t cht lk
Even if the power outage is not the fault of the service provider , the resultant power and temperature control infrastructure must be prepared for such an eventuality . downtime , ensure that every part of the data centre is carefully tested before the facility starts operations . Loadbank testing puts immense pressure on the data centre , determining whether it is capable of withstanding full load demand conditions , or not . This testing process follows five key steps to ensure that maximum capacity is not the point at which a data centre fails , but when it succeeds . provider , the resultant power and temperature control infrastructure must be prepared for such an eventuality . Especially in Africa .
The crucial task of data centre testing
Effective loadbank testing of facilities is essential . There are plenty of expensive examples of companies that failed to test their systems and lost millions thanks to an unexpected outage . In the UK , leading financial institution TSB suffered a data centre outage that left millions without access to their accounts and cost the company an estimated £ 370 million . The reason ? An untested data centre .
Testing provides insight into any weaknesses inherent in the system , flaws that may only be apparent when pressure is applied to the system . To prevent critical infrastructure from being the source of potential
The first step is factory acceptance testing that ensures all equipment has undergone evaluation before and after assembly . This determines whether it has been built according to design specifications and can operate within those parameters . Resistive and reactive loadbank testing can simulate electrical loading for generators and UPS systems to ensure 100 % performance at full load . The second step is site acceptance testing .
This is carried out by OEMs and installation contractors on-site to ensure that the solution meets specification criteria . At this stage , full load test documentation should be developed to cover quality auditing that includes method statements and schematics . Third place is pre-functional testing that verifies the functionality of the equipment and whether it has been correctly installed , wired , torqued and Megger tested before initial energisation .
68 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com