PDU current draw

[gshaw]

Just looking at PDUs for our new severs and started wondering about the max current draw on the APC units I'm looking at getting.

 

Originally I wanted a metered one so I know how much power each server is using but nowhere in the UK seems to have them in stock so might end up with standard ones...

 

Rack PDU, Metered, Zero U, 10A, 230V, (16) C13

 

If any of the suppliers on here have the above in stock right now drop me a PM!

 

Rack PDU, Basic, Zero U, 16A, 208/230V, (15) C13

 

The interesting bit that I'm looking at is the max amp rating... if you were to connect servers to each socket of that PDU that have say 400W PSUs you could theoretically be running just short of 2A per server, which would go over the max current of the PDU?

 

OK chances are they won't run at 100% power capacity but there's not a lot of leeway there, or am I just being paranoid?

[plexer]

Surely that's what plugging them into a metered pdu will tell you?

 

Ben

[gshaw]

Not if it goes over current and trips out

[plexer]

Fair enough but you just plug them in and stop before that

 

Ben

[Butuz]

It's easy to overload a 13a plug with only 5 servers. I bought a 32a metered one and am in the process of getting a 32a run into the server room.

 

This one:

http://images.icecat.biz/img/norm/high/677995-2676.jpg

 

What servers are you running?

 

Butuz

[gshaw]

It's going to be 5 of our old ones (Supermicro 2U dual CPU Opteron) then 3 x DL380 G7, SAN, 2 iSCSI switches and our 5406zl core switch

 

I saw that 2U PDU, not sure where that connector goes as I don't think either of our UPS have the blue round one?

 

Btw this is going into our UPS, not straight onto the wall supply...

Edited May 6, 2011 by gshaw

[john]

You will be surprised how little the modern servers require. We got a brilliant surprise in Easter, our entire server room, which in the pre-virtualisation and modernisation days blew its breaker at times, is only pulling around 8 - 10A for everything, that's the 4x HP Servers, 2X Sun/Oracle SANs, Switches, CCTV DVR and various other things we couldn't believe it. On paper it should pull more, which if you press the on button on everything all at once it will do but if you stagger it a little you will not spike much at all, we really were shocked at the amazingly low figure as were our electricians.

[Arthur]

we really were shocked at the amazingly low figure as were our electricians.

It's only going to get better. Intel's forthcoming 22nm chips are even more impressive.