MONDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2019

Dock 10 - Critical Systems

Cutting-edge tech keeps Dock 10 sharp.

Dock 10 at MediaCityUK Studios now deploys IDS’s emu3 automatic changeover (ACO) units.

Power control and monitoring are critical issues for systems administrators. The need for a simple, centralised control solution that can manage every aspect of power performance, from controlling individual outputs to monitoring alerts has never been greater. To meet those needs, a range of intelligent PDUs, in this case, the emu ACO is provided.

The emu3 ACO includes twelve power outputs, dual inputs with the automatic, local or remote changeover, and an embedded web server enabling remote control and monitoring facilities.

With the emu3 ACO, you can control up to 196 individual outputs from one ethernet cable, reducing your overall network deployment cost. Its intuitive web interface provides quick and easy access to control and configuration facilities. The unit also monitors the health of racks, provides visual indications of the status of every output and provides email alerts if pre-set limits are exceeded.

Dock10 Technical Operations Manager Darren Jones said, “As a facility that provides campus-wide services to the whole of MediaCityUK, 24-7 resilience and reliability are key to our operation. The ability to monitor in real-time and have clear visibility of equipment ‘states’ and pre-empt potential issues by SNMP and email alarms was also important.”

All the PDUs provide continuous polling and at-a-glance system status for every output on every connected PDU with the ability to configure individual PDUs and outputs. On the emu3 ACO, each input is also monitored, and the active input is clearly displayed.

Network settings, including IP address, subnet mask, gateway and API port numbers, can all be configured, and SMTP server and email addresses can be set so that systems operators can receive pre-set email alerts.

The PDU won the technology ‘shoot out.’

Jones added, “We continually evaluate equipment and infrastructure as part of an ongoing tech refresh program to stay at the cutting edge of technology, and all of the technology under consideration was tested against market competitors in a ‘shoot-out’. The PDU won out and is now a central component of a robust technology hub in MediaCityUK, enabling us to provide the resilience that our clients expect.”

Global Business Development Director for IDS, Reuben Such, said, “dock10 is a long-standing user of our IDS Intelligent Display System, and the PDU deployment is a natural extension of the total visibility and control dock10 provides for its clients across the board.”