Research center plugs physical security into its network

Keeping its huge data center humming is vital at NASA Ames Research Center, where 4,000 scientists are working on aeronautics and biotechnology projects. When a new custom-built air conditioning system couldn't keep the research outfit's network equipment at the right temperature, it was the IT department's equivalent of a space mission gone wrong.

"It failed miserably? says George Alger, assistant division chief of the applied information technologies division and IT services manager. He worried that the A/C fluctuations threatened to disrupt or even damage the 50 racks of servers and .switches housed in the Moffett Field,Calif.,data center.

"The air conditioning should have maintained 68 degrees to 70 degrees in the room, but it didn't," Alger says about the custom-built system, which cost about $800,000.

NASA Ames became aware of the high and low temperature spikes because two physical- security sensors from NetBotz continuously monitor the data center's environment.