AU2022224871A1 - Modular Data Center - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular data center includes a container, such as an ISO container, including a first side wall, a second side wall, and rear-end doors configured to provide access to an interior of the container. The modular data center further includes a partition wall provided in the interior of the container and spanning at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall and a switchboard mounted on the partition wall. The switchboard faces the rear-end doors to provide access to the switchboard when opening the rear-end doors. 1/13 10 r32 30 161 4 50 28 286_-- 2 8 --- 6 4021 4024V 1"1 FIG. 1 10 32 16 30 50 40 422 14 34 18 12 FIG. 2

Description

1/13 10

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FIG. 1 10 32 16

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MODULAR DATA CENTER

BACKGROUND OF DISCLOSURE 1. Field of Disclosure Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to data centers, including microdata centers, small rooms and closets, that contain racks and enclosures used to house data processing, power, networking and telecommunications equipment.

2. Discussion of Related Art Equipment enclosures or racks for housing electronic equipment, such as data processing, power, networking and telecommunications equipment have been used for many years. Such racks are used to contain and to arrange the equipment in small wiring closets, microdata centers, small rooms, as well as equipment rooms and large data centers. An equipment rack can be an open configuration and can be housed within a rack enclosure, although the enclosure may be included when referring to a rack. A data center can be configured with hundreds of equipment racks that support various types of computer-related equipment. When equipment racks are installed within a data center, a physical layout of the equipment racks, configuration and wiring of electrical power connections to the equipment racks, a physical layout of cooling equipment, and a layout of connectivity wiring and networking systems must be performed. Typically, these procedures are completed onsite at the data center site by tradesmen. Such installation can be customized to consider local constraints. In lieu or in addition to such data centers, a modular or mobile data center may be provided. A modular data center is a portable solution to deploy data center capacity. A modular data center can be placed anywhere data capacity is needed. In some embodiments, a modular data center includes a modular container, e.g., an ISO container having pre engineered electronic modules and components to offer scalable data center capacity with multiple power and cooling options. A data center module is configured to be shipped to a desired location and integrated or retrofitted into an existing data center or combined into a system of modules. Modular data centers typically consist of standardized components. Modular data centers are often marketed as converged infrastructure, promoting economies of scale and efficient energy usage, including considerations regarding the external environment. Some countries have specific maintenance guidelines for maintaining key equipment used to power and control the electronic equipment housed by the modular data center.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a modular data center comprising a container including a first side wall, a second side wall, and rear-end doors configured to provide access to an interior of the container. The modular data center further comprises a partition wall provided in the interior of the container and spanning at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall and a switchboard mounted on the partition wall. The switchboard faces the rear-end doors. Embodiments of the modular data center further may include at least one uninterruptible power supply (UPS) positioned within the interior of the container, the switchboard being coupled to the UPS. The at least one UPS may include two UPSs positioned within the interior of the container, with each UPS being coupled to the switchboard and two or more equipment racks and each equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment. The modular data center further may include at least one equipment rack positioned within the interior of the container, the at least one equipment rack being coupled to the UPS and the switchboard and configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment. The modular data center further may include at least one cooling unit positioned within the interior of the container. The at least one cooling unit may be coupled to the switchboard and configured to provide cooling air to at least one equipment rack. The at least one cooling unit may be disposed between two equipment racks. The partition wall may be configured as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle. The switchboard may include one or more circuit breakers and/or transfer switches to provide mains power to electronic equipment supported by the container. The modular data center further may include at least one UPS positioned within the interior of the container and coupled to the switchboard and to an equipment rack configured to support electronic equipment. The container may be one of an about 20-foot, 40-foot or 45 foot container. Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of assembling a modular data center. In one embodiment, the method comprises: providing a container including a first side wall, a second side wall, and rear-end doors configured to provide access to an interior of the container; installing a partition wall within the interior of the container, the partition wall extending from at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall; and mounting a switchboard mounted on the partition wall. The switchboard faces the rear-end doors. Embodiments of the method further may include positioning at least one uninterruptible power supply (UPS) within the interior of the container, with the switchboard being coupled to the UPS. Positioning the at least one UPS may include positioning two UPSs within the interior of the container, with each UPS being coupled to the switchboard and two or more equipment racks supported by the container and each equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment. The method further may include positioning at least one equipment rack within the interior of the container, with the at least one equipment rack being coupled to the UPS and the switchboard and the at least one equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment. The method further may include positioning at least one cooling unit within the interior of the container, with the at least one cooling unit being coupled to the switchboard and being configured to provide cooling air to at least one equipment rack. Positioning the at least one cooling rack may include positioning the at least one cooling unit between two equipment racks. The partition wall may be configured as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle. The switchboard may include one or more circuit breakers and/or transfer switches to provide mains power to electronic equipment supported by the container. The method further may include positioning at least one UPS within the interior of the container, with the at least one UPS being coupled to the switchboard and to an equipment rack configured to support electronic equipment. The container may be one of an about 20 foot, 40-foot or 45-foot container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The figures are included to provide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and examples, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure. In the figures, identical or nearly identical components illustrated in various figures may be represented by like numerals. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an interior of a modular data center; FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the interior of the modular data center showing a partition wall and a switchboard of an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an end view of the modular data center showing an empty, thermally insulated container with end doors of the container in an open position; FIG. 4 is an end view of the modular data center showing the partition and the switchboard; FIG. 5 is a perspective end view of the modular data center showing the partition and the switchboard of another embodiment; FIG. 6 is an end view of the partition and the switchboard shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the switchboard; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a frame structure used to create the partition wall; FIG. 9 is an end view of the frame structure having a switchboard panel mounted thereon; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of a modular data center of another embodiment of the disclosure showing a canopy associated with the container; FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a frame member of the canopy; FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a door stop of a door of the container; FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of door stops of the container; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a portion of a modular data center of another embodiment of the disclosure showing an external raised floor associated with the container; FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective of the external raised floor; and FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view of a platform of the external raised floor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A typical modular data center includes many if not most of the components found in a more traditional facility data center. In one certain example, the modular data center includes a 20-foot, 40-foot or 45-foot ISO container, sometimes referred to herein as a "container," containing electrical equipment, such as IT equipment racks. As used herein, "enclosures" and "racks" are used to describe apparatus designed to support electronic equipment. The modular data center further includes a cooling system, embodying a cooling system associated with the container and one or more in-row cooling racks, and one or more uninterruptible power supplies ("UPSs") connected to electrical equipment. Other equipment can be provided depending on the intended use of the modular data center. For example, additional cooling units can be mounted within the ISO container or provided external to the ISO container. Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, an exemplary modular data center container is generally indicated at 10. As shown, the modular data center 10 includes an ISO container, generally indicated at 12, which can embody a standard 20-foot, 40-foot or 45-foot container. The ISO container 12, sometimes referred to as an intermodal container or simply as a container, is a large, standardized shipping container that is configured for intermodal freight transport. Such containers are used in ship, rail, truck transport, without having to unload and reload its contents. ISO containers are used to store and transport materials and products in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Such ISO containers can be used for other purposes as well. For example, as described herein, an ISO container can be used as a mobile data center. Modular data centers typically come in two types of form factors. One more common type, sometimes referred to as containerized data center or portable modular data centers, supports data center equipment including but not limited to servers, storage and networking equipment, into a standard, ISO shipping container, such as ISO container 12, which is then transported to a desired location. Containerized data centers typically come outfitted with their own control and cooling systems. Another type of modular data center supports data center equipment into a facility composed of prefabricated components that can be quickly built on a site and added to as capacity is needed. With the former type of data center, as mentioned above, the containerized data center is provided in a standard 20-foot, 40-foot or 45-foot ISO container. As shown in FIG. 1, the ISO container 12 includes a floor 14, two side walls 16, 18, an end wall 20 extending upwardly from the floor, and a