A/C	Air Conditioning
ACID ETCH	A preparatory step for concrete sealing. Diluted hydrochloric acid is applied to the concrete to etch the surface for better seal adhesion.
ACP	Association of Contingency Planners. A national association with local chapters located around the country.
AFCOM	Association For Computer Operations Managers. A national trade association. Data Clean exhibits at their trade show each spring. AFCOM publishes a bi-monthly magazine, The Computer Operations Manager, in which Data Clean regularly advertises. www.afcom.com/
ANTI-STAT	Describes any product or item which by design, prevents the build-up of static electricity and/or dissipates static electricity.
BEAD BLAST	A preparatory step for concrete sealing. Steel pellets are shot at the concrete at high velocity, similar to sandblasting. The process removes old paint, flooring adhesives, etc., and roughens the concrete for better seal adhesion.
BRMA	Business Recovery Managers Association. BRMA is Northern California's largest business recovery association. www.brma.com
BRPA	Business Resumption Planners Association. BRPA is an independent professional association of people employed in all aspects of disaster recovery, contingency and business continuity / resumption planning. www.brpa-chicago.org
CDRP	Certified Disaster Recovery Planner
CHILLER	A device which circulates air past chilled pipes to provide cooling. The pipes are typically chilled by circulating cold water or other heat transfer fluid.
COLD SITE	A computer facility available for use in the event of a disaster. Generally this is just a room; computers, power, and cooling systems must be installed.
CONSOLE	An area from where operators control the rest of the facility.
CPU	Central Processing Unit. This is the computational brain of any computer system. The CPU does all the calculations and number crunching for the system. A CPU farm is a cluster of multiple CPUs.
CRAC	Computer Room Air Conditioner
CRAH	Computer Room Air Handler
DASD	Direct Access Storage Device. These are more commonly know as disk drives. A string of DASD refers to multiple units lined up in a row.
DATA COMM. CABINET	A tall cabinet used to house hubs, modems, multiplexers, routers and other data communications equipment.
DISASTER RECOVERY	The act or actions associated with returning to normal operations in the wake of a disaster.
DOWNTIME	The period of time when a computer or system is shut down and is considered non-operational.
DPMA	Data Processing Managers Association. A national trade association similar to AFCOM.
DRJ	Disaster Recovery Journal. A professional journal specializing in business continuity issues. www.drj.com
DRY PIPE	A water sprinkler system where the pipe is pressurized with air and not water. This prevents system leaks from immediately discharging water in sensitive environments.
EPOXY SEAL	A two-part coating system for sealing concrete. Because of the application difficulty, Epoxy seal is only used for new construction before the raised floor is installed.
FLOOR PULLER	A suction device used to remove smooth surface access flooring panels.
FM-200	Chemically known as heptafluoropropane, FM-200 is an alternative fire suppression system agent manufactured in the United States by Great Lakes Chemical (FM-200) and DuPont Corporation (HFC-227). It is a replacement for the ozone depleting Halon1301 used extensively before 1994.
FREON	A chemical used in commercial and residential and automotive air conditioning systems. Freon is also known to destroy the earth's ozone layer and is being phased out of use by the EPA. Many companies are currently embarking on programs to replace their freon-based A/C systems with non-freon systems.
GEN. SET	Generator Set. Refers to one or more generators used to provide emergency power to the computer system in the event of a blackout. Generators are usually diesel powered and must be used in conjunction with a UPS. The UPS provides backup power while the generator is starting, rotating up to speed and getting synchronized.
HALON 1301	A gas used for fire suppression in data centers. Halon extinguishes a fire by rapidly absorbing oxygen in the room. Historically halon was much preferred over water systems because halon does not damage electrical equipment like water does. Now however, halon has been linked to ozone depletion and its use is being phased out by the EPA. Replacement products include C02, HFC-227 (Heptafluoropropane – Marketed as FM-200), Inergen, Water.
HALON DUMP	The act of halon being discharged into a room. This generally causes a big mess because of the pressure at which the gas is released. Typically the ceiling tiles blow out and any loose papers are spread all around the room. A halon dump will generally cause a system shutdown.
HEAD CRASH	The act of a hard disk head physically contacting the surface of the hard disk media. This generally renders the disk surface and the head inoperable. Head crashes are caused when minute dirt particles accumulate on the disk surface. If the head hits the dirt, it will wobble vertically and crash into the disk.
