At a glance, operators can see if their data center is operating at an optimal temperature, control humidity and airflow in the racks, pinpoint the exact location of a server, and monitor the data centers in real time. They can detect when a cabinet door opens, if someone has entered the data center, and be alerted to any problems—such as smoke or a security breach.
based
device that serves as a central connection point for all of Raritan's environmental sensors and USB-based devices for data centers. Sensor readings can be easily viewed on the EMX LCD screen, as well as via a remote web browser. Information collected by the EMX's assets and sensors can also be transmitted to Raritan's data center infrastructure management software solutions—dcTrack for asset, change, and capacity management, and Power IQ for energy management and data center monitoring—or to existing third-party data center management tools.
“Raritan has been adding intelligence to the data center rack for several years with its smart PDUs for measuring energy consumption at the individual IT device level, and more recently with the smart asset tracking solution,” said Herman Chan, business director of energy management at Raritan. “We believe smart racks are the best way to receive accurate, real-time information about infrastructure performance, so customers can develop more efficient ways to manage their data centers and reduce costs. With the introduction of the EMX smart rack solution, we are providing the brain to aggregate information collected by remote sensors for a more accurate and clear picture of what is happening in and around the IT equipment in the racks. Working in conjunction with the dcTrack and Power IQ software solutions, customers can analyze and track sensor data across all racks in the data center globally.”
According to Bob Hancock, president of Instor Solutions, Inc., who has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies on the intelligent deployment of Raritan's infrastructure management solutions: “Customers choose Raritan solutions because they address many of the most critical challenges facing data centers today, including controlling energy costs, maximizing rack capacity, managing assets, improving operational uptime, and understanding the carbon footprint. Raritan’s approach is simple—to offer easy-to-use, intelligent tools that help provide a better understanding of what’s happening in and around data center racks, at any time, and enable customers to take action.”.
The ability to support up to 128
EMX sensors is now available worldwide starting with two models, the EMX2-111 and the EMX2-888, which support up to 16 and 128 sensors respectively.
EMX provides up to eight of each of the following: RJ-12 1-Wire® sensor ports, serial RJ-45 RS-485 ports, and RJ-45 active sensor ports in a 1U form factor. It features a DB-9 modem/console port, Ethernet ports, USB-A ports, and USB-B ports. The EMX USB port can be used to connect various USB devices, such as Wi-Fi networks or a webcam, to remotely view real-time images or video from inside the data center.
In addition to supporting Raritan sensors, EMX supports Raritan's new Smart Asset Management Tag/Sensor solution. This first-of-its-kind solution tells operators exactly where a server is located in the data center and tracks every movement and change, using ID chips and scannable barcodes. The solution's LED sensor lights provide visual guidance behind the scenes, assisting IT workers with equipment expansion, moves, changes, reconfigurations, and repairs. A flashing light, for example, can indicate a server maintenance request.
