datacenter confidential #2
I have become used to a certain degree of derision from Steve, the datacenter facilities manager. Here is a man in his mid-50s who has probably seen and done anything and everything I am likely to accomplish in my career 10 times over. But there was something different in his eyes when both he and I realized that my predecessor had foolishly plugged in a 15-amp remote power controller (RPC) into a vertical power strip plugged into a 20-amp power circuit. "That thing could catch fire," Steve told me, in the shrillest of tones. I looked back at him confused and a little hurt. "What amperage do we require you to use on a 20-amp circuit?" continued Steve. "15 amps, 80%" I repeated, from rote. "What's 80% of 15 amps?" "12 amps?" I replied using quick math. The circuit that 15-amp RPC was plugged into was drawing nearly 11 amps. It dawned on me that if I plugged anything else into that RPC there was a good chance that, at best, I would bl...