Keeping in mind the concerns about EDCs and MDCs,
some TIA working group participants do not see any of the
edge use cases listed that could not either be put into
a local building (e.g., smart factory data center or any
smart building data center, local server that supports access
control for security, telecom/ICT network site where SDN
equipment is deployed) or in a colocation site that serves
a geographic area (e.g., AR/VR, video processing, video
content, traffic monitoring and alerts). Part of the analysis
considers that the speed of light in a vacuum is 186,000
miles per second and the speed of light through optical
fibers is 67 percent the speed of light through a vacuum.
Therefore, each mile adds about 8 ms delay (8x10-6 seconds).
Supporting EDCs in colocation data centers, for
example, provides a computer room environment with
security and on-site trained technical staff that can provide
hands on service and rectify serious problems on
the spot, unlike unmanned MDCs. The colocation data
centers typically serve a metropolitan area—assuming
a 50 mile radius—so the maximum expected delay
is 8 ms/mile x 50 miles or only 400 ms (0.4 seconds).
Some MDC manufacturers have been taking steps
to address the concerns of TIA and many others in the
industry, such as implementing security and monitoring
measures to replicate that of a manned data center
in a purpose-built location (Figure 6).
34 I ICT TODAY
These micro EDCs come in a few different forms
depending on where and how they will be located and
used. The idea behind them is that they are essentially
fully self-contained data centers that include complete
internal hot aisle/cold aisle cooling, uninterrupted power
supply (UPS), power distribution, central monitoring,
remote interface and near full control of the system and
security functionality. They are able to internally replicate
hot aisle cold aisle with incorporated AC and provide
power distribution and battery backup. They are
adaptable for 110/120 and 220/230 VAC feeds, contain
their own DCIM type monitoring and communication,
and allow for almost entire remote management. As these
features have been developed, new concerns arise and
manufacturers are addressing them also in evolving
product solutions:
• Rear doors and top that automatically open if there
should be an unexpected temperature rise
• Cameras within the unit to document who opened
the door to access and to record what they did
• Enhancements to monitoring of PUE, RU availability,
power consumption, and battery health
• A fully opening top to vent as opposed to the
equivalent of a tilt up sunroof
• The implementation of fingerprint, voice, and facial
recognition security features for access to the cabinets
as opposed to a physical key access
FIGURE 6: With EDCs migrating closer to the data, micro EDCs may become
more common and likely unmanned, which will require remote monitoring
and security measures on par with larger data centers.
• Enhanced GUI/remote monitoring
and control features
to include Android, IOS,
and Web portals
When working with an MDC manufacturer,
it is wise to choose one that
incorporates ANSI/TIA-942-B standards,
such as applicable hot/cooling channel
isolation, capacity redundancy, emergency
backup, and environment online
monitoring in the development
of the unit.
Often one technician or network
manager may be responsible for many
EDCs. The incorporated DCIM, artificial
intelligence, machine intelligence