Data center management

Terms related to data centers, including definitions about network operations centers (NOCs) and words and phrases about the storage, management and the transmission of data.

hyperscale computing - Hyperscale computing is a distributed computing environment in which the volume of data and the demand for certain types of workloads can increase exponentially yet still be accommodated in a cost-effective manner.
IBM Roadrunner - Roadrunner was a supercomputer developed by IBM at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
immutable infrastructure - Immutable infrastructure is an approach to managing services and software deployments on IT resources wherein components are replaced rather than changed.
industrial control system (ICS) - In industrial settings, industrial control system (ICS) is a term used to describe the integration of hardware and software with network connectivity to support production processes in manufacturing or critical infrastructure.
intelligent power management (IPM) - Intelligent Power Management (IPM) is a combination of hardware and software that optimizes the distribution and use of electrical power in computer systems and data centers.
ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) - ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) is a file management system developed at IBM that enables records to be accessed either sequentially, in the order they were entered or randomly with an index.
ISO 50001 (International Organization for Standardization 50001) - ISO 50001 (International Organization for Standardization 50001) is a voluntary standard for designing, implementing and maintaining an energy management system.
IT automation - IT automation is the use of instructions to create a repeated process that replaces an IT professional's manual work in data centers and cloud deployments.
IT incident management - IT incident management is a component of IT service management (ITSM) that aims to rapidly restore services to normal following an incident while minimizing adverse effects on the business.
IT operations management (ITOM) - IT operations management (ITOM) is a strategic approach to managing an organization's information technology needs.
IT service delivery - IT service delivery is the way a corporation provides users access to IT services, such as applications, data storage and other business resources.
IT systems management - Systems management is the administration of the information technology (IT) systems in an enterprise network or data center.
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) - ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework designed to standardize the selection, planning, delivery, maintenance and overall lifecycle of IT services within a business.
JAVA_HOME - JAVA_HOME is an operating system (OS) environment variable which can optionally be set after either the Java Development Kit (JDK) or the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed.
Kubernetes - Kubernetes, also referred to as K8s for the number of letters between K and S, is an open source platform used to manage containerized applications across private, public and hybrid cloud environments.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, more commonly known as LEED, is an environmentally oriented building certification program run by the U.
liquid - A liquid is a type of matter with specific properties that make it less rigid than a solid but more rigid than a gas.
load shedding - Load shedding (loadshedding) is a way to distribute demand for electrical power across multiple power sources.
logical network - A logical network is a software-defined network topology or routing that is often different than the physical network.
LUN masking - LUN masking is an authorization mechanism used in storage area networks (SANs) to make LUNs available to some hosts but unavailable to other hosts.
mechanical refrigeration - Mechanical refrigeration, often referred to simply as refrigeration or air conditioning, is a process by which heat is removed from a location using a human-made heat exchange system.
memristor - A memristor is an electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in a circuit and remembers the amount of charge that has previously flowed through it.
microgrid - A microgrid is a small-scale power grid that can operate independently or collaboratively with other small power grids.
Microsoft Cloud Witness - Microsoft Cloud Witness is a quorum witness for Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) that uses Microsoft Azure as the arbitration point.
Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) - Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) is a set of tools for infrastructure monitoring and application performance management.
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Management Pack (Microsoft SCOM Management Pack) - A System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) Management Pack is a pre-fabricated rule set intended to extend and configure SCOM for specific services or applications.
Microsoft Windows PowerShell DSC (Desired State Configuration) - Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a feature in PowerShell 4.
moves, adds and changes (MAC) - Moves, adds and changes (MAC) refers to a set of tasks that IT teams regularly perform to keep computing equipment up to date and aligned with user and business requirements.
MTTR (mean time to repair) - MTTR (mean time to repair) is the average time required to fix a failed component or device and return it to production status.
N+1 UPS - N+1, also called parallel redundancy, is a safeguard to ensure that an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)system is always available.
