Server Room Standards

The following standards are used for design of new data center/ ICT rooms or transfer of data center
equipment to new locations.

Space Requirements

The sizes of the various types of rooms are determined on the basis of the institution’s space requirements for
installing essential equipment such as network electronics, servers, telephone exchanges, cooling systems,
electrical distribution panels, generic cabling systems, and future expansions or projects. [1]

Cooling units and electrical distribution panels can be installed against walls. There must be sufficient
clearance to enable normal servicing and the removal and insertion of defective and new units. The distance
between electrical distribution panel and active or passive ICT equipment should be at least 1,000 mm. [1]

Computer racks should have seismic bracing and proper grounding. Computer racks should have adequate
clearance per manufacturer specifications (but no less than 48" front and 36" rear clearance). [6] The amount
of clearance dictated by NEK 50174 states that the “smallest clearance at all surfaces on racks and cabinets
where access is required shall be 1.2 m”. In small rooms it may be appropriate to install racks against walls.
Before a decision is made one should ensure that all installation and future expansion can be carried out by
access from the front of the rack. [1]

Exit requirements for the computer room shall meet the requirements of the “Authority Having Jurisdiction”. [2]

Cabling

Both horizontal and vertical pathways shall be established so as to achieve rational and organized cable
installation. ICT rooms and in particular specialized rooms such as entrance facility rooms, equipment rooms
and telecommunications rooms should be constructed close to both vertical and horizontal pathways. In new
buildings and renovation projects, pathways shall be constructed with at least 30% reserve capacity.

Separate pathways should generally be constructed for electrical power supply and telephony cables.
Pathways for high-priority, non-interruptible power supply must be carefully assessed so as to achieve optimal
supply reliability. Routing of electrical power and telephony/data cables in common conduits should only be
carried out in exceptional circumstances. It is important that the overall separation requirements form the basis
of common routing arrangements.

If common routing of power, telephony and data cabling cannot be avoided, the pathways should be divided up
using plates (dividers) made of the same material as the cable racks. Dividers must be mechanically stable and
shall be at least as high as the maximum stacking height of the cable racks. [3] Standard DiMinico suggests
overhead cable tray to be split to a three layers reading from bottom to the top: signal, power and fiber. [4]

Architectural Requirements

The construction of walls, roofs and floors should be adequate with respect to security, fire and environmental
considerations. Server room should be separated from outside area by a fire-rated wall. Fire proof category of
walls and door depends on local regulations.
Walls, roofs and floors must be of sufficiently solid construction to prevent unauthorized access and to bear the
requisite loads. For these purposes, reinforced concrete, reinforced Leca walls or a combination of
plywood/plasterboard and steel sheet should be considered.

All structural elements which abut onto an institution’s ICT rooms shall be constructed as a separate fire cell
and shall at all times satisfy the current regulations pursuant to the Planning and Building Act. [1]
If noise level of the data center is sufficiently higher than the recommended level for work places, necessary
measures should be taken for sound proofing.
If false ceiling is used, tiles should be well fixed so they do stay tight at their places and not fly around the room
in case of gaseous fire extinguishing system is launched. [5]

The minimum ceiling height shall be 2,600 mm from the upper surface of a completed floor (ordinary floor or
raised floor) to the underside of any ceiling-mounted installations (cable racks, sprinkler heads, light fittings, air
ducts, etc.). The only exception is for wire racks for patch cables. There shall be at least 400 mm clearance
from the tops of cable racks to the underside of any ceiling-mounted installations. In practice there may be
problems fitting out server rooms with a minimum ceiling height of 2,600 mm and the overall height must be
assessed based on the number of racks, ventilation ducts and so on. [1]

Doors should be 42" to 48" wide, and 8' tall. [6] Doors should be without doorsills, hinged to open outward
(code permitting) or slide side-to-side, or be removable. Doors shall be fitted with locks and have either no
center posts or removable center posts to facilitate access for large equipment. [2] Doors in separating
structural elements must be of the same fire classification as the walls. Hydraulic door closers are
recommended but only obligatory in stairwells. [1]

Room should not have windows (for security, sound, and environmental management reasons). [6]

The design of transport areas (height and width of doors, corridors and lifts, strength of floors, etc.) must be
such that equipment can be transported between ICT rooms using and hand pallet trolleys and should be
without any obstruction. [1]

In all ICT rooms, walls, ceilings, floors and floors beneath raised floors shall be treated with anti-dust agents
and have smooth, washable surfaces. Floor coverings shall have anti-static or conductive properties and shall
be earthed to prevent the accumulation of static charges. The resistance between any point in the floor
covering and earth shall be from 1 to 10 MΩ. [1]

Lighting Requirements

All ICT rooms shall be fitted with good work lighting. Light fittings shall be installed so as to illuminate the
outsides and insides of racks as well as between racks. Some light fittings should function as emergency
lighting in the event of failure of the normal power supply. Requirements for light intensity:
1. Horizontal plane: 500-800 lux.
2. Vertical plane: 200 lux.

Electrical Safety Requirements

Maximum electrical density of computing equipment in a server room should not exceed 300 watts per square
foot.

