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the equipment needs to be phased out and replaced with new stuff. However, you might be
able to save a few thousand dollars by simply repurposing the equipment.

Old file server Now other
servers have been
consolidated and
virtualized on it.

For instance, if you have a server that has sufficient processing power and memory, why
not keep it, but consolidate and virtualize the duties of other servers? If it is equipment you
already own, by repurposing the server you don’t need to buy a new one (thus saving you
the expense of buying a new one and recycling the old one), plus you maximize the server’s
utilization.

Cabling Considerations
Think of datacenter design as a Hollywood movie. The stars are the placement of servers
and overall cooling. But the supporting actors in datacenter design are the small things you
might not think about, such as cabling. True, cabling doesn’t generate heat, and there are no
toxic emissions that come out of your cabling. However, you need to make certain
considerations when redesigning the cabling placement in your datacenter.
Largely, cooling is affected by your cabling choices. For the most efficient cooling,
cabling has to be properly designed, remediated, and routed so that air flows optimally.
TIA-942
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)—the same people who came up with
CAT standards for unshielded twisted pair cabling—have published a definitive document
encompassing best practices and design considerations for the modern datacenter.
The standard, titled “Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers,
TIA-942,” is 148 pages long and covers all sorts of issues, from site selection to rack-mounting
methods.
TIA-942 is a best-practices document that aims to standardize a lot of requirements
throughout a datacenter. One of the upshots is that by standardizing requirements for
contractors, companies can save on one of IT’s biggest budget items—IT management salaries.
You can order a copy of the standard from TIA at www.tiaonline.org (Link 11-2).
They’re not giving it away, though. The standard costs US$278, and you can buy either
paper or PDF format.