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Data Center Handbook
Provides the fundamentals, technologies, and best practices in designing, constructing and managing mission critical, energy efficient data centers Organizations in need of high-speed connectivity and nonstop systems operations depend upon data centers for a range of deployment solutions. A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes multiple power sources, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression) and security devices. With contributions from an international list of experts, The Data Center Handbook instructs readers The book imparts essential knowledge needed to implement data center design and construction, apply IT technologies, and continually improve data center operations.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2014
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August 26, 2026Pg.216 Servers are going to get denser over next decade, increasing the power draw
Pg.219 industry trend 'edge data center's which can be remotely managed/unstaffed
pg.218 how accurate are these 2018 electricity usage stats?
Pg.342-43 choosing a site- state level concerns:
Natural hazards (earthquake), fiber-optic infrastructure with multiple connectivity, airport approaching corridor
Micro-level considerations: water table, 100-year floodplain (pg. 344) proximity to rail, airport, chemical plant and refinery
Mandate LEED certification. Demand top tier
"As of June 2026, there are over 1,948 LEED‐certified and registered data centers representing 588 million square feet (over 54 million square meters) across the globe."
Top tier is certification V5 BD+ C (New construction)
Pg.352 FEMA 413 Installing seismic restraints for electrical equiptment
Pg.353-54: Chinese standard GB 50174 requires electromagnetic shielding
Pg.363: Best Practice is using ENERGY STAR servers
Pg.364 demand top tier ASHRAE to regulate temp and humidity around servers.
*PNNL has a Net-Zero project t with Data Center Development...utilize?
Pg.372 all cables and connections traceable at all times. Should be able to disconnect at any given moment- ANSI/TIA/EIA 942 Data Center Design Guidelines and Structured Cabling
Standards
Pg.377 70% of all data centers were brought down by human error. Detailed Disaster Recovery Plan are necessary. seismic strengthening design needs to go beyond codes and requirements
Pg.379 Key Lessons from natural disasters: detailed crisis management with procedure and command line, conduct emergency drills
Sooo all these tech companies have on-paper goals of renewable energy use which means they are buying up all the renewable energy and it isnt going to THE PEOPLE! 🤮
Pg.490 "server virtualization is recognized as one of the most important strategies for improving data center energy efficency."
Pg.493 Remove comatose servers ASAP. Up to 30% can be comatose and they are a huge, uneeded energy draw
Pg.494 Demand they use ENERGY STAR program for their servers = 30% less energy use
Pg.498 SSD versus HDD. SSD is more expensive and energy efficient
Demand SSD....internet search info:
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): While SSDs win on energy efficiency and speed, enterprise HDDs maintain a major acquisition cost advantage (5x–10x cheaper per terabyte), which dictates storage deployment strategy in large hyperscale and AI facilities.
Pg.500 management strategies that reduce electricity:
A) Data deduplication= eliminate duplicate copies
B) Data Compression C) Delta snapshot techniques= store only changes to existing data D) Tiered storage such as MAID tech which shuts down idle disks
Pg.502 best airflow mgmt practices to reduce use of fans. Examples: hot aisle/cold aisle layout, flexible strip curtains, IT equipment containment enclosures. Utilize air-flow simulation software to identify where airflow adjustments are needed
Pg.565 As more energy efficient equiptment becomes available it needs to be updated (MANDATE) ex: chillers, pumps, cooling
towers, power distribution units.
***frequent retrofits with most sustainable equiptment, building updates, etc
Pg. 582 scope 2 emissions= Green House Gas Emissions from the company's purchased elecrricity
Pg.585 "indirect water consumption" = water to cool thermomechanical processes
Energy use estimation comes from energy modeling. Goal high PUE ( Power usage effectiveness)
Pg.587 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) mandate they report there
Pg. 600 author likes modular design where scale can be matched to IT demand. More info to come chpt.4. Pages go on to explain how to demonstrate peak power points. Perhaps we can. Mandate all data centers be modular and have to prove IT load need via these processes before adding to the modular unit/increasing their wattage use
Pg.612 prove need to turn on the AC via relative humidity and, or dry bulb changes
Pg.613 other methodology that should be demonstrated on data center applications:
Geovisualizing data center energy to demonstrate megawats needed. Utilize energy modeling tools and mtivariate analysis
techniques
Pg.622 with this info there are also calculations that show water use in gallons per megawatt. Should be in the application also. See NREL (national renewable energy lab)
NREL/TP-500-33905
Pg.623 is it better to ask for an air-cooled only data center? Water then only for humidification
*look into ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Enviormemts
Mentioned many times that early d.c. are excessively cooled. Authors also seems to believe the servers can handle a higher humidity level than what they currently recommend. It may cause the server lifetime to be diminished some but will save on electrical usage.
Is allowing so much heat at a d.c. going to increase fire risk?
Pg. 642 instead of RH metric author suggests these metrics: wet-bulb temp/ dew point
temp/ Humidity Ratio
Pg.685
** research what to advocate for water-cooled chiller versus air-cooled? Dry-coolers/evaporative-coolers
Pg.686 Direvt Expansion (!DX) coolers = the condenser and evaporator use air as the heat transfer medium, not water
Mandate this is used in autumn a day spring:
Pg. 691: direct economization= use outside air for temperature control....aka open the window ! This is the only method that does not spray water
To authorize spraying of water (evaporative cooling) must have documented need aka "wet-bulb depression" = the difference between dry-bulb and wet-bulb air (pg.688)
Pg.219 industry trend 'edge data center's which can be remotely managed/unstaffed
pg.218 how accurate are these 2018 electricity usage stats?
