Computer Room Requirements

The computer room should have the following minimal attributes. The room should:

• Be large enough to contain the i5 processing unit, all racks, tape drives , the system console, the system printer, a desk, a chair , a bookshelf , and a filing cabinet or drawer pedestal. Ideally, room should be available for the uninterrupted power supply unit (UPS) that protects the machines from power surges, spikes, and power failures. The computer room should be large enough to provide room for all these units and plenty of walking space around the units. This walking space is required not only for easy access, but for easy maintenance. It is easy to make the mistake of allowing so little space that you have to walk sideways between the machines.

• Have its own power supply. For example, the room can have a different power line from the rest of the building to minimize the risk of power problems. You should insist on this feature even if your system is going to be protected with a UPS unit. The UPS unit is mandatory for all i5. Although many units include a built-in battery that can keep the system going in the event of a power outage , the more sophisticated UPS units also protect the system from irregularities in the power supply, such as spikes and surges.

• Have air-conditioning, with a thermostat that only you can control. This air-conditioning unit should have no effect outside the computer room. This "private" air-conditioning unit ensures that the computer room is kept at a temperature suitable for computer equipment. As a general rule, the air-conditioning thermostat should be set so that the air is kept around 70°F. This temperature provides comfort for both the people and the machines. Humidity is also a major concern if you work in a place where humidity is high. An air-conditioning specialist can recommend a dehumidifier to keep the humidity at a reasonable level in the computer room.

• Have its own telephones. To work well, the computer room must have its own telephone extension. So that outside calls don't have to go through the switchboard, some companies provide the computer room with a direct line for incoming or outgoing calls. If you think this is a superfluous frill, think about the times when data processing has to stay working after regular office hours and needs to receive important phone calls (possibly from IBM). If your i5 server is going to communicate with the outside world, order your phone line sufficiently ahead of time. Some phone companies are slower than others in installing telephone lines.

• Have a facility called Electronic Customer Support (ECS), which is described in Chapter 33. ECS lets your system contact IBM electronically through a telephone line. The computer room, therefore, requires an additional telephone line for the use of ECS.

• Depending on the type of security you need to implement, you might want to consider having a lock on the door to the computer room so that only authorized personnel can enter. This isn't an idle request you make just to feel important. Implementing system security through passwords and object authorities is worthless if the system itself is within reach of unauthorized persons.

Flooring

Although IBM says that carpets don't usually present a problem for the i5, you probably will want to remove all carpeting from the computer room. Static electricity accumulates in the bodies of people who walk on the carpet, and it is discharged when a person touches a metallic object—such as the computer. This discharge can damage the equipment and can give you quite a jolt.

A raised floor gives you added protection against floods because the water will accumulate under it instead of on top of it. Flooding is not an unlikely event. Think of those fire-extinguishing sprinklers hanging from the ceiling and what would happen if they were activated. Of course, floods due to rain are not uncommon in some regions .

Leave It to the Specialist

Most details of the building of the computer room can (and should) be left to a specialist in such matters. This book doesn't attempt to offer guidance beyond the basics. Three other matters to consider are:

• Cabling . Should you use twinax, twisted pair, or other kinds?

• Fire Prevention . Have special extinguishers available, but you probably should not install sprinklers on the ceiling. Halon is a safe and effective fire-extinguishing system, but it is not environmentally sound.

• External Interference. Are large machines close to the computer room that might produce magnetic fields? Is there radio frequency (RF) interference from a nearby radio, television, or radar station?