roof, which is not shown to reveal the interior of the ISO container. Doors 22, 24 are provided in respective side walls 16, 18 of the ISO container 12 to allow access within an interior of the ISO container. The modular data center 10 further includes a variety of electronic modules positioned on the floor 14 of the ISO container 12. In one example, the modular data center 10 includes four (4) equipment racks, each indicated at 26, and three cooling racks, each indicated at 28. As shown, the cooling racks 28 (or other cooling units having equivalent cooling capacity) are disposed between the equipment racks 26 to provide dedicated cooling to the interior of the ISO container 12. In addition to cooling racks 28, the ISO container 12 can be configured with a dedicated heating/cooling system and other equipment to provide climate and humidity control within the interior of the ISO container. It should be understood that the configuration of the equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 can be modified to achieve a particular purpose or result. The modular data center 10 further includes two UPSs, each indicated at 30, which provide emergency power to the equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 when an input power source fails. The two side doors 22, 24 enable operators of the modular data center 10 to access the electronic equipment within the ISO container 12 to maintain and operate the equipment. Referring additionally to FIG. 2, the ISO container 12 further includes rear-end double doors 32, 34 provided at an opposite end of the ISO container. As shown, the rear end doors 32, 34 span between the side walls 16, 18 of the ISO container 12 and are used to access the back of the ISO container, and in embodiments of the present disclosure, provide access to a service panel provided at the back of the ISO container. In one embodiment, the modular data center 10 includes a partition wall, indicated at 40, which is provided in the interior of the ISO container 12 and spanning at least a portion of a space between the first side wall 16 and the second side wall 18 of the ISO container. In the shown embodiment, the partition wall 40 extends or spans the entire space between the first side wall 16 and the second side wall 18. As will be described in greater detail below, the partition wall can be fabricated from any type of material and can be selectively secured to the floor 14, side walls 16, 18, and optionally the roof of the ISO container 12 to seal off the interior space of the ISO container having the equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 and the UPSs 30 from the back of the ISO container 12. The modular data center 10 further includes a switchboard, generally indicated at 50, mounted on the partition wall 40, with the switchboard providing control of the equipment provided in the ISO container 12, including the equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 and the UPSs 30. The equipment provided in the ISO container 12, including the equipment racks 26 and the cooling racks 28, may be sensitive to unexpected changes in electrical voltage, and therefore require a continual, uninterrupted flow of electricity, and protection from extreme electrical events, such as surges. The switchboard 50 and the UPS 30 are provided to distribute energy and protect operational equipment from hazardous changes in voltage, and exposure to dangerous electrical currents, respectively. The electrical energy from switchboards located in data centers can be distributed to panelboards, which in turn provide energy to, and safeguard, more specific areas within a facility.

In the shown embodiment, the switchboard 50 faces the rear-end doors 32, 34 to provide access to the switchboard when opening the rear-end doors. Thus, an operator of the modular data center 10 can easily manage the operation of the switchboard 50, which may include one or more user interfaces. An area or space 42 between the partition wall 40 and the rear double doors 32, 34 can be referred to as a maintenance area, which is a required area in front of the electrical switchboards, with the partition wall preventing the other elements from being installed, such as the equipment racks, the cooling racks, the UPSs and other equipment, such as humidifiers. The size of the maintenance area 42 is dependent on local laws and regulations concerning the outfitting of modular data centers and applicable electrical codes. In one embodiment, the size of the maintenance area 42 is sufficient to enable swingable doors associated with the switchboard 50 to swing to open positions. The provision of the switchboard 50 facing the rear double doors 32, 34 maximizes the interior space of the ISO container 12 for electrical equipment and the like. In one embodiment, the switchboard 50 is connected or otherwise coupled to the UPSs 30, which are in turn connected or otherwise coupled to the equipment racks 26 and the cooling racks 28. Each equipment rack 26 can be configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment, such as servers, telecommunications equipment, and the like. As shown, the cooling racks 28 can be positioned at a desired location within the ISO container 12. In the shown embodiment, the equipment racks 26 and the cooling racks 28 are arranged in a row, with the cooling racks being disposed between the equipment racks or at the end of the row. The UPSs 30 are positioned adjacent the partition wall 40. In the shown embodiment, the partition wall 40 functions as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle provided on the long sides of the row of equipment and cooling racks 26, 28. The air within which the electrical equipment operates is enclosed in part by the partition wall 40. Referring to FIG. 3, the back of the ISO container 12 is shown with the rear-end doors 32, 34 in an open position to reveal an empty, thermally insulated ISO container. A roof 44 of the ISO container 12 is shown in FIG. 3. In one embodiment, the ISO container 12 can include insulated rear-end doors to maintain the space between the partition wall and the rear end doors in a thermally constant condition and can contribute to improving an overall fire rating of the ISO container 12. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the back of the ISO container 10 is shown with the rear end doors 32, 34, which are thermally insulated and in an open position to reveal the partition wall 40 and the switchboard 50. As shown, the partition wall 40 seals off an end portion of the ISO container 12 from the portion of the ISO container housing the equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 and the UPSs 30. As shown, the partition wall 40 extends fully from side wall 16 to side wall 18 and from floor 14 to roof of the ISO container 12. It should be understood that while desirable, the partition wall 50 does not have to extend the full width and height of the ISO container 12, but instead may be customized to meet a desired purpose. The switchboard 50 is readily accessible to the operator through the rear-end doors 32, 34 to control the operation of the modular data center 10. Referring to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the switchboard 50 includes input power 52, output power 54, a first control panel 56, and a second control panel 58. In one example, the first control panel 56 can be connected to dedicated equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 through one of the UPSs 30. Likewise, the second control panel 58 can be connected to dedicated equipment and cooling racks 26, 28 through the other of the UPSs 30. Each control panel 56, 58 can be configured with a computer system described below to control the operation of the switchboard 50 and thus the modular data center 10. As shown in FIG. 7, each control panel 56, 58 has a door 60 that enables access within the interior of the control panel. The switchboard 50 further includes a panel 62 having coaxial radio frequency ("RF") connectors and a panel 64 having networking connectors, e.g., RJ45 connectors. The switchboard 50 can be configured as desired depending on the equipment supported by the ISO container 12 of the modular data center 10. Referring to FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the partition wall 40 includes a primary frame structure 70 and a secondary frame structure 72. As shown, the primary frame structure 70 extends from the floor 14 to the roof 44 of the ISO container 12 and the secondary frame structure 72 extends between the side walls 16, 18 of the ISO container. The primary structure 70 and/or the secondary structure 72 can be fabricated from extruded aluminum or a suitable polycarbonate material. One or more reinforcement plates 74 can be provided to assist in supporting the switchboard 50 when mounted on the partition wall 40. The partition wall 40 further includes preassembled insulated panels 76 that are secured to the primary and secondary frame structures 70, 72. The reinforcement plates 74 may be strategically positioned on the primary and secondary frame structures 70, 72 to support the switchboard components, such as the control panels 56, 58 and the panels 62, 64 having the RF and networking connectors, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 9, in another embodiment, the partition wall 40 includes a reinforcement plate 78 that extends from the side wall 16 to the opposite side wall 18. The reinforcement plate is 78 used to mount upper ends of the switchboard 50 to the partition wall 40. In one embodiment, the reinforcement plate 78 is fabricated from metal channel material that is used within such structures. The location of the reinforcement plate 78 or multiple reinforcement plates can be determined on the corresponding location of the switchboard components. Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, a portion of a modular data center of another embodiment of the present disclosure is generally indicated at 80. As shown, the modular data center 80 includes an ISO container, which is constructed similarly to ISO container 12. The rear-end doors 32, 34 are shown in the closed position. The modular data center 80 includes a canopy assembly, generally indicated at 82, which is shown in an open position and provided to prevent moisture, e.g., rain, from being directed toward the switchboard 50 when the rear-end doors are opened. The canopy assembly 82 is configured to move from its shown open position to a closed position in which a canopy 84 is generally co-planar with the rear-end doors 32, 34. To secure the canopy 84 in the open position, the canopy assembly 82 includes a connecting frame 86 that is coupled to the ISO container frame and a cleat 88 that is secured to the canopy and an end of the connecting frame. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, each rear-end door 32, 34 includes a door stop assembly, generally indicated at 90, to prevent the door from unwanted closing. For example, excessive wind can move the rear-end doors from their opened to closed positions. The door stop assemblies 90 prevent unwanted closing of the rear-end doors 32, 34 from occurring. Each door stop assembly 90 includes a pivot mount 92, which is mounted on a side wall, e.g., side wall 16, of the ISO container 12. The door stop assembly 90 further includes a linkage arm 94 and a mounting bracket 96, which is secured to the door, e.g., door 32. Specifically, the linkage arm is secured at one end to the pivot mount 92 and at the opposite end to the mounting bracket 96. The linkage arm 94 can be adjusted with respect to the mounting bracket 96, which has a plurality of openings formed along the length of the mounting bracket. The opposite end of the linkage arm 94 can be secured by a suitable fastener, e.g., a pin or a machine bolt fastener, to the mounting bracket 96 at a desired location on the mounting bracket. Referring to FIG. 14, a portion of a modular data center of another embodiment of the present disclosure is generally indicated at 100. As shown, the modular data center 100 is similar to modular data center 80 and includes an ISO container, which is constructed similarly to ISO container 12. The rear-end doors 32, 34 are shown in the closed position. The modular data center 100 includes an external raised floor assembly, generally indicated at 102, which is shown in an open position and provided to prevent an operator from standing on a wet