On Sat, 8 Nov 2003, Fisher, Shawn wrote:

Can anyone point me to a good resource for datacenter spec's or best practices?

There isn't a one-size fits all data center spec. I try to outline various considerations for evaluating data center specs on my web site http://www.donelan.com/design/general.html There are very few things which justify the cost of a Level V (Grade AAA) data center design. A Level I computer room is satisfactory for many ordinary business purposes. Heck, most computers used in business wouldn't meet the Orange Book "C" rating for security, why put a "C" rated system in an "A" rated data center. Better concrete won't improve the software. Hire a licensed architect and professional engineering firm with experience designing datacenters. Several vendors have data center white papers, but usually the white paper consists of recommendations to buy a particular vendor's equipment.