Updates Improve Server Room Efficiency and Capacity - April 22nd, 2010

The LTC’s Technical and Network Services (TNS) has made several updates to the server room recently, improving power-use efficiency, increasing data storage capacity, and enhancing the College’s data backup service.

New power strips were installed, allowing all servers to run on 208V current instead of the usual 110V. TNS Coordinator Ryan Baldwin explains that this voltage is more efficient and uses less amperage, so more servers can be plugged into each circuit.

This increased efficiency has allowed the TNS team to place critical servers on two circuits, so that if one circuit blows, the servers will continue to operate from the second circuit. It has also allowed for more devices to be added to the server room system, and a new 8 Terabyte XServe RAID hard drive array has now been added to the server room’s data storage capacity.

Improvements have also been made to the automated backup service that the LTC provides, if requested, for all College faculty and staff desktop computers. Retrospect backup software has replaced the software previously used, and it can now back up as many as eight computers at once, instead of just one. It can alert users to problems by sending a message if backups have not been performed recently. Ryan also praises its management interface and quicker logins. He is now transitioning users to the new system. (College faculty and staff must first request this backup service before it can be initiated, so if interested, send a message to help@edb.utexas.edu.)

Other planned improvements include a new emergency power supply, with longer capacity and smaller, more efficient batteries, which can keep servers running during power outages.

—Laurie Caldwell, LTC Communications Coordinator