Power distribution unit

Data center power strip

A power distribution unit (PDU) is a device fitted with multiple outputs designed to distribute electric power, especially to racks of computers and networking equipment located within a data center. Data centers face challenges in power protection and management solutions. This is why many data centers rely on PDU monitoring to improve efficiency, uptime, and growth. For data center applications, the power requirement is typically much larger than a home or office style power strips with power inputs as large as 22 kVA or even greater. Most large data centers utilize PDUs with 3-phase power input and 1-phase power output. There are two main categories of PDUs: Basic PDUs and Intelligent (networked) PDUs or iPDUs. Basic PDUs simply provide a means of distributing power from the input to a plurality of outlets. Intelligent PDUs normally have an intelligence module that allow the PDU for remote management of power metering information, power outlet on/off control, and/or alarms. Some advanced PDUs allow users to manage external sensors such as temperature, humidity, airflow, etc.

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