When more compact IT equipment is housed densely within a single cabinet, or when data center managers perform large-scale deployments with multiple racks filled with ultra compact blade servers, the increased power required and heat dissipation must be addressed.

Cooling systems must have an unobstructed path from the source of the cooled air to the inlet positions of the servers. And a clear path from the rear exhaust of the server to the return air duct of the A/C unit is also required.

This white paper outlines the many factors that can obstruct cooling in the data center and provides a checklist of ten simple assessments that should be performed to avoid this issue including:

• Capacity checks
• Main cooling circuit tests
• Tracking aisle and room temperatures
• Air velocity measurements and more