Electrical control equipment, such as power distribution or conditioner systems, and UPS up to 100 kVA shall
be permitted in the computer room, with the exception of flooded-cell batteries. UPS larger than 100 kVA and
any UPS containing flooded-cell batteries should be located in a separate room except as required by the AHJ.
Equipment not related to the support of the computer room (e.g., piping, ductwork, pneumatic tubing, etc.) shall
not be installed in, pass through, or enter the computer room. [2]

UPS units using valve-regulated batteries emit gases (hydrogen and oxygen) when the internal pressure
exceeds a certain level. When hydrogen and oxygen issue into the battery room, an explosive mixture may
arise if the hydrogen concentration in the air exceeds 4% by volume. Battery rooms shall be ventilated so that
the hydrogen concentration is always below this level if any. A shared room with ventilation would be
unfavorable with regard to fire extinguishing (gas-based extinguishing systems call for airtight rooms). [1]

Fire Safety Requirements

Room should have an adequate fire suppression system (a “pre-action” type system is highly recommended).
Room should be fire rated if cabling and cooling systems are combined in the same space above the ceiling or
below the floor. [6]

The fire protection systems and hand-held fire extinguishers shall comply with NFPA-75. A clean agent fire
extinguisher is recommended for the computer room as it avoids the dry chemical powder of ordinary ABC fire
extinguishers, which can impact associated equipment. This impact goes beyond that of the fire and usually
requires a significant clean up effort.

The minimum level of protection required by code includes an ordinary sprinkler system along with the
appropriate clean-agent fire extinguishers. This Standard specifies that any sprinkler systems be pre-action
sprinklers. Advanced detection and suppression systems beyond minimum code requirements include air
sampling smoke detection systems, pre-action sprinkler systems and clean agent suppression systems. [2]

ICT rooms containing active equipment shall never be used as storerooms. Only rooms designated as
storerooms shall be used for storing ICT equipment. Inflammable materials should not be stored in rooms
abutting to ICT rooms. [1]

Security Requirements

Only authorized personnel shall have access to the various rooms. Traffic in and out should be logged. [1] The
room should have at least one phone. [6]

HVAC Requirements

All ICT rooms should be airtight, i.e. any ventilation must be facilitated using regulated ventilation systems. The
use of automatic fire extinguishing systems demands airtight rooms. All cable penetrations shall be fireproofed
using approved products and the installation shall be documented. [7]

Room cooling and humidity control should be via an independent AC system (i.e., not connected to main
building system), with a return air design point temperature and relative humidity of 72°F (±2°F) and 45%
(±5%), respectively. There should be sufficient clearance (minimum 4') between the A/C unit and computer
racks in order to avoid potential damage from water leaks, as well as to allow for maintenance access.

Water ingress in data center should be avoided. Where risk of water ingress exists, a means of evacuating
water from the space shall be provided (e.g. a floor drain). Any water and drain pipes that run through the room
should be located away from and not directly above equipment in the room. [2] Drains should be fitted with
non-return valves. [1]

Room design should include appropriate planning for the removal of AC unit condensate (either via gravity or
pump). Sufficient cooling redundancy should be considered and installed if possible. [6]

Power Requirements

The room should have separate, dedicated power panels for both computer equipment and the A/C system.
Mechanical and electrical systems should be designed for long-term, maximum expected room utilization
(though not to exceed 300 watts per square foot). Electrical system should be designed to provide an isolated
ground, dedicated neutral, and a grounding grid. [6]

Emergency/backup power should not be tied into the building life safety system. The department must supply
and maintain separate backup power (e.g., UPS or generator) if desired. Server room electrical distribution
system should have easily accessible shunt trip capabilities for emergency shutdown. [6]

References
1. “UFS 103: Requirements for the Design of ICT rooms, Revision 4 of January 2013
2. Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers, TIA-942, April 2005
3. UFS102 “Requirements for Generic Cabling Systems”. January 2013
4. DiMinico, Chris 2006. Telecommunications Infrastructure. Standard for Data Centers. ANSI/TIA-942
PG-27,28
5. Nygaard, Stein 2010. Requirements for the design of ICT rooms. Best Practice Document. Produced by
UNINETT led working group on physical infrastructure (No UFS103).
http://www.terena.org/activities/campus-bp/pdf/gn3-na3-t4- ufs103.pdf
6. UCSD Server Room Standards
7. UFS 104 “Fire Prevention Requirements for ICT Rooms”.
IT Department Reservations Regarding HSE

1. Improper Location of fire suppression system nozzle

2. Lizards may cause short circuiting of above ceiling cables or power panels
3. Wooden walls are part of server room which may cause fire hazard
4. Wiring of A/C system is improper and condensate leakage from A/C pipes occur
5. Water leakage was observed in rainy season from the roof
6. Space requirements for computers near server room are insufficient
7. No file cabinet is present for proper house keeping of record
8. False ceiling is not fire proof and air tight
9. Stairs at IT room door present fall hazard
10. There is no emergency exit at IT room and the only exit is obstructed by wooden stairs
11. Non IT equipment is installed within IT room