week as work progresses!