Pg.342-43 choosing a site- state level concerns:
Natural hazards (earthquake), fiber-optic infrastructure with multiple connectivity, airport approaching corridor
Micro-level considerations: water table, 100-year floodplain (pg. 344) proximity to rail, airport, chemical plant and refinery
Mandate LEED certification. Demand top tier
"As of June 2026, there are over 1,948 LEED‐certified and registered data centers representing 588 million square feet (over 54 million square meters) across the globe."
Top tier is certification V5 BD+ C (New construction)
Pg.352 FEMA 413 Installing seismic restraints for electrical equiptment
Pg.353-54: Chinese standard GB 50174 requires electromagnetic shielding
Pg.363: Best Practice is using ENERGY STAR servers
Pg.364 demand top tier ASHRAE to regulate temp and humidity around servers.
*PNNL has a Net-Zero project t with Data Center Development...utilize?
Pg.372 all cables and connections traceable at all times. Should be able to disconnect at any given moment- ANSI/TIA/EIA 942 Data Center Design Guidelines and Structured Cabling
Standards
Pg.377 70% of all data centers were brought down by human error. Detailed Disaster Recovery Plan are necessary. seismic strengthening design needs to go beyond codes and requirements
Pg.379 Key Lessons from natural disasters: detailed crisis management with procedure and command line, conduct emergency drills
Sooo all these tech companies have on-paper goals of renewable energy use which means they are buying up all the renewable energy and it isnt going to THE PEOPLE! 🤮
Pg.490 "server virtualization is recognized as one of the most important strategies for improving data center energy efficency."
Pg.493 Remove comatose servers ASAP. Up to 30% can be comatose and they are a huge, uneeded energy draw
Pg.494 Demand they use ENERGY STAR program for their servers = 30% less energy use
Pg.498 SSD versus HDD. SSD is more expensive and energy efficient
Demand SSD....internet search info:
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): While SSDs win on energy efficiency and speed, enterprise HDDs maintain a major acquisition cost advantage (5x–10x cheaper per terabyte), which dictates storage deployment strategy in large hyperscale and AI facilities.
Pg.500 management strategies that reduce electricity:
A) Data deduplication= eliminate duplicate copies
B) Data Compression C) Delta snapshot techniques= store only changes to existing data D) Tiered storage such as MAID tech which shuts down idle disks
Pg.502 best airflow mgmt practices to reduce use of fans. Examples: hot aisle/cold aisle layout, flexible strip curtains, IT equipment containment enclosures. Utilize air-flow simulation software to identify where airflow adjustments are needed
Pg.565 As more energy efficient equiptment becomes available it needs to be updated (MANDATE) ex: chillers, pumps, cooling
towers, power distribution units.
***frequent retrofits with most sustainable equiptment, building updates, etc
Pg. 582 scope 2 emissions= Green House Gas Emissions from the company's purchased elecrricity
Pg.585 "indirect water consumption" = water to cool thermomechanical processes
Energy use estimation comes from energy modeling. Goal high PUE ( Power usage effectiveness)
Pg.587 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) mandate they report there
Pg. 600 author likes modular design where scale can be matched to IT demand. More info to come chpt.4. Pages go on to explain how to demonstrate peak power points. Perhaps we can. Mandate all data centers be modular and have to prove IT load need via these processes before adding to the modular unit/increasing their wattage use
Pg.612 prove need to turn on the AC via relative humidity and, or dry bulb changes
Pg.613 other methodology that should be demonstrated on data center applications:
Geovisualizing data center energy to demonstrate megawats needed. Utilize energy modeling tools and mtivariate analysis
techniques
Pg.622 with this info there are also calculations that show water use in gallons per megawatt. Should be in the application also. See NREL (national renewable energy lab)
NREL/TP-500-33905
Pg.623 is it better to ask for an air-cooled only data center? Water then only for humidification
*look into ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Enviormemts
Mentioned many times that early d.c. are excessively cooled. Authors also seems to believe the servers can handle a higher humidity level than what they currently recommend. It may cause the server lifetime to be diminished some but will save on electrical usage.
Is allowing so much heat at a d.c. going to increase fire risk?
Pg. 642 instead of RH metric author suggests these metrics: wet-bulb temp/ dew point
temp/ Humidity Ratio
Pg.685
** research what to advocate for water-cooled chiller versus air-cooled? Dry-coolers/evaporative-coolers
Pg.686 Direvt Expansion (!DX) coolers = the condenser and evaporator use air as the heat transfer medium, not water
Mandate this is used in autumn a day spring:
Pg. 691: direct economization= use outside air for temperature control....aka open the window ! This is the only method that does not spray water
To authorize spraying of water (evaporative cooling) must have documented need aka "wet-bulb depression" = the difference between dry-bulb and wet-bulb air (pg.688)
April 6, 2021
Very in depth. Good handbook for reference
August 14, 2022
A comprehensive book on the issues, terminology and processes of operating a Data Center. It made my life easier since I need a crash course on the subject.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews