| Potentia |
Q. What are
some good practices when configuring power distribution
circuits?
A. Equipment with dual power supplies
usually run balanced between the two available circuits.
This means that each of those circuits can only ever be
loaded to 50% of breaker capacity. However, it is good
practice to run circuits under 80% of breaker capacity
(so this means that effective limit on any circuit is
40% of breaker capacity (80%x50%)). |
Q. What is a
Cascade Failure?
A. According to the Encyclopedia
Wikipedia, a Cascade Failure in an electrical system
happens when one of the elements fails and shifts its
load to nearby elements in the system. Those nearby
elements are then pushed beyond their capacity so they
become compromised and shift their load onto other
elements. This failure process cascades through the
elements of the system like a ripple on a pond and
continues until substantially all of the elements in the
system are compromised. Potentia can simulate a
cascade failure. |
Q. Can
Potentia predict what would happen if my DC has a
failure somewhere in the power infrastructure?
A.
Yes. Potentia can simulate failures at any level (any
combination of Circuit, Panel or PDU failures) including
multiple failures that all occur at the same time and/or
simulate the effects of second, third or tertiary
failure after circuits have switched to backups. |
Q. Can
Potentia warn me that I am close to capacity on any
component in my power infrastructure?
A. Yes. In
addition to showing circuits that are above threshold,
you can supply a warning level on circuits (e.g. 70%)
and Potentia will show components that are at or above that
threshold aiding decision making. |
Q. Can
Potentia show me where there is available capacity
within my infrastructure that I can safely make use of?
A. Yes. Potentia has an under-utilization report
that assists safe deployment of new equipment. |
Q. How can
Potentia help me avoid failures?
A. By running an
analysis, Potentia can tell you if any of your circuits
are running over. |
Q. Where does
Potentia get its information about power infrastructure
and connections?
A. If you do not already have this
information captured somewhere, ICS will work with you
to perform a physical audit of your data center power
infrastructure and this information will be loaded
direct to Potentia. If you have this information already
held somewhere, please see the Q&A below.
ICS
also offers a Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
called ECOMP which is compatible with Potentia and can
be used to manage power use along with other CMDB data.
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Q. We already
have a Configuration Management Database (CMDB); can
Potentia use the information held there to perform its
load analysis?
A. Yes - we can load Potentia from any
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) as long as it
has an Open architecture and holds the information we
need. |
Q. We already
store power infrastructure and connections in
spreadsheets or documents; can Potentia use this
information to perform its load analysis?
A. In most
cases, the answer is yes. ICS will work with you to get
the data loaded. If the accuracy of this information is
in doubt, ICS can help with a physical audit of the data
center. |
Q. What if we
don't have a Configuration Management Database
(CMDB)?
A. You don't need a CMDB to use Potentia,
because it has its own stand along database, but if you
want the more complete functionality of a full CMDB
functionality, ICS offers a product called ECOMP which
can meet these needs. |
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