User Manual

Siemens Switzerland Ltd 11
Building Technologies Division
The below image shows typical rooms for fire protection in a large data center:
1 Large server room
2 Electrical switching room
3 Control room
4 Room with security and safety equipment (e.g. extinguishing cylinders, etc.)
5 Emergency power supply (e.g. generator and battery/UPS rooms)
The following section briefly describes different typical rooms with regards to fire protection. More detailed
information can be found for some of those rooms in separate documents (see below).
1.3.1. Server rooms
Depending on the size of the server, computer or IT room different protection concepts might be applicable.
Rooms with servers, computers and IT equipment contain the
constant ignition source electricity and plentiful supply of
combustible materials such as plastics in printed circuit boards. Short
circuits, due to the extensive cabling, can have serious
consequences.
Highly sensitive fire detectors are able to detect even the lowest
smoke concentrations which may be caused by a malfunction of an
electric or electronic element, for example. In the event of a fire, the
fire protection system then needs to react reliably and appropriately,
triggering a coordinated alarm which leads people out of the danger
area and activates extinguishing systems. An automated dry
extinguishing system can provide optimal protection for sensitive
electronic equipment. The most important factor when designing an
extinguishing system for a server room environment is to make sure
that it extinguishes fires without harming sensitive electronic
equipment, e.g. by selecting the appropriate extinguishing agent
and nozzles designed to prevent excessive noise. Furthermore, the
chosen agent needs to be environmentally sustainable and safe for
people and electric and electronic equipment in the protected area.
More detailed information regarding fire protection in these rooms is
given in the document “fire protection in server rooms”.