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Data Centre Certification – Who can certify? Which Data Centre Standard?

How do we decide which data centre standard to build a new data centre to and who can certify that it meets the requirements of the standard?

There are a number of interpretations of what is known as the Tier, Rating or Class of a data centre.
The aim of each of these is to classify the resilience of a data centre infrastructure.

Different standards focus on different aspects of the data centre but the key criteria to focus on in terms of availability are the most critical aspects of the data centre; Power, Cooling and Communications.

The general principle is as follows;

Tier/Rating/Class
1Enough items for the system to function
2Some redundancy in components
3Concurrent maintainability i.e. the ability to maintain any item of infrastructure without having to shut down the IT equipment.
4Automatic fault tolerance. The system continues operating in the event of a failure without human intervention.

Whilst the general principles are similar, the standards are not exactly the same as some of them are limited to only some areas of the critical infrastructure.

The three standards which are most widely discussed in relation to data centre availability are;
• ANSI/TIA-942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for data centres (Ratings)
• EN 50600 Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures (Classes)
• The Uptime Institute Data Center Site Infrastructure. Tier Standard: Topology (Tiers)

We have provided an outline of some of the main differences between the standards in section Data Centre Availability Standards Overview (below) and made a comparison of the Tier, Rating and Class requirements in section Comparison of the different availability models (below).

EN 50600 is the most comprehensive standard as it covers all aspects of the data centre infrastructure and states availability requirements for all three critical elements including power, cooling and telecommunications infrastructure. The Uptime Institute Tier Topology focuses only on power and cooling and the TIA942 focuses on telecommunications cabling.

A comparison of the high level availability requirements of the standards in relation to power, cooling and telecommunications shows that the requirements of the different levels are essentially equivalent. In other words the highest level of availability in each standard are essentially equivalent.

This means that the choice of which standard to adopt must be based on other factors.

The Uptime Institute Tier Standard: Topology is controlled by The Uptime Institute which is a commercial business, rather than a not-for-profit national, regional or international standards organisation. The standard makes no reference to the resilience of the telecommunications infrastructure. It only focusses on power and cooling resilience and makes no comment on resource efficiency (energy and sustainability), management and operation and key performance indicators.

Although Accredited Tier Designers, such as Capitoline’s Consultants, can help design a data centre to this standard, The Uptime Institute does not allow anyone, other than themselves, to provide certification. This means that they are able to charge a premium for this service and many data centres find this too expensive. This has led many organisations to look at the other standards.

The TIA 942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers does include comments on power, cooling and telecommunications resilience in relation to Ratings but this is only in annexes which do not form part of the standard and are “informative only”. This means that the TIA 942, as its title suggests, is a telecommunications cabling standard.

The TIA 942 standard has been used for data centre assessment for organisations in America and other parts of the world. In order to carry out an availability assessment against TIA 942 including power and cooling it is necessary to rely on elements which are “informative only”.

The most comprehensive standard for data centre availability/resilience assessment would therefore appear to be EN 50600 which covers all aspects of the data centre infrastructure including Power, Cooling and Telecommunications and also provides recommendations for operations and management, security and energy and sustainability management.

Ultimately the choice of which standard to design to and assess against is often chosen based on which standard is best known in the region. For this reason EN50600 is increasingly used in Europe and TIA942 or Uptime in other regions. This is likely to change as the EN50600 standard has also been chosen by ISO (International Standards Organisation) as the basis for an ISO data centre standard.

Once the ISO standard is fully published it is likely that this will be adopted globally.

Data Centre Availability Standards Overview

ANSI/TIA-942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for data centres
TIA942 is an American data centre standard first published in 2005, the latest update being published in 2017. It was the first “data centre” standard to be published by a standards body. The TIA942 consists of 134 pages of which only 29 pages describe the requirements of the standard. In the 2017 version of the standard there are 68 pages of annexes which provide additional information and guidance including a table which gives guidance on what might be included in a data centre classified from Rating 1 to 4. However, these annexes including the table are “informative only” and are not part of the standard.

