Chapter 3. Designing a Data Center

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."

” Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This chapter describes the most important design decisions that must be made in planning a data center. A few of the topics are described in more detail in later chapters.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• "Design Process"

• "Data Center Structural Layout"

• "Data Center Support Systems"

• "Physical and Logical Security"

• "System Monitoring"

• "Remote Systems Management"

• "Planning for Possible Expansion"