6SigmaDC Release 5 Now Available

London : Future Facilities has announced the introduction of Release 5 of its 6SigmaDC data centre design and operations simulation software suite. It simulates a much wider range of scenarios while also being substantially easier to use. “Release 5 extends Future Facilities’ Virtual Facility concept which uses 3-D modelling to optimise not only the initial design but also assist with load capacity planning throughout the facility lifecycle,” said Sherman Ikemoto, North American General Manager of Future Facilities.

Release 5 also welcomes 6SigmaET, the first new CFD-Based design software for the internal cooling of electronics in 10 years. With the addition of 6SigmaET, the 6SigmaDC Suite becomes the first end-to-end platform for design and management of IT equipment from its conception by hardware manufacturers to final application in data centre facilities. The 6SigmaDC suite bridges the major communication gaps between data centre stakeholders that include hardware manufacturers, building engineering firms, IT and facility managers.

A key new feature in the 6SigmaRoom data centre design module extends controller and sensor functionality to model increasingly popular variable volume cooling systems. The feature includes extensions to maximum capacity characterisations 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 perforates plates or registers to be made in otherwise solid obstructions. This makes modeling of hollow ductwork, for example, much easier and more robust.

Other new features in 6SigmaRoom include:

* Modeling internally cooled cabinets so they can be registered for inventory purposes and accounted for in modelling the power system
* Modeling equipment weight to assess whether a given layout poses any risk of overloading the raised floor
* 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 makes it easier to change the model to investigate design performance at different stages in the data center’s lifecycle
* New modeling features include doors with potential for infiltration in perimeter walls; the ability to rotate build-in ACU scoops; and automatic bridge creation for data cables, power cables and cooling pipes.
* The infrastructure outside the facility can now be included in graphical views and animation can be generated that shows how airflows develop

The 6SigmaFM module for on-going management of a data center has undergone a major change to make it substantially easier to use. For example, with one click the user can add equipment to every cabinet to 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 just the capabilities needed by information technology (IT) managers, enabling effective separation of tasks and responsibilities with facility managers.

The 6SigmaRack module has been upgraded with new features to make rack and cabinet modeling 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 using the DXF and DWG formats with the AutoCAD RealDWG environment and solid definitions of complex parts can now be imported in STL format.