Fortifying Network Closets
Improving Patient Care and Doctor Satisfaction Dan Draper Manager, Healthcare Industry Liebert Products
Agenda • Network closets in hospitals and ambulatory care facilities – Function and importance – Avoiding network downtime
• • • • • • •
Power fundamentals Power best practices Cooling fundamentals Cooling best practices Other areas of IT infrastructure in healthcare settings Critical questions to ask Q&A
Network closets • Computer room, network access room, wiring closet – Typically a 5x5, 6x6 or 8x8 room – Dedicated space containing networking and computing equipment • • • •
Routers Switches Bridges Hubs
– The equipment enabling data communications • Wireless • VOIP/ telecommunications • E-mail / Internet
Network closet differences Hospital Environment
Ambulatory Environment
Many closets, 1 per 10 beds
Single closet
Dedicated support: IT, Facilities, Network Services
If in a health system, remotely supported by parent hospital
Emergency generator on site
Likely, no emergency generator
Routers, switches, hubs
Routers, (maybe) servers and storage
Many closets Increasing heat densities Increasing need for power
Higher heat from server / storage Downtime hurts IT acceptance Lack of dedicated IT expertise
Why should we care? • Network Closet: the link to patient data
Patient
Data Storage
Doctor IT Device
Network Closet
• If the closet is down, can’t access EMR, PACS, VOIP
– Delays, inability to process patients, no orders, no billing – Remember: no more paper back up
IT equipment downtime • IT equipment needs electricity to run – When the power is off, IT won’t work – 6 ½ “momentary outages” per year
• IT equipment produces heat – Heat destroys electronics – Every 10° increase over 80° F produces a 50% reduction in long-term reliability of IT hardware Network closet’s IT infrastructure must be fortified to ensure availability
• Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) • Precision Cooling
UPS fundamentals • Instantaneous battery back-up – Ride through until generator assumes the load • Typically rack-mounted in network closets • Two design topologies – Line interactive – Double conversion
Back view
UPS in a rack
Line Interactive / Double Conversion Line Interactive UPS
Very efficient, volts in = volts out Load sees a wide range of voltages – Ex: Sag from 120 volts to 100 volts – Critical load only running on 100 volts • If this were a light bulb it would flicker and dim – Battery turns on at 90 volts, load at 120 volts – 4 millisecond transfer to battery
Double Conversion UPS
Rebuilds voltage, always perfect Load always sees 120 volts – Ex: Sag from 120 volts to 100 volts – Double conversion changes the 100 to 120 – No Battery use until volts drop to 60 • Load never deviates from 120 volts – Zero transfer time to battery
Best practice: When to use which? Line Interactive
Double Conversion
Pro
Efficient Less expensive initially
Constant regulated output power Instantaneous battery switchover High reliability
Con
Load sees voltages sags More battery replacements
Higher initial price
Purchase Price
$1,300 for a 3 kVA UPS
Critical Question
When to use
$3,000 for a 3 kVA UPS
Is there a generator present? Key difference is how they deal with fluctuating power Do generators produce clean electricity? No!
Ambulatory environment No generator Less critical loads
Hospital environment Generator present Extremely critical loads
Is my UPS sized correctly? • Understand what the UPS nameplate means – UPS typically sized in VA (volt-amperes) – AC watts = volts x amps x power factor UPS Name Plate
Power Factor
AC Watts Available
1000 VA
.7
700
1000 VA
.75
750
1000 VA
.9
900
– If you think your 1,000 VA UPS can support 1000 watts of computer equipment, you’re wrong – Know the power factor of different UPS models
• Battery run time at different capacities
Focus on hospital network closet UPS • Dozens of closets = dozens of UPS – Difficult to maintain, high battery management – When loads grow, add more UPS – Likely redundant UPS
• Distributed UPS Strategy – One small UPS in every closet – Ex Five 8 kVA UPS Utility
Distribution
Distributed: Typical UPS strategy in hospital network closets
UPS
Network Closet
UPS
Network Closet
UPS
Network Closet
UPS
Network Closet
UPS
Network Closet
Best practice: Centralized UPS • Centralized UPS Strategy – One large UPS covering multiple closets – Ex One 40 kVA UPS (instead of five 8 kVA) – If UPS is initially over sized, easy to add loads • Instead of a 40 kVA UPS, install a 80 kVA UPS
Reference Chart: Distributed
Network Closet Network Closet
Utility
UPS
Distribution
Network Closet Network Closet
Centralized: Best practice among new build and high IT growth hospitals
Network Closet
Distributed vs. centralized
Disadvantage
Advantages
Distributed
Centralized
• • • • •
Easier capital appropriation Smaller individual footprint Easy to install Easy to relocate Lower perceived cost
• • • • • •
Greater energy efficiency Single system to service Frees up rack / room space Sized for future kVA requirements Lower UPS capital cost Lower UPS operating cost
• • • • •
Utilizes vital rack space • Equipment room needed Higher failure rate • Electrical contractor for installation Lower energy efficiency • Up front capital allocation Individual batteries to service Aggregate cost of total UPS higher
TCO for centralized is 25% to 35% less than distributed
Precision Cooling Fundamentals • American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) – Recommends inlet temperature range of 64 to 80 degrees F – Humidity level (dew point) should fall within 42 to 59 degrees F
• 2008 change: was 68-77 degrees and 40%-50% RH
• Quick hits: – Inlet temperature, don’t go by a wall reading – Higher temps = more equipment fan use – 72 degrees is the norm, with 45% RH (data center avg. closets run warmer) • Most IT equipment has an upper operating temp of 95 - 100 degrees
What is precision cooling? When do I need precision cooling?