National Electrical Code (NEC) - National Electrical Code (NEC) is a set of regularly updated standards for the safe installation of electric wiring in the United States.
Nutanix - Nutanix is a private and hybrid cloud software provider.
operational data store (ODS) - An operational data store (ODS) is a type of database that's often used as an interim logical area for a data warehouse.
operational technology (OT) - Operational technology (OT) is a category of hardware and software that monitors and controls how physical devices perform.
physical layer - The physical layer is the first and lowest layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications model.
pizza box server - The term 'pizza box server' refers to the shape of a computer server enclosed in a rectangular and horizontally- arranged chassis and often installed in a rack with similar servers.
plenum - In building construction, a plenum (pronounced PLEH-nuhm, from Latin meaning full) is a separate space provided for air circulation for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (sometimes referred to as HVAC).
power cycling - Power cycling is the process of turning hardware off and then turning it on again.
power distribution unit (PDU) - A power distribution unit (PDU) is a device for controlling electrical power in a data center.
power factor correction (PFC) - Power factor correction (PFC) is the set of mechanisms built into a power supply circuit to raise the power factor (PF).
power usage effectiveness (PUE) - Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data center.
process innovation - Process innovation refers to a change in an existing operation or product that creates significant value for an organization.
programmable logic controller (PLC) - A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a small, modular, solid-state computer with customized instructions for performing a particular task.
raceway - A raceway, sometimes referred to as a raceway system, is an enclosed conduit that forms a physical pathway for electrical wiring.
raised floor - A raised floor is a data center construction model in which a slightly higher floor is constructed above the building's original concrete slab floor, leaving the open space created between the two for wiring or cooling infrastructure.
RDBMS (relational database management system) - A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a collection of programs and capabilities that enable IT teams and others to create, update, administer and otherwise interact with a relational database.
relational database - A relational database is a type of database that organizes data points with defined relationships for easy access.
remote display protocol - A remote display protocol is a special set of data transfer rules that makes it possible for a desktop hosted at one place to display on a client's screen at another location.
remote hands - Remote hands is the general name for a service colocation providers offer that enables customers to delegate IT management and maintenance tasks in a colocation facility to technicians hired by the provider.
RMM software (remote monitoring and management software) - RMM software (remote monitoring and management software) is a type of application that information technology (IT) service providers and departments use to maintain their clients' and business organizations' IT assets, infrastructure and systems.
root cause analysis - Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method for understanding the underlying cause of an observed or experienced incident.
scalability - In information technology, scalability (frequently spelled 'scaleability') has two uses: for a computer application to function with change in size and volume, and to take advantage of a rescale.
screen scraping - Screen scraping is a data collection method used to gather information shown on a display to use for another purpose.
second-level address translation (SLAT) - Second-level address translation (SLAT) is a hardware virtualization technology that reduces hypervisor overhead.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
server hardware degradation - Server hardware degradation is the gradual breakdown of the physical parts of a server.
service discovery - Service discovery is the automatic detection of devices and offered services over a network.
single pane of glass - A single pane of glass is a management console that presents data from multiple sources in a unified display.
single point of failure (SPOF) - A single point of failure (SPOF) is a potential risk posed by a flaw in the design, implementation or configuration of a circuit or system.
SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) - SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system and memory.
software asset management (SAM) - Software asset management (SAM) is the administration of processes, policies and procedures that support the procurement, deployment, use, maintenance and disposal of software applications within an organization.
software-defined data center (SDDC) - A software-defined data center (SDDC) is a server management concept in which all infrastructure elements -- networking, storage and compute -- are virtualized and delivered as a service.
software-defined storage (SDS) - Software-defined storage (SDS) is a software program that manages data storage resources and functionality and has no dependencies on the underlying physical storage hardware.
solar constant - A solar constant is a measurement of the solar electromagnetic radiation available in a meter squared at Earth's distance from the sun.
solar power - Solar power is a renewable form of energy harvested from the sun for the purpose of producing electricity or thermal energy (heat).
