1 P ag e Presents: Your guide to Buying an Industrial-grade Computer or a Server Writer: Idan Waschitz Info@pagaea.co.il 2010
2 P a g e Customers usually consider, industrial server as a housing of sheet metal which is used to protect server from all kinds of environmental exposure. They are considered as functional chassis that aim to keep computers working while keeping out dust. Since price plays a vital role in buying power of a consumer so they tend to go for cheaper and less expensive still serviceable chassis. They opt for such chassis as most consumer server is utilized either for browsing the web or for non mission critical documentation process where breakdowns are not a major issue of concern. The situation however, totally alters in computation work of industry where the stable functioning of the system is the most prior concern. From top to bottom, everything needs to be correctly functioning and fully operational. To meet such stringent needs therefore the chassis concerning Industrial Grade Computer requires an exceptional class design that can accommodate mission critical norms and applications. Besides protecting computer system from dust, it also aims to protect it from overheating, shock and vibration. Electromagnetic shielding, ability of case modifying and scalability are other advanced features included. Less performance as well as operational demands and requirements of fixed specifications, it is more than sufficient to be used for basic needs. With all these reasons, therefore there can be five primary differences concluded between Industrial Grade Chassis and Commercial/consumer chassis. These are: Scalability Maintenance Longevity of Product Applications Customization Scalability As per the scalability aspect is concerned, the industrial and commercial grade servers view it differently. The commercial computers are equipped with a fixed range of operational requirements and once they leave the factory, very less proportion of adjustments are required by them. In addition to this, there are invariable specification designs due to which there is very few chance left for chassis to look for further expansion options. The situation is however totally different for industrial grade systems. They require a constant operational mechanism and adjustments concerned to system specifications so that they can adapt according to different purposes. For this reason, the main boards of industrial units come in myriad of types of factors such as MicroATX, ATX and Mini ITX motherboard. Besides this, there are half size and full size single board computers (SBCs) as well, that are accompanied with expansion slots. These slots are present either on the motherboards or back
3 P a g e planes are manifold. It is required to reserve the expansion slots in advance as otherwise there are chances of chassis requiring replacements during carrying out operations. It may also be a possibility of redesigning the system configuration according to changes so that new demands can be accommodated conveniently. Money primarily saved on expansion slots is far surpassed by the cost incurred. Maintenance Maintenance might seem as not a much important factor in comparison to other needs; however it is also equally important. These days, most of the commercial servers open via plain side cover, which is not a good model to cater the diversified needs of industrial applications. This inbuilt designing mechanism is different in industrial chassis. The industrial chassis have a totally different inbuilt mechanism. Even the placement installations vary as per different facilities. For all this, side or top designs that are fully flexible are required to be formulated. To meet these changes, therefore L-shaped and U-shaped models have been developed along with traditional designs of plain side versions. Besides this, there are other elements of service ability also been developed that can be included in novel designs details. Inclusion of such elements in designing aspect can lead to convenient maintenance and operation by operators or other users. They can also make them have a lower maintenance cost over other similar objects, thereby making it a totally lucrative deal for them. Some of such elements are easing carry handles and tool free thumb screws. Product Longevity Total lifespan of a product and guarantee time of extended supply are two more elements that can be considered as point of differentiation. Commercial computers perform pretty well on an average basis, for few years. This however does not make them equally efficient as industrial Computers Systems. Changing and replacing of components is not always possible with industry lines where industrial servers are exploited in vertical industries as controllers of operations and in lines of production. So, for an industrial computer a highly efficient life expectancy of five to six years is expected which is not the case with servers used for commercial needs. Organizations while looking out in market for an industrial server purchase must check out only well known brands with component suppliers based internationally. This will help them to buy a product of good quality and one with longest possible lifespan of working even in rigid conditions. In addition to this, it is also required to make sure what other guarantees and supply benefits have been offered by the company. Extended offers, continuous supply of products and free replacement services are some offers that can be looked upon in order to avoid any kind of problems during renewals of periodic systems.
4 P a g e Applications What kinds of applications are served by a product is a major concern to be looked upon. Industrial chassis are fit to be used in all kinds of tough and rigid applications. They are employed in harsh environments such as sub zero cold stores, hot boiler rooms as well as vibrating and dusty environments. Due to its effective system designing, it is able to carry on reliable operations even in rugged places which reduce down the cost of replacements that arise due to continuous failures. In short, they are fit to be used in every operational condition. Among computing applications of industrial servers, wide support to temperature is quite common that ranges from -10 C to 50 C. Moreover, protection from dust and shock is provided by them and are able to withstand environment induced turbulent vibration and resonances that are generated by fans and hard discs which are equipped in the system. For this reason, systems without fans are becoming popular as they provide silent and stable working along with low maintenance solutions. They are also incorporated with heat sinks, heat pipes and a single aluminum chassis due to which it is able to dissipate heat comfortably. Customization Customization is the last point of differentiation between the commercial and industrial grade systems. Industrial servers tend to have a more customized approach in comparison to commercial ones. They have an inbuilt ability to upgrade their systems according to diversified preferences of the customer needs. They have additional PCI-X, PCI-E adds on cards and additional storage and memory capacity that make them highly comfortable to be used by users. With additional inbuilt mechanisms and meeting specific application needs, All this allows the Tyan system integrator partners and OEM to build and customize the scalable, affordable and secure storage systems according to needs and preferences of customer. Industrial chassis therefore offer more customization in comparison to any other similar units. Knowing about these truly imperative difference between commercial and industrial grade servers, will surely make one buy only industrial chassis. In order to buy such products of high quality and better performance, there are certain rules that can be followed which are in form of six simple steps. Step 1: Operating Conditions In order to meet the diverse needs of applications that are vertically integrated such as communications, medical and financial, industrial grade systems have evolved. Keeping such things in mind, the working scenario of industrial computers has totally altered. Despite of location, performance is given more important consideration. For instance, chassis operating in concerned to metallurgic boilers require clean thoughts about temperature issues. Whilst
