DLR's
design included windows for unfettered observations of the Holland Computing
Center.
Collaboration covers
all the bases during
construction of
Holland Computer Center
Built Smart
The Holland Computer Center at The Peter
Kiewit Institute (PKI) is impressive and unique both in computing power and how
the facility itself has been built.
In keeping with the
Institute's philosophy of "the building is designed as a laboratory," the
Holland Computing Center has windows allowing observation of the supercomputer
without entering the facility. Just as important are the behind-the-scenes
components that are essential to ensuring the system remains operational. The
generators, chillers, dry fluid coolers and pumping systems are elements that
enable the center's new supercomputer to meet the mission-critical expectations
of researchers and private corporations.
As the information
technology team at PKI developed the supercomputer requirements, the DLR Group
engineering team led by Mechanical Engineer Todd Mack and Electrical Engineer
Jeff Sobczyk worked to develop the massive infrastructure for the heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical needs the supercomputer
would impose on the facility.
Because the PKI
building was designed as an educational facility and not a data center, the
infrastructure required significant re-engineering to address the
supercomputer's heat loads and electrical reliability requirements.
The project
incorporated American Power Conversion's (APC) in-row water-based cooling
units. The APC "system" is modular, which allows additional cooling units to be
added as the room load increases.
With the in-row
cooling system design, the cooling units are placed adjacent to the heat
source(s) within the IT racking system. The in-row design provides the ability
to have hot aisle containment, reducing the chance of the hot and cold air
streams mixing.
The hot aisle
containment system also allows the cooling system's output to be matched to the
heat load. The enclosure has ceiling tiles that seal in the hot air and prevent
it from mixing with air in the rest of the room.
Rather than
constant-speed fans, a system of sensors monitors temperatures and ramps the
cooling unit fan speeds up or down, and opens two-way chilled water valves as
needed. The concept is to reduce operating costs while improving cooling
effectiveness.
Heat rejection for
the data center is accomplished through two redundant air-cooled chillers and a
single, dual-coiled dry fluid cooler. The glycol-chilled water system is served
by a redundant variable speed pumping system that responds to the opening and
closing of the two-way glycol-chilled valves at the APC cooling units.
The piping and
valving arrangement is designed to serve the APC cooling units from overhead,
eliminating the need for a raised floor system and associated ramping. The
redundant overhead piping arrangement allows the IT racking system to be easily
reconfigured without having to take down the chilled water system.
As the electrical
load for the supercomputer grew, the need for back-up power grew. The design
team recognized that not only did the supercomputer require back-up power in
case utility power failed, but the cooling systems also needed back-up power.
To respond, the DLR Group engineering team designed an Uninterruptible Power
Supply (UPS) system and generators to back-up the supercomputer, the chillers
and other cooling system equipment.
As the architects
and engineers of the original building and for the computing center, DLR Group
has stayed involved with the mission and vision of PKI's programs and
contributed to their success. DLR Group sees PKI as a valuable resource for new
design engineering talent, as several current and former PKI students work at
the firm.
Projects at PKI,
including the Holland Computing Center, keep the building state-of-the-art and
give students, faculty and alumni a sense of pride in not only what the
computing center is but also how thoughtfully it was designed and built.
Holland Center impresses Google visitor
Google Vice
President and "Chief Internet Evangelist" Vinton G. Cerf says he was impressed
during his tour of the Holland Computer Center while it was still under
construction during the fall.
"Plainly, there is
an atmosphere of curiosity and capability that is being nurtured, to say
nothing of the apparently fearless upgrading of the facility while it is in
use," Cerf says. "To see stacks of computing blades and computer displays along
the corridors going into place while the facility was being used reminded me of
the joke about changing the engines while the plane is in flight."
Cerf's visit was
sponsored by the Gallup Organization. While at PKI, he gave two separate
presentations attended by a total of approximately 120 students, faculty and
other interested persons. He also received an extensive tour of the Institute,
including a behind-the-scenes look at the new Holland Computing Center.
He says the Holland
Computing Center's supercomputer affords the "horsepower and opportunity to
explore some very different kinds of distributed computing and operating
systems.
"Exploring software
mobility within the system could lead to some new ideas in computing
resilience. Exploring process resilience and persistence across operating
system re-boots is another area of interest. Computing paradigms that can
expand or shrink computing power applied to a class of problems can also be
approached using this facility.
"Of course, some of
the hard problems in simulation, such as global warming, weather simulation and
protein folding, can benefit from this kind of computing power, as can the 3D
'CAVE-like' presentation of complex objects and systems."
Cerf says the
computing center could have a notable impact on study projects that examine the
use of computing and networking in business, education, research, government
and the public.
He compliments PKI
and the work being done here. "Plainly, Omaha has a lot to be proud of in
high-tech areas, and I hope that the presence of PKI will stimulate
opportunities for new corporate developments in the area."