The TIA942 is therefore essentially, as the title suggests, a telecommunications cabling standard. The standard itself makes almost no reference to power and cooling infrastructure. Comments on power and cooling are confined to the annexes which, as stated, do not form part of the standard.

In spite of it being “informative only”, because the TIA942 was the only standard available for some time, many data centres have been assessed against the requirements listed in the table in the Annexes. The table is broken down into four areas;

• Architectural
• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Telecommunications

In the Electrical, Mechanical and Telecommunications the tables describe the various redundant components and pathways which are expected for a data centre under each of four Ratings 1 to 4.

TIA 942 mostly addresses design and makes very little comment on resource efficiency (energy and sustainability), management and operation or key performance indicators.

EN 50600 Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures
EN50600 is a European data centre standard which is made up of a series of documents. The standard currently has four main parts which are in turn divided into several documents and a fifth part which comprises of Technical Reports;

• EN 50600-1 Overview
• EN 50600-2 Design
• EN 50600-3 Operations and Management
• EN 50600-4 Key Performance Indicators (e.g. PUE)
• CLC/TR 50600-99 Technical Reports (e.g. Recommended practices for energy management)

EN 50600 is currently the most comprehensive data centre standard in publication covering all aspects of the infrastructure including building, power, cooling and telecommunications as well as addressing security and energy and sustainability management. A full list of current documents which are part of this standard is given at the end of this document.

In addition to the EN 50600 documents already published a Data Centre Maturity Model is being developed, by a standards committee of which the author is a member, to enable data centre operators to assess their energy and sustainability management against best practices.

The standard has also been chosen by ISO (International Standards Organisation) as the basis for an ISO data centre standard. As the first stage of this process EN50600-1, the EN50600-2 series and EN50600-3-1 have been published as ISO Technical Specifications ISO/IEC TS 22237 Parts 1 to 7.

Data Centre availability Classes are discussed in EN 50600-1 and the EN 50600-2 series of documents. These documents were published between 2013 and 2016. New revisions of these documents will be published on an ongoing basis.

The overall Availability Class of the data centre is defined as that of the lowest Availability Class selected across the three facilities and infrastructures. In combination, EN 50600-1, EN 50600-2-2, EN 50600-2-3 and EN 50600-2-4 provide a comprehensive framework for the assessment of the design availability of a data centre.

They are supported by EN 50600-2-1, EN 50600-2-5 and EN 50600-3-1 for the building construction, physical security systems and operation respectively, but these are considered as subordinate to availability objectives.

EN 50600-3-1 Operations and Management is unique in that it is the only standard which discusses the management and operational processes and procedures expected in a data centre along with KPI (Key Performance Indicators) with which to measure their effectiveness.

The Uptime Institute Data Center Site Infrastructure. Tier Standard: Topology
Both ANSI/TIA-942 and EN50600 are published by national and regional standards bodies respectively which means that they are written by a collection of independent specialists from many different organisations and countries. This leads to the publication of standards documents which give an unbiased, independent recommendation for best practice.

The Data Center Site Infrastructure Tier Standard: Topology is published by The Uptime Institute which is a commercial organisation and is part of the 451 Group in America.

The Uptime Institute utilises the document as a commercial tool for making profit and prevents anyone outside of the Uptime Institute from certifying data centres against the standard. This enables them to charge a premium for assessing data centres and certifying them if organisations make the decision to get an Uptime Institute certificate.

The document is very brief and consists of only 13 pages (at the time of writing) of which only five describe the requirements of the standard. The remaining pages are for information only. It can be downloaded from the Uptime Institute Website.

The Tier Standard: Topology document focuses almost entirely on Power and Cooling and makes no reference to providing redundancy in the Telecommunications infrastructure supporting the IT environment which is obviously critical to making the IT facility available to users.

