Glossary
Glossary
1U Rack PDU
Server rack height is often measured in “U” (i.e. a 42U rack has 42U of rackable space). One “U” is equivalent to 1.75 inches. Most equipment is marketed as 1U or 2U in size, indicating how much rack space is required for installation.
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20 Amp Power Input Support
IEC320/C20 power inlet receptacles supports any power cord with IEC320/C19 power connector (PTCORD-XX). The IEC C19 connector is rated to 20 amps. this means the maximum amount of current that can safely pass through the connector is 20A. Standard North American safety codes require that amount to be derated 20% to accomodate power spikes and flucuations safely, so you will often see them labeled as 16A maximum.
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3 Phase Power
3 phase wye power has 3 live lines, a ground wire, and a neutral wire (3 PH Delta doesn't have the neutral). It allows for 1.732 as much power to be fed through the input connector. 3 phase power distribution is used for high-density, high-power demand equipment cabinets. Input current monitoring of each phase allows for proper load balancing of each rack mount power distribution unit. Switched units provide remote power management and Metered units provide local input current monitoring.
The -3Ph extension on a product indicates a 3 Phase power product.
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Amps
Amperes or Amps are a standard measurement of electrical current for how much electricity is moving through a wire at a set time. The amp draw is calculated by the electrical requirements of the devices plugged in, and is regulated by a circuit breaker or fuse.
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Basic PDU
Do you require additional outlets to power your equipment? Basic power distribution products provide simple and economical solutions where reliable power distribution for equipment racks or other applications is required. From a single 110V or 208V infeed these devices provide 12 or 24 outlets of like voltage. With industrial grade quality outlets and a steel cased enclosure this simple solution will meet the demands of industrial applications. View our Basic PDUs.
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Expansion PDU
Are you running an “A” and “B” infeed to your cabinets? If you are using equipment with redundant power supplies, expansion PDUs increases the number of managed outlets and circuits on a single network connection. Each expansion PDU links to a switched PDU. When linked the outlets are individually controllable, or groups of outlets can controlled with single commands. This configuration is especially useful when practicing power redundancy with dual power supplied equipment.
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High-Amp In-Rush Protection
When a power supply is turned on, it can draw a large number of amps for a few milliseconds. This has little effect on standard circuits. However, if you turn a large number of devices on at the same time, this in-rush of power can potentially cause fuses or circuit breakers to fail. High-Amp In-rush relays accommodate the extremely high power in-rush spikes from today's switching power supplies.
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IEC
International Electrotechnical Commission has a set of standard receptacles and outlets. Popularized because IEC plugs can output either 125 volts or 250 volts according to the cord that is plugged into them. Configurations most commonly used in Data Center Operations include C13 to C14 and C19 to C20. Even numbers denote "male" connectors.
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LED Digital Display Input Current Monitor
An easy viewing display on the face of the PDU that reports the True RMS Power Monitoring of the aggregate load on the power circuit (in amps).
The Input Current Display allows installation engineers to verify the real-time current draw on the power circuit.
This eliminates the guesswork of estimating the current draw and prevents the costly mistake of: 1) overestimating and requiring extra power drops installed or 2) underestimating and overloading a circuit - putting the enter cabinet at risk if a circuit breaker at the main cabinet PDU trips.
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Metered PDU
Do you know if you can plug additional equipment into a circuit? Are you paying for more circuits than you need? Metered rack PDUs help users reduce circuit overloads, maximize circuit usage, and manage growth capacity, by indicating the aggregate load on the circuit or phase. Metered power distribution units include an LED metered display that provides the true RMS input amperage load for the unit’s power infeed. With industrial grade quality outlets and a steel cased enclosure these PDUs provide solid and dependable power distribution for all kinds of applications. View our Metered PDUs.
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Multiple Concurrent Users
Multiple concurrent users allows several users to be logged into a Switched Cabinet power distribution unit at the same time. In this way, different users, with access rights to only their equipment, can reboot their device(s) when they need to, without waiting for another user to log out of the Switched unit.
