Three Ways Colored Rack PDUs Reduce Downtime

Michael Bord
June 2, 2014

Adding color to a rack PDU may seem like little more than a vendor gimmick, but the reality is that there several legitimate advantages to using color in your data center. In fact, many big names in the tech industry such as Google and Switch use color in their data centers to keep track of the complex system of wires and pipes that is otherwise difficult to manage. Most importantly, using color has the ability to reduce IT equipment downtime. So here are three ways that colored rack PDUs reduce downtime. 

1. They Make it Easier to See Where the Problem Is

When you have dozens if not hundreds of identical PDUs and cables, it becomes difficult to see which feed is supplying power to your devices. By using colored PDUs throughout the data center, you can easily identify the feed that supplies power to your rack and troubleshoot any problems you’re experiencing more quickly, thereby eliminating several minutes or more of downtime!

2. They Make it Harder to Screw Things Up in the First Place

According to the Uptime Institute, most unplanned outages can be attributed to human error.  Colored PDUs can be used to ensure that equipment has redundant power feeds, e.g. A red PDU is the “A” power feed whereas a blue PDU is the “B” power feed. By using colored PDUs, you ensure power is delivered to your devices when the primary feed goes down.

3. They Allow for Power Monitoring from a Distance

Beyond allowing technicians to quickly identify power feeds and avoid costly errors, intelligent colored PDUs have remote power monitoring capabilities that allow workers to monitor power at the unit or individual outlet level with +/- 1% billing grade accuracy! These intelligent PDUs also allow workers to set up threshold alerts that can warn when too much power is being drawn and a circuit is in danger of being tripped.

Bonus: Several intelligent rack PDUs on the market also allow users to schedule power cycling down to the outlet level. This is an incredible feature that allows you to power devices in a certain order so as to avoid tripped breakers from inrush current – another important way you can avoid downtime!

Discover more ways that colored rack PDUs reduce costly downtime and improve your data center power management by reading 5 Great Reasons to Use Colored Rack PDUs!