Data Centers to Manage Available Redundant Capacity (ARC)

Every business is concerned with finding the most efficient ways to compete in their industry. The data center industry is no different. Energy management is a major part of keeping costs down and green efforts high. Data centers must measure and manage their available redundant capacity (ARC). ARC is the amount of IT load that can be added to a system without sacrificing redundancy. Although this approach does not capture all conditions of power distribution, it does identify how much additional load it can take. By calculating the systems ARC from the individual device’s ARC, it assumes both parallel components are the same thus ensuring the most limited device can handle the entire load.

Though this seems like a problem for the IT guys at your data center, it should be a concern for the business outsourcing its equipment. Understanding the interaction between capacity and efficiency is crucial for the data managers and owners alike. Similarly, both you and the data managers should know which devices are operating most efficiently and which need capitalize on efficiency efforts. With the proper calculation of ARC, your system will run more smoothly, maintain up-time, all  while providing you with the cheapest dedicated servers possible.