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NEMA
National Electrical Manufacturers Association set of standard plugs and receptacles. NEMA nomenclature addresses the part configuration by locking ability (if applicable), 5 for 125V, 6 for 250 Volt, dash (-), followed by the amperage rating (20A, 30A) and a P for plug or R for receptacle.
I.E. 5-20R is a 125V twist lock receptacle for 20Amps.
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Power Distribution Unit
A power distribution unit provides multiple power outlets from a power infeed. It is used to connect multiple electrical powered devices to an electrical circuit. These units allow you to maximize the capacity of a single circuit. There is some danger of overloading the circuit by connecting to many device, but this can be avoided by measuring the current draw through a meter or network monitoring.
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Power-Up Sequencing
Prevent a power in-rush from overloading the power circuit. In the event of a power loss, this key feature prevents all power-outlet receptacles from powering on at once - averting the potential for a power in-rush to blow a fuse or circuit breaker in the data center. Instead, the power-outlet receptacles power-on in two-second intervals, allowing each device to safely boot-up. Power-up sequencing is a default hardware setting. User adjustable.
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Rack-Mount Enclosure
1U "horizontal" rack-mount enclosures are 17" wide and include standard mounting brackets for 19" cabinet rails.
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Redundant Power
Providing two independent power sources for critical equipment to ensure Uptime. From a cabinet pdu this can be accomplished by a dual circuit cabinet power distribution unit with each cord plugged into a separate power source, or by powering 2 pdu's with different power sources (separate UPS, a UPS and a generator, etc.)
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Secure Access - SSH and SSL Protection
Secure Shell (SSH), known as Secure Socket Shell, is a Unix-based command interface and protocol for securely getting access to a remote device. Our Switched PDUs support SSHv2. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a commonly-used protocol for managing the security of a message transmission on the Internet. SSL is an integral part of most Web browsers (clients) and Web servers. Switch PDUs support SSLv3/TLSv1.
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SNMP Management
The Switched family of power distribution units supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). This allows network management systems to use SNMP requests to retrieve information and control power for the individual outlets. The Switched Rack PDUs include an SNMP v1 agent supporting standard MIB I and MIB II objects. A private enterprise MIB extension (Sentry3 MIB) is also supported to provide remote power control.
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SNMP traps for event notification
SNMP traps can be generated for various events, including Input Current Load Thresholds (min and; max), Temperature Thresholds (min and max), Humidity Thresholds (min and max), water indication, closed contacts (cabinet doors open/close), as well as notification of any time an outlet status is changed (on/off).
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Switched PDU
Do you need to periodically reboot individual devices? Is that equipment manned and monitored 24x7? Switched PDU products provide the capability to securely monitor and control power from a network or serial interface. Switched power distribution units combine remote configuration and management with power distribution and power and environmental monitoring. Shut down or Reboot equipment with a network command, or receive alerts with power or environmental conditions exceed user defined threshold. Assign varying levels of user access or lock out unused outlets to prevent unauthorized power connections. Switched PDUs provide control and flexibility needed for data center equipment racks and other applications. View our Switched PDUs.
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True RMS Input Current Monitoring
Input Current Monitoring in power products is reported as the cumulative load (in amps) on each power circuit so that data center managers can obtain the data they need to plan their power requirements and to monitor power to their IT equipment. Input Current is reported in Amps and can be viewed locally on the enclosure via an LED Digital Display and remotely, when applicable, via the firmware interface.
Trus RMS calculations taken into consideration the phases of the voltage, and shape of the current waves to a circuit in order to provide the power reading. Difference between the RMS watt value and the calculation of Volts multiplied by Amps indicates an inefficiency in how power is delivered or consumed by the circuit.
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Volts
A fixed value for a circuit that is a measurement of electrical potential.
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Watts
Measurement of electrical power being utilized by a system.
The simplest calculation of a Watt is one Amp multiplied by electrical potential of one Volt.
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Zero U Enclosure
Zero U is a term used for vertically installed PDUs, as they do not consume horizontal race space. Instead, vertical PDUs are installed at the rear of the cabinet, either in the dead space or on the rear vertical rails. When placed in the dead space, one side will often be dedicated to power while the other is used for data cabling.
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