5 P a g e chassis for shock ridden, heavy industries and dust filled scenario need to have thick housing and proper protection from dust. For this, our chassis are crafted always at 1.25mm minimum thickness and fans of hot swap dual cooling is considered best. Industrial computers also require SBC or motherboard, and chassis that sufficiently meet the stringent requirements. In case, customers go for totally performance based units and ignore the industrial grade mechanism completely, then this could lead to a greater loss than system itself. Users therefore need to go for a perfect chassis suit that takes into account all specific location applications as well. Best is to go for a combination of location and performance based system that can meet all kinds of diverse needs with full ease. Step 2: Space Limitations Applications with different locales are in need of chassis that are different in concern to factors and sizes. Varied models have been developed such as Rack mount, Wall mount or desktop that could cater different needs easily. Depending on the availability of space and system functionalities to be served, they have been created in sizes ranging between 1U to 7U. So, customers can buy a grade system according to their own space availability. They could also make a choice depending upon the functionality to be served in order to own the best product to cater their needs. Step 3: Main Board Selections Main board or CPU is the master behind any of the system types. They are obtainable in great variety of form factors such as half size and full size SBCs and Micro-ATX, ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. They are designed differently so that they can support distinct expansion slots. Every single motherboard or CPU card combined with backplane provides more than one choice for industrial chassis. In order to have adequate assistance in this aspect, users are required to take help from professional integrator of system or supplier of industrial computer. They will help in finding a suitable industrial chassis for long term usage. Scalability is an important factor of consideration while buying a main board. Operational workflow modifications in system upgrade are commonplace in IPC sector so it is needed to build in the slots for future expansion into chassis. Cost is another major concern of this issue. Cost of industrial chassis is almost double in comparison to commercial servers. Users, have to make it sure not to go for non industrial models or for a fabricator made up of steel plate. This may save good amount of money initially, but in actual can lead to great hazard once their operation is started. This especially occurs in operations carried in non functional locales. Using non professional chassis can lead to frequent breakdowns that may occur due to cutting corners that may further lead to paying of much higher process afterwards. It is therefore
6 P a g e worth to buy a server with higher price tag value at first place so as to improve the stability of the overall system. Step 4: Comprehensive System Integration As per concern to system integration, there are two additional concerns to see. Foremost is the overall set up of cables and wiring and other is selections made for supplying power. The cabling system for both commercial and industrial units varies as industrial graders involve a little more tricky and complex arrangement of cables. This arrangement is needed to be streamlined on two aspects: Cutting down of intricacies of systems Facilitating maintenance work Important among them is streamlining the interior cable arrangement so that it comfortably assists the ventilation process and also promotes dispersion of heat. Besides this, it is also required to pay attention towards the connections made for supplying power. Consumers often forget this aspect while making a purchase, but in actual it is highly required. It is better not to go for server models that are inclusive of wattage gauge and are comfortable to buy, but in actuality, they can create certain problems. Firstly, the power usage in chassis has increased in terms of monetary value in market. This could lead to occurrence of huge electricity bills to pockets. In addition to this, there can be an insufficient supply of electricity that could lead to system failures, thereby resulting in high maintenance bills. In order to provide occurrence of such discrepancies, it is better if one works on the total wattage required to run a single system before actually making a purchase. Besides, this trusted IPC supplier can also be contacted that can help in keeping buying as well as power costs lower. Step 5: Maintenance Considering the follow up support for maintenance is also imperative task. Functions related to periodic system monitoring, service ability and alert mechanisms must be included in the supported system. Presence of alert mechanism helps in understanding the innards working of the system. LED indicators for hard drive, general source of power, sensor for fan speed and temperature sensor are other required features. The status for all this is made visible on the front panel on the chassis with the help of LED indicators. Complete assessment of the system and conditioning through the LED Indicators helps an operator to work efficiently. We are using chassis that can be noted for maintenance support from expedient. In order to prevent occurrence of misplacements, a thumb screw is also affixed outside the hole. Besides filters and fans, look for other components that can be replaced as quickly as possible.
7 P a g e Step 6: System Verification Certification criteria for industrial grade systems are more stringent in comparison to commercial units. This is because the latter one are extensively integrated in huge assortment of industrial applications. Vibration, temperature, dust, shock and electromagnetic radiations range is checked with helps of tough testing and certification mechanisms. A process of three different levels is required to be passed under the confirmation system of IPC. Firstly, there is a preliminary specification test carried on at room temperature which is almost similar to test of commercial graders. Main aim of this test is to see working of the system under normal working environment. Next test is undertaken to judge the performance of systems against shock, vibration and temperature fluctuations. Such harsh conditions are laid in a lab where the entire testing process takes place. Finally, a test is done under the real industrial environment to make local micro adjustments and to confirm specifications. Once all these tests have been successfully cleared the manufacturer applies for system security verification exam for a product. These days countries have implemented rigorous safety regulations for facilities of industries. Before supplying a clean chit of health, it is required by system integrator to take all above aspects into consideration while integrating a chassis fixture with an internal system. Chassis forms the most conspicuous yet ignored component of the entire working system. Without doubt however, it is the chassis only that can maintain or break the working quality of entire system. It professionally carries on the task of designing highly defined chassis models. Besides this, runs a plant for industrial chassis which is inclusive of more than 20 different models. Its entire chassis are painted with trustable antioxidants and meet all the certification norms and ground capacities to the fullest. For more information, comments and requests Idan Waschitz Info@pagaea.co.il www.pagaea.co.il