Power Considerations for Your Server Hardware

One of the most important decisions you will have to make in regard to colocation is the server hardware you want to move. This could either be an easy of difficult task depending on a number of variables. You will need to consider various features including processing power, RAM, hard drive capacity and hard drive redundancy among others. While all are essential, perhaps the most vital feature you must consider for your server is the power requirements. To help ensure a smooth transition, this article will provide tips on some factors you want to keep in mind.

Energy-Efficient Hardware

Before purchasing any hardware, you should know that not all servers are created equal. For example, some are equipped with standardized components designed to be compatible with virtually any type of motherboard. Power supply can be very cheap in this instance and cost as little as $10. Purchasing one with a voltage that specifically matches the motherboard in your server will cost a little more, but will be far more energy efficient and help you save hundreds of dollars on power consumption. This is one of the most important considerations for choosing a server because the hardware you collocate should be as energy efficient as possible. Power consumption tends to vary greatly as most hardware is not designed to be conserve power. However, this is change rapidly as top tier manufacturers such as Dell and IBM have recently introduced more energy efficient hardware to the market.

Power at the Facility Costs

The average person believes that when investing in colocation, all they have to pay for is rack space and internet connectivity with the power being free with the service. Unfortunately, it is these type of assumptions that leads some people to make an attempt to cram all of their servers in one small area and save money on their monthly fees. What most do not realize is that the premium power and AC cooling needed to keep the hardware thriving generally costs considerably more than rack space. It is very easy for many to conclude that space comes for a fee while power is free, causing them to think if they can stuff 20 servers in a small space, they would then be able to save money on buying a full cabinet. These faulty assumptions result in companies shelling out thousands of dollars on blade servers only to learn that their power requirements call for substantially more than typical sized servers would have cost to store.

The misconception that power is free is on the colocation market is merely that, a misconception. The truth is that the tremendous amount of power a server requires can often cost a price that is equivalent to leasing three full racks of space in the facility. Simply knowing this can be vital when it comes to purchasing server hardware and planning to collocate your network. You can save yourself a lot of grief and money by knowing your exact requirements before entering an agreement with a service provider.