HEPA	High Efficiency Particle Accumulation. The critical filter in Data Clean's environmental vacuums. The HEPA filter traps 99.997% of dust particles larger than 0.3 microns.
HOT SITE	A computer facility intended to provide emergency processing for damaged systems. Computers and power are already installed and simply waiting for the current data sets to be loaded.
HPL	High Pressure Laminate. The most common and preferred flooring surface for use in data centers. HPL can be manufactured with conductive carbon molecules embedded in the surface to provide electrical conductivity to dissipate static electricity.
IEST	Institute of Evironmental Science and Technology. IEST is an international professional society representing interests in contamination control, design test, evaluation, and product reliability. www.iest.org
INERGEN	Inergen is an environmentally green three dimensional fire suppression agent replacing Halon 1301. Inergen is a blend of three naturally occurring gases--Nitrogen, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide. An Inergen system lowers the oxygen content of the protected area to a point sufficient to sustain human life, but insufficient to support combustion.
MICRO-STAT	The secondary filter in Data Clean's environmental vacuums. This filter is typically made from fiberglass batting, similar to building insulation. The microstat filter traps all dirt larger than 3.0 microns in size.
MIPS	Million Instructions Per Second. A common benchmark for computers which is synonymous with the horsepower of the computer.
MURIATIC ACID	A diluted form of hydrochloric acid. Muriatic acid is used to test for the presence of sufficient seal on concrete. Improperly sealed concrete will have a noticeable chemical reaction with even a few drops of acid. A sufficient coating of seal will prevent the acid from interacting with the concrete.
ON-LINE	The condition when a computer or data center is operating and available to process information.
PEDESTAL	The component of the raised floor which supports the flooring system. The pedestals are generally glued to the concrete slab and extend vertically toward the raised floor panels.
PLENUM	The area between the access floor panels and the concrete slab. Typically used as an air duct and a cableway for the data center. Can also refer the area above the suspended ceiling and the concrete slab above.
PDU	Power Distribution Unit. An active electrical device which conditions and provides multiple taps of the incoming electrical supply for the computer equipment.
PRE-ACTION	A fire extinguishing system that utilizes a dry pipe and requires a smoke or heat sensor to be activated before charging the system. Generally, a second detector must be activated to cause the supressant to discharge.
RAID	Redundant Array of Idependent Disks. A new technology employing many smaller, independent hard disks logically coupled together to replace older, expensive single drive systems.
STRINGER	The component of the raised floor which supports the floor panels. The stringers form a bridge between two adjacent pedestals. Flooring systems may also be stringerless.
SULPA	SULPA (Super ULPA) filters are available where maximum cleanliness is required. These filters have an efficiency of 99.9999% on the same basis as ULPA filters. The low penetration expected from ULPA and SULPA filters is such that they must be totally free of even the smallest leak.
TELECOM CABINET	A tall cabinet used to telecommunications equipment and systems.
THERMOPLASTIC	Data Clean's preferred water-based concrete sealer. This product is applied by low SEAL pressure sprayers and dries to a glossy finish. The product is available in clear or gray, virtually odorless and dries in 20-30 minutes.
TRACE-TEK	A brand name water detection system commonly used in underfloor areas of data centers. Employs a woven two-conductor cable which is routed around the floor in a serpentine pattern.
TRIM EDGE	A removable plastic strip attached to the four edges of access floor panels. The trim edge provides a decorative edge and compliance between adjacent floor panels.
ULPA FILTER	ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filter. ULPA filter is one that has a minimum efficiency of 99.999% for particles in the most penetrating particle size at the specified media velocity. The most penetrating particle size is defined as that particle diameter for which penetration through the medium is a maximum.
UPS	Uninterruptible Power Supply. An electrical system containing batteries which will provide power to the computer system in the event of a blackout. A continuous UPS is always in the circuit with main power passing through it. A standby UPS is out of the circuit and is switched over in a fraction of a second when needed. In most large data centers, the UPS is only able to support the system for a few minutes until a generator can be started.
VCT	Vinyl Composition Tile. Common floor covering in use today. VCT can be recognized because it is generally manufactured in 12 inch square tiles.
VAT	Vinyl Asbestos Tile. Older flooring surface made from a vinyl composite with embedded asbestos. VAT is no longer available. VAT can be recognized because it was generally manufactured in 9 inch square tiles.
ZINC WHISKERS	Small crystals of zinc which can grow naturally from the surface of certain zinc plated flooring systems. Commonly occur on the bottom of woodcore access panels. See Zinc Whisker Article for more details.