A Virtual Facility is a highly realistic digital representation of a data center

Data center

A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...

 (primarily). The term virtual in Virtual Facility refers to the use of the word as in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality

Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

 rather than the abstraction of computer resources as in platform virtualization. The VF mirrors the characteristics of the physical facility over time and allows modeling all relevant characteristics of a physical data center with a high degree of precision.

VF Model includes

• Three dimensional physical facility layout
• Network connectivity of facility equipment
• Full inventory of facility equipment, including electronics and electrical systems such as Power Distribution Units
  Power distribution unit
  A power distribution unit 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....
  
   (PDU’s) and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS’s)
• Full air conditioning system (ACU’s) and controls within the room

The term Virtual Facility was introduced by Future Facilities, a data centre design consultancy focused on delivering Design and Operational solutions to address the emerging environmental problems facing the modern Mission Critical Facilities (MCF). The concept is in essence a convergence of the fields of Virtual Reality

Virtual reality

Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

 (VR), Computer Simulation

Computer simulation

A computer simulation, a computer model, or a computational model is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system...

 and Expert Systems, applied to the specific domain of facilities.

The VF type of computer simulation allows detailed analysis and prototyping of air flow in the data center by making use of Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...

 (CFD) techniques. This in turn allows the air flow and temperatures of the facility to be analyzed visually (Scientific Visualisation

Scientific visualization

Scientific visualization is an interdisciplinary branch of science according to Friendly "primarily concerned with the visualization of three-dimensional phenomena , where the emphasis is on realistic renderings of volumes, surfaces, illumination sources, and so forth, perhaps...

) and numerically to study and predict what will happen in the real facility. The importance of scientific methods in design of mission critical facilities has become a necessity, since the performance gains predicted by Moore's Law go hand in hand with a rise in power and heat dissipated by equipment. Rules of thumb have proven to be no longer adequate.

VF design purposes

• Green field design
• Asset management
• Trouble shooting existing data centers
• Making existing data centers more resilient
• Making existing data centers more energy efficient
• Cost prediction
• Staff training
• Capacity planning
• Load growth management

The VF is now being employed by many large organizations as a way of virtually assessing a situation before having to spend huge sums of money trying to solve a problem in the real facility.

It is essential to know whether adding new equipment or changing equipment will cause a logistical or thermal problem. The VF allows the designer or operator to assess the best course of action and gives in depth understanding on unintuive behaviours.