Transcript 15_Maintaining_a_World-Class_Environment.pptx

Dr. Natheer Khasawneh
Sara Ismail
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the importance of maintaining your Data Center in a pristine
state, diligently removing unwanted materials, and having the
room professionally cleaned on a regular basis.
offers instructions for contracting with a professional
cleaning company and outlines common mishaps that can
occur.
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either in violation of Data Center standards or because no such
standards exist, increases the chances for a Data Center to become
dirty and disorganized, which in turn reduces the room's
productivity for a company.
The importance of your Data Center by keeping it well-maintained
and enforcing its standards of operations at all times.
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Your first line of defense in maintaining a Data Center is simply
keeping the room picked up.
Establish a time for employees to clean the Data Center as a group,
including staff, system administrators and network engineers who
works in the room.
Cleaning a Data Center as a group can be quite effective and they
will make a greater impact, such as: items need to be moved out of
the room, sorting and retesting patch cords, etc.
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In addition to keeping the Data Center tidy on a day-to-day basis,
hire a professional cleaning company to periodically clean the room.
the things that a cleaning vendor can do for your Data Center are:
Wipe down servers
Remove marks from raised floor surfaces
Vacuum the room, in and out of the plenum
Test for potentially hazardous particles
Note the condition of the plenum and infrastructure components.
Vendor Qualifications and Credentials:
Choose a company that is experienced at working in Data Centers
where its employees know how to conduct themselves in a sensitive
environment and appropriate cleaning materials are used.
Ask other data center managers who they use to clean their server
environments and whether they are happy with those vendors.
Choose a cleaning company that is bonded and insured, where they
provide financial protection in the event of theft, personal injury, or
property damage.
 All vendor employees must be trained in the proper use of all
cleaning equipment and materials and experienced working in a
Data Center.
 Approved Cleaning Equipment and Materials:
Restrict vendors to use the following items:
 Vacuums equipped with triple-filtration high-efficiency particulate
air (HEPA) or S-Class filters.
 Cleaning chemicals that are pH neutral, static dissipative, and
approved or qualified by computer hardware manufacturers. Avoid
cleaning agents that contain ammonia or other corrosive materials.
 Canned air.
 Lint-free mops. Mops should have non-metal handles and sewn
ends, to prevent snagging. Prohibit dry dust mops or dust brooms.
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Low-speed floor scrubbing machines. Avoid high speed buffers.
Electrical cords that are in good condition and, if appropriate for
local power configurations, have a three-pin ground.
A stable stepladder, for cleaning items near the ceiling.
Pre-Cleaning Steps: After choosing a vendor, have it come to your
company site and provide its representatives a tour of the Data
Center. Provide a map of the Data center.
Standards of Operations: the cleaning crew should obey the
following:
Don't bring food or drink in the Data Center
Don't prop open Data Center doors
Don't admit unauthorized personnel in the Data Center.
In addition to the Data Center's standards of operations, require the
cleaning crew to observe the following:
 Wear identifiable clothing: have all crew members wear some form
of company attire so they can be easily identified.
 Stay within designated areas.
 Mark off open floor tiles with pylons: If they are walking quickly,
they might step in to an open floor tile. Prevent this from happening
by placing brightly colored cones or pylons around open floor tiles.
 Plug cleaning equipment into only identified power sources: Provide
the cleaners with a Data Center floor plan that has outlets
highlighted.
 Make minimal contact with Data Center equipment.
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Cleaning Procedures:
Many companies choose to perform environmental tests within
their Data Center immediately before and after the room is cleaned.
If you desire this, perform the following tests:
Particle count— a portable airborne particle counter is used to
measure particle concentrations at different locations in the Data
Center.
Ferrous metal test— this procedure is performed to detect fine metal
shavings or flakes that, although difficult to see with the naked eye,
can be carried through the Data Center by its cooling and air
circulation system and get in to sensitive hardware.
Temperature and humidity test— if your Data Center lacks
temperature or humidity sensors, be aware that many cleaning
vendors also have portable equipment that can take these
measurements as well.
Specific cleaning procedures for different layers of the Data Center:
 Above-Ceiling:
 Lift and displace ceiling panels to gain access to the space.
 Use a HEPA or S-Class vacuum to clean the top of the ceiling panels,
as well as structured cabling or electrical conduits.
 Replace all ceiling panels.
 Direct vendor must make a note of any unusual conditions, as the
following:
 Loose ceiling tile brackets— unsecured brackets obviously need to
be resecured to the ceiling.
 Damaged ceiling tiles or infrastructure— Stained ceiling tiles are a
sign of a water leak.
 Exposed fiber strands— if cabling terminates in faceplates that are
directly mounted to the ceiling rather than in a raceway below the
ceiling.
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Below-Ceiling:
Use a HEPA or S-Class vacuum to clean the horizontal surfaces of vented
ceiling tiles, raceways, and cable bundles.
Wipe down the vertical surfaces of raceways.
Servers and Networking Devices:
Use a HEPA or S-Class vacuum to clean the horizontal surfaces of all
equipment.
Wipe down the external surfaces of all server cabinets, servers,
networking devices, and other equipment.
Other Above-Floor Items:
Use a HEPA vacuum or S-Class to clean the top of all floor tiles.
Treat smudges, stains, and black marks with an approved cleaning
solution and scrub them with a scrub pad.
Use a low-speed floor scrubber. Don't apply a finish or wax to floor tiles.
Mop the floor with a damp—not wet—mop, using clean, warm water.
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Subfloor:
Lift and remove panels to access the under-floor area.
Use a HEPA or S-Class vacuum to remove dust and particles within
the subfloor. Avoid moving any structured cabling or electrical
conduits.
Wipe down the raised floor system's pedestals and stringers with
water-moistened towels.
Manually remove any large debris and place it in the trash.
Post-Cleaning Steps:
As soon as the Data Center has been cleaned, have the vendor
perform a second particle count and test for ferrous metals. Testing
should be done in the same locations as before so that the findings
are comparable.
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If something goes wrong during a Data Center cleaning, it is
inevitably attributable to human error. Here are some common
pitfalls to avoid:
Tripping a circuit breaker: Don't allow anything to be plugged in to a
server cabinet other than servers, networking devices, and
peripheral equipment.
Disconnecting a patch cord or power cable: Safeguard against this
by educating the cleaning crew about working carefully in the server
environment and also by training Data Center users to secure patch
cords and power cords and fully use the room's wire management.
Misusing Data Center controls:
Getting servers or infrastructure wet: Minimize this during the
cleaning process by using low quantities of water for mopping and
keeping mop buckets atop blank tiles.