specific gravity - Specific gravity, more formally known as relative density, is a measure of the density of a substance in comparison to the density of water.
standard temperature and pressure (STP) - Standard temperature and pressure (STP) refers to the nominal conditions in the atmosphere at sea level.
surge suppressor (surge protector) - A surge suppressor, sometimes optimistically called a surge protector, is a device inserted in the alternating current (AC) utility line and/or telephone line to prevent damage to electronic equipment from voltage spikes, or transients.
swap file (swap space or page file) - A swap file is a system file that creates temporary storage space on a solid-state drive or hard disk when the system runs low on memory.
syslog - Syslog is an IETF RFC 5424 standard protocol for computer logging and collection that is popular in Unix-like systems including servers, networking equipment and IoT devices.
tabletop exercise (TTX) - A tabletop exercise (TTX) is a disaster preparedness activity that takes participants through the process of dealing with a simulated disaster scenario.
technological convergence - Technological convergence is a term that describes bringing previously unrelated technologies together, often in a single device.
thread - A thread is, fundamentally, a clear, well-defined theme, subject, topic or focus.
turbine - A turbine is a machine that plays a key role in transforming fluid or air energy into usable work or electricity.
twisted pair - Twisted pair is the ordinary copper wire that connects home and business computers to a telephone company.
two-phase commit (2PC) - Two-phase commit (2PC) is a standardized protocol that ensures atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability (ACID) of a transaction; it is an atomic commitment protocol for distributed systems.
unified computing system (UCS) - A unified computing system (UCS) is a converged data center architecture that integrates computing, networking and storage resources to increase efficiency and enable centralized management.
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) - An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when incoming power is interrupted.
utility computing - Utility computing is a service provisioning model where a provider makes computing resources, infrastructure management and technical services available to customers as they need them.
utility storage - Utility storage is a service model in which a provider makes storage capacity available to an individual, organization or business unit on a pay-per-use basis.
Vblock (VCE Vblock) - Vblock (VCE Vblock) is a family of converged infrastructure (CI) systems from Dell EMC that integrate advanced compute, network and storage technologies from three industry leaders: VMware, Cisco and Dell EMC.
vendor lock-in - Vendor lock-in is a situation in which a customer using a product or service cannot easily transition to a competitor's product or service.
virtual desktop - A virtual desktop is a computer operating system that does not run directly on the endpoint hardware from which a user accesses it.
virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) - A virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) is a representation of a storage area that is not tied to any physical storage allocation.
virtual SAN appliance (VSA) - A virtual SAN appliance (VSA) is a software bundle that allows a storage manager to turn the unused storage capacity in his network's virtual servers into a storage area network (SAN).
Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) - Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) is an access method for IBM's mainframe operating system, MVS, now called z/OS.
virtualization sprawl (VM sprawl) - Virtualization sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively.
von Neumann bottleneck - The von Neumann bottleneck is a limitation on throughput caused by the standard personal computer architecture.
water cooling - Water cooling, also called liquid cooling, is a method used to lower the temperature of computer processor units (CPUs), and sometimes graphics processor units (GPUs).
watt - A watt (symbolized W) is the standard unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI).
What is a private cloud? - Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers similar advantages to public cloud, including scalability and self-service, but through a proprietary architecture.
What is cloud computing? Types, examples and benefits - Cloud computing is a general term for the delivery of hosted computing services and IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
What is IT/OT convergence? Everything you need to know - IT/OT convergence is the integration of information technology (IT) systems with operational technology (OT) systems.
What is PaaS? Platform as a service definition and guide - Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet.
white box server - A white box server is a data center computer that is not manufactured by a well-known brand name vendor.
Windows Server 2012 (WS 2012) - Windows Server 2012, formerly codenamed Windows Server 8, is the latest version of Windows Server.
workload - In computing, a workload is typically any program or application that runs on a computer.
zero client - Zero client, also known as ultrathin client, is a server-based computing model in which the end user's computing device has no local storage.