What You Need to Know About Geist Upgradable
June 16, 2014 Written by JohnTech
If you’re not particularly au fait with the technological ins and outs of how data centres work, then much of the discussion around them is likely to pass you by. This is understandable – after all, data centres have come to occupy an increasingly prominent position in the everyday functioning of the world of commerce in a fairly rapid space of time. Recently, data centre hardware specialist Geist Global unveiled its latest power distribution unit (PDU), Geist Upgradable, attracting a considerable degree of attention in the data centre management sector. So just what function does a PDU function, and what’s so special about Geist Upgradable? Let’s take a look.
How do PDUs work?
In a nutshell, PDUs are used to control the electrical power in data centres. Obviously, given that data centres require vast amounts of electricity to keep them running, ensuring the safe flow of the electrical current is of vital importance. There are, of course, various types of PDU – the most basic being a simple power strip with no surge protection, along with more advanced rack-mounted PDUs which can be used to control and monitor power to individual servers. There’s no one-size-fits all solution as far as PDUs are concerned – each data centre’s choice of PDU will depend on its individual requirements. Unbalanced loading on PDUs could potentially be a disaster waiting to happen, and this is why data centre managers need to take great care when choosing PDUs that are well suited to their needs.
Geist Upgradable – what makes it stand out from the crowd?
Geist Global recently caused a bit of a fuss in the data centre sector with the launch of Geist Upgradable, a power strip with scalable monitoring features. Given the fact that there are so many different types of PDU to choose from, you could be forgiven for wondering just what the latest entrant into the market has to offer. The clue, in this case, is in the name – with Geist Upgradable, the unit can be installed as a basic power strip and then upgraded at a later date. Geist has incorporated an interchangeable monitoring device (IMD) into its standard power strip design for Geist Upgradable for ease of upgrading. This provides data centre managers with an invaluable degree of flexibility – and considering just how rapidly data centres are evolving, it’s not hard to see why this is likely to prove particularly important.
What’s more, the IMD is hot-swappable – which means it can be replaced without any need to shut down the entire system – so critical servers can be kept running while one IMD is exchanged for another. To minimize the use of expensive switch ports, Geist Upgradeable power strips can be daisy chained using standard Ethernet protocol. Furthermore, the power strips have been tested to the stringent standards set by the ANSI and IEC, and their voltage readings are accurate to within one per cent. There’s even an easy-to-read rotatable LED display, and both the power strips – which are available in a wide range of offerings – and the IMDs also come with a five-year warranty.
This article was written on behalf of Geist.
For more information on Geist’s new upgradeable PDU visit: