Acknowledgments

Many thanks to David Yeater of International Consulting Group who took on the herculean challenge of making sure that the jumble of knowledge in my brain actually came out in a form readable by humans . Also thanks to Amr Y. Eissa of International Consulting Group.

To my review team: Elizabeth Purcell, Lisa Elser, Nam Cho, and Adrian Cockcroft, thank you for all your comments, criticisms, and suggestions that made this a better book. I am proud to have worked with all of you, and prouder still to call you all friends .

Special thanks to the Sun BluePrints Technical Publications Manager, Barb Jugo. Without her work and support, this book would never have been published.

Thanks to Gabe Camarillo for his work on the illustrations and photos and ensuring that they all met Sun style guidelines.

Thanks to Julie Snow for all of her effort and help to make sure this book met the required editorial and style guidelines.

Ken Marschall, Rich Carlson, and Gary Beck, a.k.a. "The Management," thanks for all of your support and for having the chutzpeh to back this project, even in tough economic times.

Many thanks to Les Leong and the entire staff of Sun's Enterprise Technology Center in Palo Alto, California, not only for helping me take theoretical ideas and test their effectiveness in the real world, but also for putting up with the cursing and shouting emanating from my office when writers block would strike, as it often did.

Thanks to Scott Bange, John Vanoy Moore, Kristin Fitzgerald, and Debra Maloney-Bolsinger at Jacobs Engineering, and David Pickett, Andy Frichtl, and Dennis Obritschkewitsch at Interface Engineering for their work on the designs for Sun's Enterprise Technology Center in Hillsboro, Oregon.

I also want to thank the hundreds of Sun customers, system engineers , and sales reps I have been fortunate enough to talk to over the last four years . Your comments and questions about using Sun systems in data centers have provided much "food for thought" on how and why a data center should be designed.

This book is dedicated to four people who have had a profound impact on me.

Scott Holmes: You taught me to believe in myself .

Merle Long: You showed me that you have to be who you are.

Gianni Versace: You made me realize that design is art.

Joey Ramone: You demonstrated the courage that is needed when taking something in a bold new direction.

For everything that you four have given me, I thank you.

This book is dedicated to you guys.

To my two best friends, Allisa Mello and Linda Schneider, thank you so very much for all of your support and encouragement. No one could ever have better friends than you two.

To Marcelline Love, who made the lousiest of days I had writing this book, better. A very heart-felt thank you.

Thanks to Jeff Chen for his support and more importantly, the runs to Del Taco for needed caloric intake.

Thanks to Coca-Cola for Diet Coke and Starbucks Coffee for the venti mocha. Without your caffeine this book would not have been possible. Also thanks to Del Taco for the best fast-food green burritos and hot sauce on the planet.

Finally, thanks must go to Namco for "Soul Caliber," and Activision and Neversoft for "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3," two awesome video games which provided some much need distraction.