The overall Availability Tier of the data centre is defined as that of the lowest Availability Class selected across the power and cooling facilities.

The Tier Standard: Topology document addresses only design and makes no comment on resource efficiency (energy and sustainability), management and operation or key performance indicators.

The Uptime Institute also publishes “Tier Standard: Operational Sustainability” which mostly comprises a table which is essentially a checklist of expected management and operational “behaviours” for each of the four Availability Tiers. There is no description or recommendation of what is included in the processes and procedures mentioned or details of any KPI (Key Performance Indicators) which should be used to measure their effectiveness.

Comparison of the different availability models
There are a number of interpretations of what is known as the Tier, Rating or Class of a data centre. The aim of each of these is to classify the resilience of a data centre infrastructure.

The Uptime institute defines four Tiers, TIA 942 defines four Ratings and EN 50600 defines four Classes.

We have already described some of the key features of the standards and so in this comparison we have focussed on the key elements focussing on availability.

To this end the tables below describe at a high level each of the requirements in relation to the four levels of availability/resilience defined in each standard for power, cooling and telecoms.

PowerTier/Class/Rating
1234
EN50600Supply: Single source Distribution: Single pathSupply: Redundant source – single path to primary distribution equipment Distribution: Single path - redundancy of componentsSupply: Redundant source – multiple paths to primary distribution equipment Distribution: Redundant path Compartmentalisation of redundant elementsSupply: Multiple source - multiple paths to primary distribution equipment Distribution: Redundant path - fault tolerant except during maintenance via redundancy of components Compartmentalisation of redundant elements
TIA942UPS: N arrangement Generator: No redundancyUPS: N+1 arrangement equipment level, single path Generator: No redundancySystem allows concurrent maintenance Generator: N+1Fault Tolerant Generator: 2N
The Uptime InstituteNo redundancyN+1 redundancy on some componentsConcurrently Maintainable (1 active and 1 passive power path in backbone and 2 simultaneously active paths to critical equipment from UPS)Fault Tolerant Compartmentalisation of redundant elements
CoolingTier/Class/Rating
1234
EN50600Single systemSingle system with redundant devicesMulti path concurrent repair / operate solution Compartmentalisation of redundant elementsMulti path concurrent repair / operate and fault tolerant solution Fault Tolerant Compartmentalisation of redundant elements
TIA942No redundancyN+1 redundancy for mechanical equipment. Loss of electrical supply path or water supply (where applicable) could lead to a loss of coolingN+1 redundancy for mechanical equipment to allow for concurrent maintainability. Temporary loss of electrical power or interruption of water supply (where applicable) will not cause a loss of cooling, but may cause temperature to elevate within operational range of critical equipment. The switchover from N to +1 may be performed manually.N+1 redundancy for mechanical equipment to allow for Fault Tolerance. Extended loss of supply path of power or piping (where applicable) will not cause loss of cooling outside operational range of critical equipment. The switch over from N to +1 should be fully automated.
The Uptime InstituteNo redundancyN+1 redundancy on some componentsConcurrently MaintainableFault Tolerant Compartmentalisation of redundant elements
TelelcomsTier/Class/Rating
1234
EN50600Single-path using direct connectionsSingle-path using fixed infrastructure with redundancy on the ENI (External Network Interface)Multi-path using fixed infrastructure with redundancy on the ENI (External Network Interface)Multi-path using fixed infrastructure with diverse pathways and redundant distribution areas with redundancy on the ENI (External Network Interface)
TIA942Cabling, racks, cabinets, & pathways meet TIA specsRating 1 requirements plus… Diversely routed access provider entrances and maintenance holes with minimum 20m separationRating 2 requirements plus… Redundant access provider services – multiple access providers, central offices, access provider right-of- ways Redundant Entrance Room Redundant Backbone cabling and PathwaysRating 3 requirements plus… Redundant Main Distribution Areas (if present) Redundant intermediate distribution area Redundant Horizontal Cabling and Pathways
The Uptime InstituteNot Part of the StandardNot Part of the StandardNot Part of the StandardNot Part of the Standard

