PDU stands for a ‘Rack Power Distribution Unit’ and if we were to define it in the simplest of ways, ‘PDU stands for a device which contains lots of outlets’.
Each of these outlets provides electrical power to servers, storage devices, racks of a data center or networking equipment.
However, if you are keen to know more about a data center design, here is a bit of information about the PDUs that would help you better.
Categories Of PDUs:
All smart things come in categories and so do the PDUs. They are classified under two heads:
- Basic PDUs
- Intelligent PDUs
A basic PDU is a power strip which is employed in hordes of data center environments and these provide reliable power distribution. Though, they lack network connectivity, may fail to get accessed remotely and are formulated to offer a user the local display in association with info on electric current.
Against this, an Intelligent Power Distribution Unit is a far better technological solution and offers networked power distribution.
Through this, the data center managers are able to manage environmental and remote-power metering in a real-time environment.
Intelligent PDUs can easily enhance the efficiencies of the data center while reducing the costs and improving the uptime.
Types Of Intelligent Rack PDUs:
Intelligent Rack PDUs are normally available in four types:
- Metered Inlet PDUs: These iPDUs display data over a network and locally at an inlet-level
- Metered Outlet PDUs: These iPDUs are almost similar in working and features as metered inlet PDUs, but also offer monitoring benefits at the outlet level.
- Switched PDUs: Again, switched PDUs are similar to metered inlet PDUs with additional features which enable authorized users to shelter power-cycle outlets remotely.
- Outlet Metering Switched PDUs: These PDUs are a great combo of both the outlet metered PDUs and switched PDUs, offering data center managers a great advantage of both the worlds.
Benefits of iPDUs:
Intelligent power distribution units are an efficient choice if you wish to reduce your costs, get a better control over your existing capacity, and even enhance your energy efficiency.
You may look down upon the iPDUs, should you consider them a bit expensive against their counterparts, but the Total Cost of Ownership would actually go down when you save your costs at other places.
For instance, you can get a reduction in energy consumption by cooling an equipment that remains idle.
Additionally, the increased insight towards data center infrastructure, real-time monitoring, and environmental sensor etc. features turn iPDUs yet more effective for the data centers in managing space, power, cooling, and workload etc.
And if you wish to get any form of assistance with regards to data centers, UPS power backup or UPS power supply system, you can consult an expert agency such as ‘Mercury Power’ which offers every assistance to manage your data centers etc. in the least of your efforts.