Pass the Exin EPI Data Centre CDCS Questions and answers with CertsForce

When installing araised floor, the best starting point is typicallyfrom the farthest corner away from the entrance, in this case,Point B. This method allows for the floor installation to progress towards the entrance, ensuring that workers can avoid walking over the newly installed tiles, thus minimizing the risk of damage and maintaining cleanliness during installation.

Detailed Explanation:

Starting at the farthest corner (Point B) and working towards the entrance (Point A) is a standard practice in raised floor installation. This approach ensures that installers do not walk over freshly laid tiles, which could lead to shifting or misalignment. Additionally, it allows for more controlledplacement and alignment, as well as convenient egress when installation is complete.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI guidelines for raised floor installation emphasize beginning at the farthest point from the entrance and working back towards it, which aligns with industry best practices for efficiency and quality assurance. This method reduces potential damage and supports precise alignment across the floor area.

From anefficiency standpoint,Unit Bwith aSensible Heat Ratio (SHR) of 0.9is preferable. A higher SHR indicates that a greater proportion of the air conditioner's capacity is dedicated tosensible cooling(temperature reduction) rather thanlatent cooling(moisture removal). In data centers, sensible cooling is more critical since IT equipment primarily generates heat without adding significant moisture.

Detailed Explanation:

An SHR of 0.9 means that 90% of the cooling capacity is used for sensible cooling, which is more efficient for environments like data centers where humidity control is typically less of a concern. Opting for an air conditioner with a higher SHR ensures that most of the cooling energy is focused on temperature reduction, making Unit B more efficient in this scenario.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI data center best practices recommend choosing cooling units with higher SHR values in datacenters, as they better match the cooling needs of IT equipment. High SHR units improve cooling efficiency by concentrating on sensible heat removal, which is vital for maintaining the optimal thermal environment.

APower Usage Effectiveness (PUE)of1.20(achieved by Data Center B) indicates thehighest facility efficiencyamong the three data centers. A lower PUE value signifies better energy efficiency, as it means that a greater proportion of the total energy consumed is used directly for IT equipment rather than for cooling, lighting, or other facility needs.

Detailed Explanation:

PUE is calculated as the ratio of total facility energy to IT equipment energy. A PUE close to 1.0 suggests that almost all the energy is dedicated to computing processes, with minimal overhead. With PUE values of 2.45, 1.20, and 1.90, Data Center B (1.20) operates most efficiently by devoting a higher percentage of its total energy to IT equipment.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

The EPI curriculum emphasizes PUE as a key metric for data center efficiency, with lower values representing better performance. Achieving a PUE near 1.0 aligns with industry best practices for energy-efficient data center design and operation.

A hypoxic-based fire suppression system works by reducing the oxygen level in a room to below what is necessary to sustain combustion. This makes it effective in fire prevention, but it is not suitable for continuous occupancy by personnel. Low oxygen levels can cause discomfort or even health risks for people spending extended periods in the space. Therefore, these systems are typically deployed in areas where continuous human occupancy is not required, such as storage rooms or data halls with limited personnel access.

Detailed Explanation:

Hypoxic fire suppression systems lower oxygen levels to around 15-16%, which is safe for short periods but not sustainable for continuous occupancy without risk to health. Data center environments where staff need to spend long periods monitoring and maintaining equipment would need alternative systems, like gas-based suppression that allows for safe evacuation rather than oxygen reduction.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

The EPI Data Center Specialist curriculum emphasizes that fire suppression systems must be chosen based on occupancy requirements. Hypoxic systems are specifically noted as unsuitable for spaces requiring continuous human presence due to the low oxygen environment they create.

For heavy equipment, such as anetwork storage device weighing approximately 600 kg/1,300 lbs, newfloor loading calculationsare indeed required, particularly since the rack is non-standard. Astructural engineer, approved by the building owner, should conduct these calculations to ensure the floor can safely support the new load without risking structural integrity.

Detailed Explanation:

Data centers are designed with specific floor load ratings, which are determined during the design phase based on anticipated equipment. When adding or replacing equipment that is significantly heavy or non-standard, reassessing the floor's capacity is essential to avoid overloading. A structural engineer has the expertise to verify if the existing floor can accommodate the weight and, if not, can recommend reinforcement measures.

This step ensures compliance with safety standards and helps prevent damage to the infrastructure,which could lead to costly repairs or even catastrophic failure in extreme cases.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI Data Center Specialist training advises that any changes in the data center load, particularly involving non-standard and heavy equipment, warrant a structural assessment. Ensuring compliance with floor load capacity is a critical safety and operational concern, as underscoring data center infrastructure reliability and safety is a priority in EPI's best practices.

A2(N+1) configurationimpliestwo independent UPS systems, each withN+1 redundancy. This configuration provides high availability by ensuring that each UPS system can independently support the load with an additional unit for redundancy. Given the80 kW load, this setup impliesthat two separate N+1 systems are running, providing reliability and fault tolerance for the data center’s power needs.

Detailed Explanation:

TheN+1notation denotes that each system has one additional unit beyond what is needed to carry the load, providing redundancy. With2(N+1), there are two such setups, ensuring that if one fails, the other can still support the load without interruption, fulfilling high availability requirements.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI teaches that multiple redundant systems, such as2(N+1), enhance data center reliability by ensuring that power is maintained even if a failure occurs in one system. This meets the stringent demands for uptime in critical environments.

AnEnd of Row (EoR) designminimizes the number of network switches, as multiple racks can share a single switch at the end of a row, reducing switch counts and simplifying management. Thisdesign centralizes network switching to fewer points, which reduces the complexity and number of switches required compared to a Top of Rack (ToR) design, where each rack typically has its own switch.

Detailed Explanation:

In EoR designs, each row has a single network switch that handles the connections for all racks within that row. This reduces the number of individual switches needed and centralizes network management, which is ideal for minimizing equipment and simplifying infrastructure in the data center.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI promotes the EoR design as a way to reduce switch counts and streamline management in data centers. This configuration allows for easier scaling and maintenance while maintaining efficient network connectivity.

To reduceElectromagnetic Fields (EMF)emanating from theelectrical risernear sensitive IT equipment,three-phase power cabling in a combined cable(such as XLPE) is effective. Combined cabling helps reduce EMF by keeping the conductors tightly packed, which minimizes magnetic fields generated by current flow. Cables like XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) also offer better insulation, which helps mitigate EMF interference with nearby IT equipment.

Detailed Explanation:

Using a combined three-phase cable reduces EMF because the magnetic fields generated by each phase tend to cancel each other out when in close proximity. This arrangement helps reduce theoverall magnetic field strength. In addition, XLPE and similar materials provide good insulation, making them a preferred choice for reducing EMF emissions around sensitive equipment.

EPI Data Center Specialist References:

EPI data center best practices recommend mitigating EMF interference through combined cabling arrangements, especially near areas where sensitive IT equipment is located. Reducing EMF is crucial to maintaining equipment reliability and ensuring compliance with safety standards.