Release 5

New CFD-based Software Release Models Much Wider Range of Cooling Scenarios with Greater Ease, From Equipment Design to Data Center Planning and Operations

London, July 8th 2009 - With the introduction of Release 5 of 6SigmaDC, Future Facilities has added new software modules and plug-ins to its data center design and operations software suite, increasing the usability, functionality and scope of its modelling capabilities to include the cooling design of IT equipment.

Hassan Moezzi, CEO, Future Facilities said “In addition to being substantially easier to use, Release 5 extends the Virtual Facility, 3-D modelling concept to everything from the design of IT equipment to the design of the data center, and continues with load capacity planning throughout the facility lifecycle.”

In a major extension to the product, Future Facilities has added a new module, 6SigmaET, to address the cooling design of IT equipment. The 6SigmaDC integrated software suite also includes 6SigmaRoom for design and layout of new and upgraded facilities; 6SigmaRack for rack and cabinet configuration, and 6SigmaFM (formerly 6SigmaManager) to test new layouts and configurations as the data center evolves throughout the engineering lifecycle. 6SigmaDC is used by data center designers, owners and operators to make the most effective and efficient use of facility power, cooling and space, whilst minimising risk of thermal shutdowns.

Hassan Moezzi said “today’s high density and dynamic data centers have created the need for IT equipment designers to model and assess the operating and cooling characteristics of their products when placed in mission critical environments. Those responsible for managing data centers need to be able to deploy servers, storage and other devices without risk to the existing load. Uniquely, 6SigmaET bridges the gap which has existed between original equipment design and its placement and performance within the data center.”

Moezzi continued “The use of 6SigmaET means an end to many of the ‘design assumptions’ which have been traditionally used for facility design decision-making. ‘Design assumptions’ indicate outmoded thinking and have no real place in 21st Century data center design. With 6SigmaET we can replace them with solid mathematical predictions. There is a great advantage to using the same software concept throughout the design process, not least of which is data center designers knowing they’re basing their decisions on the same scientific principles as the equipment designer.”

Future Facilities has also announced changes to other components of the 6SigmaDC package. A key new feature in 6SigmaRoom enables variable volume cooling systems to be modelled. The feature includes extensions to maximum capacity characterizations for air conditioning units (ACUs) so that cooling delivered by an ACU at reduced flow is limited in accordance with the flow. Another improvement allows resistances representing perforated plates or registers to be made in otherwise solid obstructions, making modelling of ductwork easier and more robust.

New features in 6SigmaRoom include:

Modelling internally cooled cabinets so they can be registered for inventory purposes and accounted for in the power system as well as for power scaling needs.
Modelling equipment weight to assess whether any given layout will breach floor loading limitations.
Cable penetrations can now be attached to the raised floor to account for the situation where they are installed before racks and cabinets.
The addition of an installed/ planned status flag for infrastructure such as ACUs, which makes it easier to change the model to investigate design performance at different stages in the data center lifecycle.
New modelling features including doors with potential for infiltration in perimeter walls; the ability to rotate built-in ACU scoops, and automatic bridge creation for data cables, power cables and cooling pipework.
The infrastructure outside the facility can now be included in graphical views and animation can be generated to demonstrate how airflows develop.

The 6SigmaFM module has undergone a major change to make it easier to use. For example, with a single click the user can add equipment to every cabinet and fill it to capacity for simulation. This makes it easy to check whether changes made today will help or hinder performance in the future. A new 6SigmaITM module provides the capabilities needed by IT managers to enable effective separation of tasks and responsibilities with facility managers.

6SigmaRack has been upgraded with new features to make rack and cabinet modelling easier and more accurate. A new cable arm virtual component makes it much easier to represent the obstruction of airflow caused by cable arms. IT equipment without airflow can now be included in the model to complete the inventory and heat input and power draw simulations. The heat exchanger can now be placed outside the cabinet.

The 6SigmaCAD plug-in module has been extended to support import and export of CAD drawings in the ubiquitous DXF and DWG formats using the AutoCAD RealDWG environment. This means that CAD drawings can be imported from and exported to many more CAD tools without the need for any further plug-ins. In addition to line drawings, solid definitions of complex parts can now be imported using the STL format. The data can also be used both in 6SigmaRoom and 6SigmaFM.

To learn more about Release 5 of 6SigmaDC and how it can help increase data centre availability and efficiency please call the company on 0207 840 9540 or visit www.futurefacilities.com.

About Future Facilities
Future Facilities is a leading provider of powerful design, optimization and management software for mission critical facilities and data centers. The company’s solutions are applied to ensure all capacity, efficiency and reliability criteria are met throughout all phases of the facility lifecycle.