The power and cooling requirements of clusters can be formidable. By the law of conservation of energy, all the electricity coming into the computers has go out somehow. It does so as heat. Assume you have a dual processor CPU computer which is rated at 130W each. This means that your computer including the disc drive and RAM will run at about 300W. With a hundred such computers we are looking at 30KW for the cluster. That is about 40 horsepower, which works to about 100,000 BTU per hour

This chart provides power consumption and thermal output information for GVS9000 Render Node.

This chart provides power consumption and thermal output information for Nomadic RAID.

Cooling Requirements:
It’s very important to keep your GVS9000 computers running within normal operating temperatures (visit http://www.gvs9000.com/gvs90002ug5spec.html for more information). If your servers overheat, they will shut themselves down, and any work being done will be lost. You can also damage or shorten the life span of your servers by running them at high temperatures. To prevent damage, carefully evaluate your CPU needs. To determine the minimum cooling requirements for your CPU, use the following formula to add up the maximum thermal output of the CPU nodes:
CPU cooling requirements = max. head node thermal output + number of compute nodes * (max. compute node thermal output)
To obtain the thermal output figures for the CPU nodes, see above chart, “GVS9000 G5: Power consumption and thermal output (BTU) information,” GVS web sit.

For example, if your CPU consists of a maximally configured dual processor GVS9000 G5 computer and 11 minimally configured GVS9000 render node computers, the minimum cooling requirements will be:
CPU cooling requirements = 990 BTU/h + (11 * 819 BTU/h) = 9,999 BTU/h

For example, if the voltage is 120 and you have a CPU of 4 nodes—1 maximally configured GVS90002U PPC computer and 3 maximally configured GVS9000 CPU nodes— the power requirements for your CPU will be:
Rated current = (290 W/120 V) + 3 * (252 W/120 V) = 2.42 A + 3 * 2.1 A = 8.72 A
Although the rated current load covers the CPU nodes, you also have to consider the
power consumption of the other devices connected to your circuit.
Note: If your CPU consists of more than 64 computers, speak with your GVS systems engineer to determine the appropriate power infrastructure.

To offset the thermal output of your CPU in this example, you might use a large 10,000 BTU/h air conditioning unit, but it might not be enough. You should also consider the thermal output of other devices, such as the management computer, Nomadic RAID systems, monitors, and any other heat-generating device used in the same room. You should also consider external factors impacting temperature, such as weather, when calculating cooling needs. For example, you should take into account
the additional cooling needs during hot summer days. As always, consult with your system administrator to determine the appropriate level of cooling that your CPU and its associated hardware require for safe and smooth operation.

Weight Requirements
An GVS9000 PPC system with three GVS Drive Modules weighs 45 pounds. An GVS9000 PPC CPU node weighs 40 pounds. To determine your CPU weight requirements, add up the weight of the servers in the CPU. To obtain the weight information, visit www.GVS9000.com You’ll also have to factor in the weight of the rack if you’re bringing in a dedicated rack, and the weight of other devices used by the CPU. After determining the weight requirements, consult with your facilities personnel to ensure that the room in which the CPU will be installed meets the weight requirements.

Space Requirements
You should have enough space to house the CPU and allow easy access to it to perform routine maintenance tasks. Also, you should find a place for the CPU where it doesn't affect and isn't affected by other hardware in your server room.
Consider the following when choosing a location for your CPU:
• Don’t place the CPU next to an air vent, air intake, or heat source.
• Don’t place the CPU directly under a sprinkler head.
• Don’t obstruct doors (especially emergency exit doors) with your CPU.
• Leave enough room in front of, beside, and especially behind your CPU.
• Ensure that air can flow around the CPU. The room might be very well cooled, but if air can’t easily flow around the CPU, your computers can still overheat.

If you’re housing your CPU in a machine room, make sure you have at least 18 inches of clearance on the front and back of your systems. If you’re housing it in an office or other unmanaged space, make sure your CPU has at least 18 inches of clearance on all sides of the rack. You should have enough space to open the rack’s door, slide out systems, and perform other routine maintenance tasks.

Notes

• Power consumption data (Watts) is measured from the wall power source and includes all power supply and system losses. Additional correction is not needed.
• "CPU Max" is defined as running a compute-intensive test application that maximizes processor usage and therefore power consumption.
• "Drive Max" is defined as running a test application that generates continuous input/output to a RAID set consisting of all internal disks in the system.
• These numbers reflect a 23° C (73.4° F) ambient running environment. Increased ambient temperatures will require faster fan speeds which will increase power consumption. At 35° C (95° F), 50 W should be added to reflect increased power consumption.
• These numbers reflect no PCI cards installed. A PCI video card will increase power consumption by 10 W.
• If you’re mounting the CPU nodes in a rack with casters, set up the rack in the location where you’ll keep the CPU and then mount the systems. A heavy rack is difficult to move, particularly across carpet. In addition, the vibrations caused by moving your CPU long distances while racked might damage your hardware.