Preventive Maintenance Strategy for Data Centers

Preve nt ive Maintenance
Strategy for Data
Cent ers

By Thierry Bayle
White Paper #124



Executive Summary
In the broadening data center cost-saving and energy efficiency discussion, data center
physical infrastructure preventive maintenance (PM) is sometimes neglected as an
important tool for controlling TCO and downtime. PM is performed specifically to prevent
faults from occurring. IT and facilities managers can improve systems uptime through a
better understanding of PM best practices. This white paper describes the types of PM
services that can help safeguard the uptime of data centers and IT equipment rooms.
Various PM methodologies and approaches are discussed. Recommended practices are
suggested.
©2007 American Power Conversion. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, photocopied, transmitted, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright owner. www.apc.com WP124-0 2Introduction
This paper highlights data center power and cooling systems preventive maintenance (PM) best practices. Hands-on PM methods (i.e., component replacement, recalibration) and non-invasive PM techniques (i.e., thermal scanning, software monitoring) are reviewed. The industry trend towards more holistic and less component-based PM is also discussed. The term preventive maintenance (also known as preventative maintenance) implies the systematic inspection and detection of potential failures before they occur. PM is a broad term and involves varying approaches to problem avoidance and prevention depending upon the criticality of the data center. Condition-based maintenance, for example, is a type of PM that estimates and projects equipment condition over time, utilizing probability formulas to assess downtime risks. PM should not be confused with unplanned maintenance, which is a response to an unanticipated problem or emergency. Most of the time, PM includes the replacement of parts, the thermal scanning of breaker panels, component / system adjustments, cleaning of air or water filters, lubrication, or the updating of physical infrastructure firmware. At the basic level, PM can be deployed as a strategy to improve the availability performance of a particular data center component. At a more advanced level, PM can be leveraged as the primary approach to ensuring the availability of the entire data center power train (generators, transfer switches, transformers, breakers and switches, PDUs, UPSs) and cooling train (CRACs, CRAHs, humidifiers, condensers, chillers). Figure 1 - Today's PM landscape
Hands-on Non-invasive
Data center PPrreevveennttiivvee MMaaiinntteennaannccee Scheduled Condition-based
©2007 American Power Conversion. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, photocopied, transmitted, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright owner. www.apc.com WP124-0 3A data center power and cooling systems preventive maintenance (PM) strategy ensures that procedures for calendar-based scheduled maintenance inspections are established and, if appropriate, that condition-based maintenance practices are considered. The PM strategy should provide protection against downtime risk and should avoid the problem of postponed or forgotten inspection and maintenance. The maintenance plan must also assure that fully trained and qualified maintenance experts observe the physical infrastructure equipment (i.e., look for changes in equipment appearance and performance and also listen for changes in the sounds produced by the equipment) and perform the necessary work.
PM Outcomes
One of four results can be expected during a PM visit: . A potential issue is identified and immediate actions are taken to prevent a future failure. This is the most prevalent outcome of a PM visit. . A new, active issue is identified and an appropriate repair is scheduled. Such a visit should be precisely documented so that both service provider and data center owner can compare the most current incident with past PMs and perform trend analysis. . No issue is iden... [download for more]