The importance of Datacentre air tightness

Hot aisle containment (HAC) is used in data centres to efficiently manage the temperature and improve cooling infrastructure and power efficiency.
In a data centre, you'll typically find rows of server racks facing each other. These rows are designated as "hot aisles" or "cold aisles". In the cold aisle, racks face towards the aisle, while in the hot aisle, the rears of the servers face into the aisle.
In a hot aisle containment system, the "hot aisles", where exhaust heat from the servers is directed, are enclosed to capture the hot exhaust air. The system mainly aims to segregate the hot exhaust air from the cold intake air. By doing so, HAC systems prevent mixing cold and hot air, thus improving cooling efficiency and lowering energy costs.
The containment of the hot aisle enables the hot air to be directed back to the cooling units or air conditioning units without mixing with the cooler air. This consequently increases the efficiency of the HVAC system by returning hotter air, making the cooling process more energy-efficient and less costly.
This approach also aids in preventing the potential overheating of servers and maintaining a consistent and optimal operational temperature, which enhances the lifespan and performance of the data centre equipment. Configuration and design may vary due to the layout of the data centre and the specific cooling infrastructure in use.
Old data centres with false floor systems become very messy underneath. With all the services underneath, it becomes tough to guarantee air flow from into each containment solution.
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[@drjimbarnes]

Great vid as usual, team!😊

[@frzen]

Do the top of rack switches face the back of the rack or the front of the rack?

[@ecoevo]

This is hot aisle containment. So the switches would have their backs to the containment.

[@frzen]

​@ecoevo thanks, switches can have the fans blow in either direction configurable from the manufacturer, but you get to use slightly shorter cables if they are rear facing. Just wondering if there's a preference when the heat management is concerned. At my work we have front facing switches and narrow hot isles but I'd prefer rear facing switches, both cases with the heat blowing into the hot isle