Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 5, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The robust and versatile PowerEdge 4220 42U and PowerEdge 2420 24U racks include new power, cooling and cable-management options and support all Dell server and storage systems.
The new rack systems are designed to improve utilisation of hardware resources, increase power-management and cooling efficiency, and reduce space requirements in data centres. Rack design plays a decisive role in creating an efficient and easily managed data centre. The new Dell solutions include technologies for efficiently housing, powering, cooling, managing and securing hardware. In effect, each individual rack functions as its own small data centre.
The new Dell PowerEdge 4220 and Dell PowerEdge 2420 include several new features, such as:
-Efficient cooling: 80-percent perforation in the front and rear doors improves airflow in the rack. Compared with the previous generation, the racks are deeper (1,071 mm versus 1,000 mm), providing more space for dissipating waste heat. The new Dell racks also include new seals at the front to prevent hot air from flowing from the rear to the front of the server and increasing server temperatures
-Flexible mounting of power distribution units: Power distribution units (PDUs) can be mounted flexibly on the rear wall and side surfaces. This gives IT staff easy access and saves valuable rack space for IT equipment
-Simplified cable management: Options such as adjustable cable rings and removable rear strips at the top and bottom of the rear frame simplify cable routing
-Features for greater stability and security: The PowerEdge 4220 has a load capacity of around 1,100 kg, considerably more than conventional 42U racks; the PowerEdge 2420 has a load capacity of 680 kg. Stabilising rails for securing the rack to the floor and baying kits for connecting adjacent racks are also available.
Dr Albert Esser, Vice President Data Center Infrastructure at Dell, emphasises: “Racks today are more than enclosures for servers or storage systems; they are an essential component in building a powerful and flexible data-centre infrastructure. With the launch of the new rack systems, organisations of every size can manage their data centres in a cost- and energy-efficient way.”
The new products make it possible to exploit the available performance potential in data centres, reduce IT complexity and improve energy efficiency, in line with Dell’s “Simplify and Save” approach. Dell recently also expanded its service portfolio with new “Data Center Optimization Services.”
Reveal Your Hidden Data Center
-The new rack enclosures allow customers to improve energy efficiency in their data centres
-Dell’s “Reveal Your Hidden Data Center” strategy, which focuses on server virtualisation and consolidation, includes taking unused equipment out of service, replacing legacy systems and optimising sealing and cooling. The aim is to increase computing power while reducing energy consumption
-The guiding principle of Dell’s strategy is to make further expansion of IT infrastructure unnecessary by using existing resources more effectively. Dell thereby helps customers simplify their IT effectively and noticeably reduce costs.
Data Center Optimization Services
Dell offers extensive Data Center Optimization Services. Alongside virtualisation, storage consulting, consolidation and migration, these include the design and configuration of data centres. The services enable customers to improve productivity and energy efficiency in existing data centres, allowing available IT capacity to be used more effectively without integrating additional resources.