floor when the operator is accessing the switchboard 50. The external raised floor assembly 102 is configured to move from its shown open position to a closed position in which a platform 104 is generally co-planar with the rear-end doors 32, 34. Referring to FIG. 15, to enable movement of the platform 104 to the shown open position and to position the platform at a desired elevation, the external raised floor assembly includes two linkage assemblies, each indicated at 106, provided on opposite sides of the platform. As shown, the linkage assembly 106 is coupled to the ISO container frame, which is configured with teeth indicated at 108 that engage an edge of the platform 104 to establish a desired height of the platform upon moving the platform to the open position. Referring to FIG. 16, in one embodiment, the platform 104 is a matrix of vertically oriented support elements that enable moisture, e.g., rain, to travel through the platform thereby maintaining operators away from a wet floor when are doing maintenance work on the components of the switchboard 50. In some embodiments, the control panels 56, 58 of the switchboard 50 further can include one or more circuit breakers and/or transfer switches to provide mains power from input power 52 to electronic equipment supported by the equipment racks 26 provided within the ISO container 12. In some embodiments, the partition wall 40 can be configured with a gasket that is fire resistant to prevent fire from entering the spaces on either side of the partition wall. Further, the side doors 22, 24 and the rear-end doors 32, 34 can be suitably grounded to prevent or minimize unwanted arc flash events. In some embodiments, the ISO container 12 of the modular data center 10 can be configured with an air circulation/ventilation system. A door switch can be provided on the side doors 22, 24 and the rear-end doors 32, 34 to cease operation of such a ventilation system when a door is opened. In some embodiments, a method of assembling a modular data center includes providing an ISO container described above. A partition wall is installed within the interior of the ISO container, with the partition wall extending from at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall. A switchboard is mounted on the partition wall, with the switchboard facing the rear-end doors of the ISO container. In certain embodiments, the switchboard includes one or more panels mounted on the partition wall. The method further may include positioning at least UPS within the interior of the ISO container and connecting or otherwise coupling the switchboard to the UPS. In one embodiment, two UPSs are positioned within the interior of the ISO container, with each UPS being coupled to the switchboard and two or more equipment racks supported by the ISO container. As described herein, each equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment. The method further may include positioning at least one equipment rack within the interior of the ISO container. In one embodiment, several, e.g., four, equipment racks are positioned within the interior of the ISO container, with each equipment rack being connected to or otherwise coupled to the UPS and the switchboard. In another embodiment, additional equipment racks can be included in the row of equipment racks when cooling other than in row cooling is deployed. The method further may include positioning at least one cooling unit within the interior of the ISO container. In one embodiment, three cooling units are positioned within the ISO container, with the cooling units being coupled to the switchboard and being configured to provide cooling air to at least one equipment rack. As shown, the cooling units are disposed between the equipment racks and at the end of the row of equipment and cooling racks. As mentioned above, the partition wall is provided and positioned as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle created by the row of equipment and cooling racks. It should be observed that the modular data center of embodiments of the present disclosure provides a more efficient layout of equipment within the ISO container. The modular data center is designed to reduce manufacturing and shipping costs by using pre assembled subassemblies. Further, the modular data center can be configured to a customer's specific layout design and specifications. As mentioned above, various aspects and functions in accordance with the present embodiments may be implemented as specialized hardware or software executing in one or more computer systems associated with the modular data center 10 including the switchboard 50. The computer system may include processor, memory, bus, interface, and storage. The processor may perform a series of instructions that result in manipulated data. The processor may be a commercially available processor, multi-processor, microprocessor, or controller as many other processors and controllers are available. The processor may be connected to other system elements, including one or more memory devices, by bus. Memory may be used for storing programs and data during operation of computer system. Thus, memory may be a relatively high performance, volatile, random access memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static memory (SRAM). However, memory may include any device for storing data, such as a disk drive or other non volatile, non-transitory, storage device. Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may organize memory into particularized and, in some cases, unique structures to perform the aspects and functions disclosed herein. Components of the computer system may be coupled by an interconnection element, such as a bus, which may include one or more physical busses, for example, busses between components that are integrated within a same machine, but may include any communication coupling between system elements including specialized or standard computing bus technologies such as IDE, SCSI, PCI, and InfiniBand. Thus, the bus enables communications, for example, data and instructions, to be exchanged between system components of computer system. The computer system also may include one or more interface devices, such as input devices, output devices, and combination input/output devices. Interface devices may receive input or provide output. More particularly, output devices may render information for external presentation. The interface devices may include, for example, one or more graphical user interfaces that may be disposed proximate to or separate from other components of the computer system. A graphical user interface of the computer system may, for example, be displayed through a web browser that accesses information from the memory. Input devices may accept information from external sources. Examples of interface devices include keyboards, mouse devices, trackballs, microphones, touch screens, printing devices, display screens, speakers, network interface cards, etc. The interface devices allow computer system to exchange information and communicate with external entities, such as users and other systems. The storage system may include a computer readable and writeable, nonvolatile, non transitory, storage medium in which instructions are stored that define a program to be executed by the processor. The program to be executed by the processor may cause the processor or computer system to perform any one or more embodiments of the methods disclosed herein. The storage system also may include information that is recorded, on or in, the medium, and this information may be processed by the program. More specifically, the information may be stored in one or more data structures specifically configured to conserve storage space or increase data exchange performance. The instructions may be persistently stored as encoded signals, and the instructions may cause a processor to perform any of the functions described herein. The medium may, for example, be optical disk, magnetic disk, or flash memory, among others. In operation, the processor or some other controller may cause data to be read from the nonvolatile recording medium into another memory, such as memory, that allows for faster access to the information by the processor than does the storage medium included in storage system. The memory may be located in storage system or in memory, however, processor may manipulate the data within the memory, and then may copy the data to the medium associated with storage system after processing is completed. A variety of components may manage data movement between the medium and integrated circuit memory element and the presently described embodiments are not limited thereto. Further, the embodiments are not limited to a particular memory system or data storage system. Portions of the memory or storage system may be included in the same computer system as other components of the computer system or may be resident in a cloud-based system that is accessible via the internet or other communications system or protocol. Although the computer system is shown by way of example as one type of computer system upon which various aspects and functions in accordance with the present embodiments may be practiced, any aspects of the presently disclosed embodiments are not limited to being implemented on the computer system. Various aspects and functions in accord with the presently disclosed embodiments may be practiced on one or more computers having a different architectures or components. For instance, computer system may include specially-programmed, special-purpose hardware, such as for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) tailored to perform a particular operation disclosed herein. While another embodiment may perform the same function using several general-purpose computing devices running MAC OS System X with Motorola PowerPC processors and several specialized computing devices running proprietary hardware and operating systems. The computer system may be a computer system including an operating system that manages at least a portion of the hardware elements included in computer system. Usually, a processor or controller, such as processor, executes a commercially available operating system. Many types of operating systems may be used, and embodiments are not limited to any particular implementation. The processor and operating system together define a computer platform for which application programs in high-level programming languages may be written. These component applications may be executable, intermediate, for example, C-, bytecode or interpreted code which communicates over a communication network, for example, the Internet, using a communication protocol, for example, TCP/IP. Similarly, aspects in accord with the presently disclosed embodiments may be implemented using an object-oriented programming language, such as .Net, SmallTalk, Java, C++, Ada, or C# (C-Sharp). Other object-oriented programming languages may also be used. Alternatively, functional, scripting, or logical programming languages may be used. Additionally, various aspects and functions in accordance with the presently disclosed embodiments may be implemented in a non-programmed environment, for example, documents created in HTML, XML, or other format that, when viewed in a window of a browser program, render aspects of a graphical-user interface or perform other functions. Further, various embodiments in accord with the present disclosure may be implemented as programmed or non-programmed elements, or any combination thereof. For example, a web page may be implemented using HTML while a data object called from within the web page may be written in C++. Thus, the presently disclosed embodiments are not limited to a specific programming language and any suitable programming language could also be used. A computer system included within an embodiment may perform additional functions outside the scope of the presently disclosed embodiments. For instance, aspects of the system may be implemented using an existing commercial product, such as, for example, Database Management Systems such as SQL Server available from Microsoft of Seattle WA., Oracle Database from Oracle of Redwood Shores, CA, and MySQL from MySQL AB, a subsidiary of Oracle or integration software such as Web Sphere middleware from IBM of Armonk, NY. However, a computer system running, for example, SQL Server may be able to support both aspects in accord with the presently disclosed embodiments and databases for sundry applications. It is to be appreciated that examples of the methods, systems, and apparatuses discussed herein are not limited in application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The methods, systems, and apparatuses are capable of implementation in other examples and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. Examples disclosed herein may be combined with other examples in any manner consistent with at least one of the principles disclosed herein, and references to "an example," "some examples," "an alternate example," "various examples," "one example" or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described may be included in at least one example. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use herein of "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to "or" may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using "or" may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. Any references to front and back, left and right, top and bottom, upper and lower, and vertical and horizontal are intended for convenience of description, not to limit the present systems and methods or their components to any one positional or spatial orientation. Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only. What is claimed is:

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS 1 A modular data center comprising: a container including a first side wall, a second side wall, and rear-end doors configured to provide access to an interior of the container; a partition wall provided in the interior of the container and spanning at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall; and a switchboard mounted on the partition wall, wherein the switchboard faces the rear-end doors.
2. 2. The modular data center of claim 1, further comprising at least one uninterruptible power supply (UPS) positioned within the interior of the container, the switchboard being coupled to the UPS.
3. 3. The modular data center of claim 2, wherein the at least one UPS includes two UPSs positioned within the interior of the container, each UPS being coupled to the switchboard and two or more equipment racks, each equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment.
4. 4. The modular data center of claim 2, further comprising at least one equipment rack positioned within the interior of the container, the at least one equipment rack being coupled to the UPS and the switchboard and configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment.
5. 5. The modular data center of claim 1, further comprising at least one cooling unit positioned within the interior of the container, the at least one cooling unit being coupled to the switchboard and configured to provide cooling air to at least one equipment rack.
6. 6. The modular data center of claim 5, wherein the at least one cooling unit is disposed between two equipment racks.
7. 7. The modular data center of claim 1, wherein the partition wall is configured as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle.
8. 8. The modular data center of claim 1, wherein the switchboard includes one or more circuit breakers and/or transfer switches to provide mains power to electronic equipment supported by the container.
9. 9. The modular data center of claim 1, further comprising at least one UPS positioned within the interior of the container and coupled to the switchboard and to an equipment rack configured to support electronic equipment.
10. 10. The modular data center of claim 1, wherein the container is one of an about 20-foot, 40-foot or 45-foot container.
11. 11. A method of assembling a modular data center, the method comprising: providing a container including a first side wall, a second side wall, and rear-end doors configured to provide access to an interior of the container; installing a partition wall within the interior of the container, the partition wall extending from at least a portion of a space between the first side wall and the second side wall; and mounting a switchboard mounted on the partition wall, wherein the switchboard faces the rear-end doors.
12. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising positioning at least one uninterruptible power supply (UPS) within the interior of the container, the switchboard being coupled to the UPS.
13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein positioning the at least one UPS includes positioning two UPSs within the interior of the container, each UPS being coupled to the switchboard and two or more equipment racks supported by the container, each equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment.
14. 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising positioning at least one equipment rack within the interior of the container, the at least one equipment rack being coupled to the UPS and the switchboard, the at least one equipment rack being configured to support one or more pieces of electronic equipment.
15. 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising positioning at least one cooling unit within the interior of the container, the at least one cooling unit being coupled to the switchboard and being configured to provide cooling air to at least one equipment rack.
16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein positioning the at least one cooling rack includes positioning the at least one cooling unit between two equipment racks.
17. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the partition wall is configured as part of an air containment system including a hot aisle and a cold aisle.
18. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the switchboard includes one or more circuit breakers and/or transfer switches to provide mains power to electronic equipment supported by the container.
19. 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising positioning at least one UPS within the interior of the container, the at least one UPS being coupled to the switchboard and to an equipment rack configured to support electronic equipment.
20. 20. The modular data center of claim 11, wherein the container is one of an about 20-foot, 40-foot or 45-foot container.