New Vapor IO data center concept: versatility and space saving
New Vapor IO data center concept: versatility and space saving
At the word “data center,” even a person who is not too familiar with the world of telecommunications imagines the rows of server cabinets and the aisles between them. A more knowledgeable person is also a perforated raised floor. Plus, it's also UPS, water cooling and more.
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The new concept of the data center proposes to change all this by installing large black cylinders in the room, which resemble boxes for photographic film, only the size of the cylinders is hundreds of times larger than the size of the box. That is how the company Vapor IO offers to place the equipment in the data center, using his work, which is called the Vapor Chamber.
The company proposes to use data centers of small size, which are significantly smaller than those giants that rebuild Google and Facebook. Placing such DCs is expected near large populated areas, where many people live, in need of data storage and processing, media content. CEO Crawford calls the concept of "Internet-of-Things cloud." According to him, this cloud is significantly different from general-purpose clouds, and the economy of such systems is also different.
By the way, Crawford is one of the developers of Nova, the cloud architecture of NASA, which over time merged with Rackspace to create OpenStack. Crawford was also involved in the Open Compute Project, an open concept for data centers that Facebook is now actively promoting. For the past year and a half, Kol Crawford has served as the head of the Open Compute Foundation. As you can see, his experience is simply gigantic.
It is clear that the Vapor Chamber is not a universal thing. Such infrastructure is supposed to be used where there is practically no free space. The project is designed to accommodate a large number of computer systems in a relatively small space. One unit of the Vapor Chamber (approximately 2.7 meters in diameter) can support 6 42RU units of 150 kW.
Such infrastructure will not be used in data centers with a capacity of 100 mW and above. Vapor Chamber is designed for use within the city, in densely populated regions. At the same time, the structure of the data center with the Vapor Chamber is such that the space that needs to be cooled is significantly reduced compared to the traditional layout of the systems in the data center. Inside each cylinder there is a “hot column” that discharges the air heated by the equipment. This column replaces what in a typical data center looks like a passage between the racks. Inside the unit there are fans that ensure the constant replacement of heated air with cool air. The pressure inside is less than the outside, so the pressure difference ensures air circulation.
Also inside are rectifiers, PDU, UPS, fire and smoke detectors. In general, everything that is needed in a modern data center. According to the developers, such a system significantly reduces the operating costs of the data center. The system architecture is consistent with the Open Compute architecture, a concept adopted and promoted by Facebook. Each unit supports any set of standard IT equipment.
Vapor IO has announced its own option for managing the infrastructure of the data center and analytical systems, which includes both hardware and software. The company claims that it makes a significant contribution to the Open Compute Project by offering an Open DCRE (Data Center Runtime Environment). This is a combination of sensors, software plus control panel. The system can receive and process not only data on temperature and humidity, but also data on pressure and vibration.
In general, the concept of the project is similar to the concept proposed earlier by eBay, and which is called Digital Service Efficiency.
Unfortunately, the company has not yet disclosed its pricing policy. But it is known who became the first client. This is the Indiana Union Station Technology Center, an organization that decided to use the Vapor Chamber to build its cloud infrastructure. The company is now in talks with other customers, Crawford says.
Co-founders of Vapor IO are also Stephen White, a former employee of Nebula, and Nick Velander, founder of the Signal Search Group.
At the word “data center,” even a person who is not too familiar with the world of telecommunications imagines the rows of server cabinets and the aisles between them. A more knowledgeable person is also a perforated raised floor. Plus, it's also UPS, water cooling and more.
')
The new concept of the data center proposes to change all this by installing large black cylinders in the room, which resemble boxes for photographic film, only the size of the cylinders is hundreds of times larger than the size of the box. That is how the company Vapor IO offers to place the equipment in the data center, using his work, which is called the Vapor Chamber.
The company proposes to use data centers of small size, which are significantly smaller than those giants that rebuild Google and Facebook. Placing such DCs is expected near large populated areas, where many people live, in need of data storage and processing, media content. CEO Crawford calls the concept of "Internet-of-Things cloud." According to him, this cloud is significantly different from general-purpose clouds, and the economy of such systems is also different.
By the way, Crawford is one of the developers of Nova, the cloud architecture of NASA, which over time merged with Rackspace to create OpenStack. Crawford was also involved in the Open Compute Project, an open concept for data centers that Facebook is now actively promoting. For the past year and a half, Kol Crawford has served as the head of the Open Compute Foundation. As you can see, his experience is simply gigantic.
Project details
It is clear that the Vapor Chamber is not a universal thing. Such infrastructure is supposed to be used where there is practically no free space. The project is designed to accommodate a large number of computer systems in a relatively small space. One unit of the Vapor Chamber (approximately 2.7 meters in diameter) can support 6 42RU units of 150 kW.
Such infrastructure will not be used in data centers with a capacity of 100 mW and above. Vapor Chamber is designed for use within the city, in densely populated regions. At the same time, the structure of the data center with the Vapor Chamber is such that the space that needs to be cooled is significantly reduced compared to the traditional layout of the systems in the data center. Inside each cylinder there is a “hot column” that discharges the air heated by the equipment. This column replaces what in a typical data center looks like a passage between the racks. Inside the unit there are fans that ensure the constant replacement of heated air with cool air. The pressure inside is less than the outside, so the pressure difference ensures air circulation.
Also inside are rectifiers, PDU, UPS, fire and smoke detectors. In general, everything that is needed in a modern data center. According to the developers, such a system significantly reduces the operating costs of the data center. The system architecture is consistent with the Open Compute architecture, a concept adopted and promoted by Facebook. Each unit supports any set of standard IT equipment.
Open Source DCIM
Vapor IO has announced its own option for managing the infrastructure of the data center and analytical systems, which includes both hardware and software. The company claims that it makes a significant contribution to the Open Compute Project by offering an Open DCRE (Data Center Runtime Environment). This is a combination of sensors, software plus control panel. The system can receive and process not only data on temperature and humidity, but also data on pressure and vibration.
In general, the concept of the project is similar to the concept proposed earlier by eBay, and which is called Digital Service Efficiency.
How much is it?
Unfortunately, the company has not yet disclosed its pricing policy. But it is known who became the first client. This is the Indiana Union Station Technology Center, an organization that decided to use the Vapor Chamber to build its cloud infrastructure. The company is now in talks with other customers, Crawford says.
Co-founders of Vapor IO are also Stephen White, a former employee of Nebula, and Nick Velander, founder of the Signal Search Group.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/254771/
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