Question 1

What is the difference between a Tier III and a Tier IV data centre?

Accepted Answer

A Tier III is concurrently maintainable: it has two electrical distribution paths, one active and one on standby, and allows any component to be serviced without stopping the room. A Tier IV is also fault tolerant: both paths are active at the same time (2N), with separate fault zones, so a single fault does not affect the load.

Question 2

What do N+1 and 2N mean in the electrical installation of a data room?

Accepted Answer

N is the capacity the load needs. N+1 adds one spare unit (for example, three UPSs where two would do). 2N duplicates the whole system, with two independent chains of mains supply, UPS, panels and PDUs feeding each rack through A and B.

Question 3

What is a technical room and how does it differ from a data centre?

Accepted Answer

A technical room is a company's own server room: a few racks with UPS, air conditioning, certified cabling and access control. A data centre is a dedicated facility, with a defined availability class (EN 50600, TIA-942 or Uptime Institute), redundancy in the electrical distribution and generator sets.

Question 4

Can you work on a live data room without stopping the service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The work is planned by supply path, redundancy is checked before touching anything, and measurements are taken with thermography and a power analyser before and after. It is the same way of working as at an operating airport.

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