Dell PowerStore Planning Guide

Cabinets are best suited for Class 1 datacom environments, which consist of tightly controlled environmental parameters, including temperature, dew point, relative humidity and air quality. These facilities house mission-critical equipment and are typically fault-tolerant, including the air conditioners.

The data center should maintain a cleanliness level as identified in ISO 14664-1, class 8 for particulate dust and pollution control. The air entering the data center should be filtered with a MERV 11 filter or better. The air within the data center should be continuously filtered with a MERV 8 or better filtration system. In addition, efforts should be maintained to prevent conductive particles, such as zinc whiskers, from entering the facility.

The allowable relative humidity level is 20 to 80% non condensing, however, the recommended operating environment range is 40 to 55%. For data centers with gaseous contamination, such as high sulfur content, lower temperatures and humidity are recommended to minimize the risk of hardware corrosion and degradation. In general, the humidity fluctuations within the data center should be minimized. It is also recommended that the data center be positively pressured and have air curtains on entry ways to prevent outside air contaminants and humidity from entering the facility.

For facilities below 40% relative humidity, it is recommended to use grounding straps when contacting the equipment to avoid the risk of Electrostatic discharge (ESD), which can harm electronic equipment.

As part of an ongoing monitoring process for the corrosiveness of the environment, it is recommended to place copper and silver coupons (per ISA 71.04-1985, Section 6.1 Reactivity), in airstreams representative of those in the data center. The monthly reactivity rate of the coupons should be less than 300 Angstroms. When monitored reactivity rate is exceeded, the coupon should be analyzed for material species and a corrective mitigation process put in place.

Storage time (unpowered) recommendation: do not exceed 6 consecutive months of unpowered storage.