Learn More About Rack PDUs
Basic Rack PDU / Rack Power Strip: Basic units supply power to IT equipment without advanced features such as metering, monitoring or reboot able outlets.
Switched Rack PDU: Switched PDUs allow remote reboot capabilities of individual and grouped outlets and include other features such as web monitoring, SNMP alerting and metering at the strip. Different models provide metering at either the strip or even the outlet level.
There are many benefits of using switched PDUs:
- Protect mission critical equipment and quickly respond to any problems by monitoring amperage draw per circuit, power state, and other variables
- Monitor equipment 24x7x365 through automatic alerting via SMTP/SMS/SNMP when conditions (like current draw) exceed established thresholds
- Decrease dependency and cost of third party service calls for power related issues
- Control user access to specific outlets or groups of outlets
- Manage a network of interconnected Switched PDUs through integrated software packages
Monitored Rack PDU: Monitored power distribution units provide remote monitoring of current and other critical measurements such as rack temperature and humidity. Monitored products are the first entry into IP-addressable PDUs supporting monitoring and alerting capabilities. Users can set automatic alerting via SMTP/SMS/SNMP when conditions (like amps, temperature, or humidity) exceed defined thresholds.
Metered Rack PDU: Metered PDUs are equipped with a local amperage meter on the strip, allowing IT personnel properly load and balance each circuit. The LED display lets administrators know actual current usage in order to safely power equipment without exceeding the maximum draw of the strip and circuit it is attached to. From there, professionals can make informed decisions about equipment installation, and future growth potential by understanding where capacity exists on existing circuits, also known as "stranded power", so that additional circuits are not pulled unnecessarily
Outlet-Level Rack PDU: An enhanced version of the monitored rack PDU. All outlet level PDUs have remote capabilities that allow users to know power consumption of individual outlets.
Benefits of Outlet-Level PDUs are:
- Granularity: Instead of measuring the IT load via a UPS or a floormount PDU, both of which have electrical losses that inflate the IT load value, users can achieve a quick, accurate snapshot of the power consumed by just the IT equipment and loss at the UPS level.
- Efficiency Metrics: Software, sold in tandem with the PDUs, can aggregate power information across all PDUs. The total IT load of a data center can be only a few clicks away. Inefficiencies in the rack, at the UPS and facility level can be identified for remediation and immediate savings and ROI.
- Server Consolidation/Retirement: If a device's power draw never changes, the server may be comatose - an ideal candidate for consolidation, virtualization, or retirement.
- Chargeback Programs: Some companies charge individual departments (HR or Finance for example), for their power use in the data center. Through outlet level monitoring, data center managers can assign devices and the associated power consumption to respective business owners, who are now financially accountable for their energy consumption.