Data Center Levels of Commissioning
There are 5 data center levels of commissioning. The successful commissioning of a data centre is critical to the reliability and performance of the facility. The process starts at the early project stages and can continue post-completion.
This translates into the ability for data centers to have greater longevity, safety, reliability and efficiency to improve ROI. There are 5 Levels to Data Center Commissioning & Testing that most commissioning agencies follow to finalize a Data Center.
Level 1: Factory Testing Witnessing
The equipment is tested at the factory before being delivered to the data centre. The expected performance parameters are identified when purchasing the equipment and the factory test ensures that they achieve that performance before being moved and installed. The test is usually witnessed by the commissioning agent.
Level 2: Site Acceptance Inspection
Once the equipment is on-site, it is inspected by the commissioning agent. This is to ensure that the equipment brought to the site meets specifications and design requirements before it enters the facility and to ensure that no issues will arise later during the commissioning stage.
Level 3: Pre-Functional Testing
Referred to in the commissioning field as Pre-Commissioning. This is the inspection of the installation of the equipment only. The contractor, the commissioning agency and the supplier work together to determine if the equipment was installed correctly and is in compliance with industry requirements and regulations. This is also the first time the equipment is turned over and checked for functionality.
Level 4: Functional Performance Testing
This level represents the actual commissioning of individual systems. The system is tested and adjusted to achieve the required performance. Functional tests ensure that each system works well on its own regardless of its communication with other systems.
Level 5: Integrated Systems Testing (IST)
The purpose of the IST is to identify whether or not the systems that have been individually tested for performance are properly working together to achieve the temperature. humidity and tier redundancy requirements with a simulation of different failure scenarios to ensure the data centre stays awake.