Thermal performance of NetShelter CX
The effect to server operating conditions, provided that NetShelter CX thermal loading and installation guidelines are adhered to, is so slight as to be insignificant.
To understand how effective the NetShelter CX thermal management system is, please consider the following example of a NetShelter CX model AR4018 enclosure's impact to server CPU temperatures, under normal “office” environmental conditions, compared to operation of those same servers in free space.
Test conditions:
Equipment used:
NetShelter CX: Model AR4018 v7.6, maximum recommended thermal load 1.2 kW
Server 1: HP Proliant DL380 G4 2U rack-mount servers with 2 x 3.2 GHz Intel Xeon processors
Server 2: HP Proliant DL380 G4 2U rack-mount servers with 2 x 3.2 GHz Intel Xeon processors
Server 3: HP Proliant ML370 G4 5U rack-converted server with 2 x 3.2 Intel Xeon GHz processors
Incidental hardware also present in NetShelter CX during example test:
APC Smart-UPS 3000 VA 3U rack-mount UPS
3 x Netgear network switches
2 x 1U climate monitoring devices
Test and measurement method
CPU temperature measurements were taken using HP Systems Insight Manager software
Continuous CPU loads were generated using BurnInTest software by Passmark
Room ambient temperature measurements were taken by recording the average reading of 2 x digital thermometers
Room ambient air temperature
The test room air temperature was maintained at a constant 24°C / 75°F (+/- 0.5°C) throughout the test period (equivalent to a moderately warm office).
Procedure used in example tests
- In the first instance the entire outer shell of the NetShelter CX was removed, and the CPU temperatures were recorded at “idle” (running but not processing client tasks) in free air space. Removing the NetShelter CX's casing created thermal conditions identical to those in a conventional open-frame rack, or with servers not rack-mounted but resting on surfaces.
- Identical and continuous processing loads, generated by the test software, were applied to all six CPUs simultaneously, such that utilisation in all CPUs was increased in steps from "idle" to 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. After each step change in CPU loading, CPU temperatures were allowed to stabilize for one hour, and then the operating temperature of each of the six CPUs was measured/recorded using the server manufacturer's own software.
- The outer shell of the NetShelter CX was then fully reinstated, and the above test procedure was replicated.
The following results were recorded:
The average increase in CPU temperature attributable to the NetShelter CX, versus free space operation, was +3.2° Celsius
The electrical consumption of the combined systems, with all CPUs at 100% utilisation continuously, was 1.076 kW.
