IPV42/70 Series - Intelligent Power Distribution Units

© 2006 Pulizzi Engineering, Inc. 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.pulizzi.com Rev.0607S:Graphics\whitepapers\no15By: Roger Edelson - Senior Technical Staff Writer Pulizzi Engineering, Inc. (714) 540-9265 X46
Power distribution units (PDUs) have become vital to the management of power to IT arrays and have evolved from a simple panel of switches and outlets to designs that can now be considered "intelligent" through the inclusion of internal processing capabilities. When this intelligent design is coupled with communication protocols which include SNMP commands, the result is a significantly enhanced controller. The major reason for including SNMP communication protocols is that the PDU will now present an interface which is consistent with that of other IT presentations. This interface, when supplemented by other protocols, can then provide multi-functional compatibility. For example the Pulizzi IPV42/70 series (shown in Figure 1) also provides the Ethernet 10/100 protocol utilizing the ubiquitous RJ45 port. The addition of both a serial RS232 port and a Telnet interface increases adaptability and configurability. These additional interfaces provide a text menu capability supplementing the graphical control method provided by the LAN/web interface. Obviously, the LAN interface is compatible with any standard web browser - the usual suspects are Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Firefox. On the other hand, the serial interface allows local PC control of the PDU software which can also be done from almost anywhere in the world through the web. Furthermore, upgrades to the unit's firmware may be made simply and easily using any of the above interfaces. To provide the most flexibility for the user, the PDU software should be highly configurable and should include the ability to set outlet names, unit names, network settings, sequence times, and reboot times. However, for security, the power distribution unit, if of intelligent design, must allow for the setup of an administrator login level plus permit the login of multiple users. In the unit cited here, the implementation enables administrator access to all control and reporting functions and the lower level users can be limited to control of specific outlets, a condition which provides isolation of the controlled subsystems. In this configurable environment, outlets can be grouped together such that a single command can control multiple outputs. This is especially useful in the control of systems using N+1 power supplies, where the input voltage to all power supplies must be removed simultaneously. The inclusion of an internal systems clock allows the administrator to schedule time and date for on/off control events.
Intelligent PDUs modeled on the example unit provide increased functionality by adding environmental monitoring and other sensor capabilities. Referencing the example unit,
© 2006 Pulizzi Engineering, Inc. 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.pulizzi.com Rev.0607PDUs which are offered in zero-U PDU vertical strips (either 42 inches or 70 inches in length) include provisions for real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and contact closure status thereby giving the network manager a view of those environmental related conditions which can affect the operation, and reliability of the equipment located in the PDU environs. The contact closure monitoring function can be connected to any user selected device including, of course, standard sensors configured to monitor system door status, liquid flow, air flow, and other go/no-go conditions. Figure 2 shows the location of the temperature and switch connections which are made through standard RJ45 sockets.
Also shown are the CAT-5 (RS485) sockets for use with the strapping feature. This feature permits multiple units to be slaved to a master controlling PDU, allowing a single IP address to be used to control up to 10 units greatly reducing the demands on the addressing network and also makes it easier to address all of the units through a single inte... [download for more]