We can see from the tables above that whilst the detailed descriptions in the standards documents may differ, the high level requirement for each of the standards is essentially the same for each of the four levels. This is essentially as shown below;

Tier/Rating/Class
1Enough items for the system to function
2Some redundancy in components
3Concurrent maintainability i.e. the ability to maintain any item of infrastructure without having to shut down the IT equipment.
4Automatic fault tolerance. The system continues operating in the event of a failure without human intervention.

Data Centre Certification
There is a great deal of confusion over certification of data centres. In this section we will seek to clarify the situation.

One of the objectives of standardisation is to enable the determination of whether or not a product, process or system meets a set of minimum requirements. In the case of a data centre the demonstration of that compliance (conformity assessment) can be ascertained by one of three procedures described as:

a) 1st Party (carried out by the contractor/supplier),
b) 2nd Party (carried out by the user or operator) and
c) 3rd Party (carried out by a neutral and independent body).

The EN 50600 series and TIA 942 are written without preference to one of these procedures, leaving the decision to the owner/operator.

The decision about which approach to take depends on what the owner/operator is hoping to achieve by assessment and certification.

There is nothing to stop an owner/operator from relying on a contractor or supplier for assessment or even carrying out the assessment themselves. However, it is important to consider whether the individual carrying out that assessment has the requisite, knowledge, skills and experience to make a credible assessment.

The preferred method of assessment would normally be to employ a 3rd party who is neutral and independent and has the requisite, knowledge, skills and experience to make the assessment.

Unlike the bodies who publish the TIA and EN standards The Uptime Institute is not a formal standards body, it is a commercial consultancy which is part of The 451 Group. They have attempted to restrict the use of the phrase Tiers in connection to data centres.

Individuals can become Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designers, as Capitoline’s Directors have done, and can therefore help create designs to meet the Uptime Institute Tier criteria. However, only the Uptime Institute can provide certification because it is a branded product which utilises the Uptime Institute logo.

The Uptime Institute charges a substantial fee for auditing and certifying data centres against their Tier topology standard. As a result many organisations prefer to use either the TIA 942 Rating system or increasingly the more comprehensive EN50600 Class system to assess the resilience of their data centres.

If you require assistance with designing to Uptime Institute, TIA942 or EN50600 standards or you want certification to TIA942 or EN50600 then please contact us.

If you wish to learn more about auditing then please look at our DCAF Data Centre Auditor Facilities Course or to learn more about data centre design try our DCD Data Centre Design Course.

Here is a list of the current EN 50600 documents at the time of writing;

Overview
EN 50600-1:2012. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. General
concepts.

Design
EN 50600-2-1:2014. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Building
construction.
EN 50600-2-2:2014. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Power
distribution.
EN 50600-2-3:2014. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures.
Environmental control.
EN 50600-2-4:2015. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures.
Telecommunications cabling infrastructure.
EN 50600-2-5:2016. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Security
systems.

Operations and Management
EN 50600-3-1:2016. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Management
and operational information.
EN 50600-4-1:2016. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Overview of
and general requirements for key performance indicators.
EN 50600-4-2 AMD1. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Part 4-2.
Power Usage Effectiveness.
EN 50600-4-3 AMD1. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures. Part 4-3.
Renewable Energy Factor.

Technical Reports
CLC/TR 50600-99-1:2018. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures.
Recommended practices for energy management.
CLC/TR 50600-99-2:2018. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures.
Recommended practices for environmental sustainability.
CLC/TR 50600-99-3:2018. Information technology. Data centre facilities and infrastructures.
Guidance to the application of EN 50600 series.

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How do we decide which data centre standard to build a new data centre to and who can certify that it meets the requirements of the standard?

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