ABSTRACT:
GR-3160 issue 03 presents minimum spatial and environmental requirements for data center spaces and equipment. Issue 03 was expanded to address commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment. Of particular interest are the data centers and equipment operated by telecommunications service providers as part of or in support of the telecommunications network.

Going forward, new telecommunications service offerings will originate primarily from the telecommunications data center, utilizing the central office to access the telecommunications network. For many telecommunications service providers, some hardware deployments may include COTS equipment with little to no special qualification for telecommunications network use.

COTS equipment is an attractive option for deployment in a telecommunications service provider data center or even a traditional central office provided adequate environmental controls are in place. A wider use of COTS equipment allows for rapid deployment of new scalable and flexible network architectures utilizing Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networks (SDNs).

GR-3160 issue 03 generic criteria were developed jointly by Ericsson and industry representatives. They may be applied to data center spaces housing data processing or Information Technology (IT) equipment. The criteria in GR-3160 issue 03 are intended to help avoid equipment damage and malfunction caused by environmental impacts such as temperature, humidity, and vibrations; and to minimize fire ignitions and fire spread, as well as provide for improved space planning and thermal management. This document provides only those requirements related to the physical and electrical compatibility aspects of the equipment and spaces. It does not address data center topology.

The criteria in this GR are intended to be applied with an understanding of the inherent level of environmental conditioning and protection provided by the facility, the nature of the service being provided by the COTS equipment, and the degree of redundancy that may be offered by equipment within the same facility or a separate facility. While some degree of network resilience can be expected in a self-healing design, a minimum level of environmental requirements for COTS equipment is still necessary to ensure true cost-effective and efficient deployment while promoting reliable operation. Those minimum requirements are presented in this GR. Many of these requirements are based on commercial regulatory requirements provided by the Federal Communications Commission.

Issue 3 of GR-3160 replaces Issue 2, July 2012.