ATP Capacity Planning & Scalability Flashcards

What does a 'power density map' help a data center manager determine?

Answer: Which rack locations can safely support high-kW deployments

A power density map identifies which rack positions have sufficient power and cooling capacity to support high-density deployments without overloading local infrastructure.

Which approach best describes a 'modular' data center design?

Answer: Pre-engineered units deployed in phases to match demand growth

Modular data center designs use pre-engineered, pre-integrated pods or containers that are added incrementally, reducing upfront capital expenditure and over-provisioning.

What is the significance of 'design load' versus 'installed load' in capacity planning?

Answer: Design load is the infrastructure's maximum rated capacity; installed load is the actual IT load deployed

Design load is the maximum capacity the infrastructure was engineered to support, while installed load is the actual power being drawn by deployed IT equipment.

In a phased data center expansion, what is the main financial advantage?

Answer: Deferring capital expenditure until capacity is actually needed

Phased expansion aligns capital investment with actual growth, avoiding large upfront costs for infrastructure that may not be used for years.

Which factor most commonly causes unplanned capacity exhaustion in a data center?

Answer: Poor visibility into real-time power and space utilization

Without real-time visibility into power, cooling, and space utilization, organizations often discover capacity limits only when they are reached, causing unplanned outages or deployment delays.

What does 'right-sizing' mean in the context of data center capacity planning?

Answer: Provisioning infrastructure to match actual workload requirements with a reasonable growth buffer

Right-sizing means provisioning only the infrastructure needed for current and near-term projected demand, avoiding costly over-provisioning while ensuring adequate headroom.