June 10, 2008 -- APC has introduced a metered rack power distribution unit (PDU) designed to serve rack-level power needs within an ultra-space efficient form factor that targets high density applications.
The company says its AP7866 PDU can support customer applications utilizing up to four blade chassis plus ancillary devices within a single enclosure, while allowing for the standard configuration of two PDUs per rack with space remaining for cabling needs.
APC says the metered rack PDU's low-profile "Zero-U" design minimizes cable congestion for improved access to hot swappable blade components. The unit's three C13 receptacles provide power for additional equipment such as 1U servers, APC NetBotz appliances, or console port server equipment. The PDU also includes comprehensive current metering on each phase, and on each of six load banks to warn of potential overloads.
"Deploying an enclosure full of high density blade servers creates many challenges," comments Pat Johnson, APC's vice president of rack and cooling Solutions. "Customers have struggled to provide adequate power while maintaining space for cable management and access to removable blade components, and the AP7866 solves this challenge. The AP7866 is the first and only vertical mount Zero-U rack PDU available that permits full access to HP c-class hot-swap components when installed in a typical 600-mm enclosure."
APC notes that its metered PDUs also provide advanced warning to protect against unplanned power overloads. User-defined alarm thresholds mitigate risk with real-time local and remote alerts of potential unexpected circuit overloads that can affect mission critical equipment.
Metered rack PDUs also provide power utilization trends, maintains the company, allowing data center managers to make informed decisions on "right sizing" IT environments to lower total cost of ownership. Users can access and configure the metered rack PDUs through secure Web, SNMP, or Telnet interfaces. The units are complemented by APC's centralized management platforms including InfraStruXure Manager, InfraStruXure Central, Capacity Manager and Change Manager.
Other benefits of the AP7866 metered rack PDU include: the ability to access, configure and manage units from remote locations; a remote interface that enables full user configuration of alarms and warnings; the ability to operate in ambient environments of up to 60 degrees Celsius; and color coded receptacle banks that provide easy visual indication of circuit connections for load balancing and build out.
APC's AP7866 metered rack PDU is currently available in North America. The similar AP7856 product is available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.