Why traditional building A/C won’t cut it Comfort Cooling
Precision Cooling
Designed for critical electronic Designed for people equipment • 2500 hrs / year operation • 8760 hrs / year operation • Allow for a large range of (24 hours / 365 days) fluctuations in temperature and humidity • Microprocessor control of temperature and humidity ratios • High cost to operate • Energy efficient technology
When do I need precision cooling? • • • •
Too warm to work in comfortably Switches / servers failing (too late!) Over 1000 watts of heat It all depends… – Room size, amount of IT – Existing air exchanges
• Heat is a major problem in ambulatory network closets – Switch produces 1000 watts of heat, but what else is in the room? – Possibly servers and storage for local EMR – Building A/C turns off at night and in winter
Precision cooling Air cooled – most common solution • Heat will need to be rejected – Outdoor condenser • Other Options: Water, Glycol, Chilled Water
Cooling Best Practices – Save space, use overhead – Ceiling units not install directly above equipment – Are Cooling units on emergency power? – At least have a plan, think about supply lines, install ducting today
Overhead 3.5 kW to 28 kW
Integrated Rack 2 kW to 14 kW
More best practices • Physical security – HIPAA: “safeguard equipment from unauthorized physical access, tampering and theft” – Box fan in the open door way…
No cooling = Open door = Security risk – Lack of cooling results in possible HIPAA violation – Solutions: Cooling and rack with a locking door
More best practices • Remote monitoring – Hospital systems have dozens of remote offices • IT Staff not physically on site
– Infrastructure monitoring: power and environmental – Web interface using HTTP and SNMP support – Provides alarm notifications via email and text messaging – Address issues before they take the network down
More best practices • Consult with experts – Contractor, Value Added Reseller, IT Integrator – 85% of hospitals had to upgrade their power and cooling within one year of an IT implementation • 40% upgraded after the HW & SW were implemented – If your IT vendor isn’t bringing up power and cooling, ask why • Complicated, unfamiliar, expensive • Look for a VAR who proposes power and cooling • VARs: become a true solution provider
More best practices • Have everyone at the table – Who “owns” the closet?
• IT, network services, facilities? – Who maintains it?
• Decision maker buying twenty UPS units may not be the guy who has to check batteries and temperatures
– Decisions impacting the network closet should incorporate all players
Critical questions to ask • Have I considered the need for power and cooling? – What is my current IT growth plan? – What can my existing IT Infrastructure support
• Is my IT load on the generator? – Which UPS is best: Double conversion or line interactive? – How much battery do I need?
• If distributed UPS, can I centralize? – If distributed (even remotely), can I monitor?
• Do I need cooling? – What about in 2 years?
• Is my cooling on emergency power? – How long can I operate without cooling my IT?
Summary • • • •
Network closet is the link to patient data IT availability is potentially life critical Power and cooling solutions protect and ensure uptime Consult with the experts, follow best practices
UPS
Cooling
IT Availability
Power and cooling solutions prevent: • • • • •
Lost patient data / missing images Patients and staff waiting for IT reboot Hospital staff dissatisfaction / reluctance to IT Equipment damage from heat Unauthorized equipment access
Q&A
Dan Draper Manager, Healthcare Industry Liebert Products