Review of APC J35 home entertainment backup with technology support, Part 1 setup

Thinking about data centers and IT all day, it is natural to have the ideas transfer into my home life.  I am close to completing a custom house build where technology and data center ideas have influenced details like availability of services - Internet and Monitoring.

I have been having discussions with one of my power friends at APC who came over my house and we discussed what I could do for power back-up systems.  He suggested the Audio Video line as one option, and after some research I decided when the timing was right I would get an APC AV backup system where I will have a cable modem, Dual WAN Router with 3G/4G failover, POE intercom, Security Camera DVR, and some AV equipment.

Luckily the folks at APC just announced a new unit the J35 and they sent one over to let me evaluate it.

Ideal for protecting and backing up televisions, home theater surround sound systems, gaming systems, routers, modems and additional home entertainment and office equipment, the APC J25B and J35B offer:

• Battery Backup – Data loss is eliminated when power is disrupted because of battery backup that enables saving and backing up DVR recordings, stored games and computer files.
• Multi-Stage Surge Protection – All electrical modes are guaranteed and offer protected and reliable thermal fusing which helps ensure safe operation under all conditions.
• Noise Filtering – Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is reduced to help ensure optimum picture and sound quality. The J Type benefits from two filterbanks which are isolated from each other to reduce cross contamination that can negatively impact audio and video performance.
• Cost-Efficiency and Portability – The industry-low price point offers a portable, consumer-friendly and all-inclusive solution with EMI/RFI, surge protection, AVR and battery backup.
• Dual-Color LCD Display Viewing – An informative display alerts users of any changing device and power environment conditions and subsequently enables adjustment of all device parameters.

When I hooked up all this gear I had over 100 minutes of battery backup which means my family could use the POE intercom when the power goes out to talk to mom/dad.  The internet access works for security notifications, including cable modem failure with the 3G/4G failover.

Here is a picture of APC’s new J35 Home Entertainment System Battery Backup.

The unit comes with a beefy power cord, some extra cables.  On top of the unit is the Cradlepoint MBR1200 Dual WAN and 3G/4G failover router.

When you take the battery cover off to connect the battery, the battery is installed upside down to disconnect it.

And you flip it over to connect and put the cover back on.

Here is a shot of the back.

And, the unit hooked up.

Next steps are to write about the use and connecting to a PC with the USB cable.

If Facebook can host a hack-a-thon for urban planning, why not try a data center plan

Facebook recently held a hack-a-thon for its new campus.

Hoping to Win Over a Town, Facebook Holds Urban Planning "Hack-a-thon"

Facebook is moving from tony Palo Alto to blue-collar Belle Haven, and they want to woo residents with community-oriented design.

Some social networks still function better in the flesh, and so, on Saturday, Facebook played host to a massive “design charrette” that brought four busloads of architects, designers, and urban planners together for an all-day cram session devoted to re-imagining Menlo Park’s Belle Haven community, soon-to-be home of the company’s global headquarters.

Here are one of the concepts.

We asked him what ideas particularly fired his fancy. “I like the idea of taking advantage of the bay land right next door,” he said. “I like the idea of connecting the rail line, which right now isn’t active. If it was active, we could use that to get Facebook employees to the campus.”

[Team Red's "Circle of Friends" concept]

Crowd-sourcing was applied to come up with new ideas.

Facebook says it wants to change the fortress vibe and embrace the community. So to kick things off on Saturday, designers took morning bus tours of the adjacent Belle Haven neighborhood -- several dozen local residents came along to lend their thoughts -- and then broke into Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green teams. Teams of 20 to 40 each rolled up their T-shirts and began cranking out as many hand sketches and digital models as they could before an after-dinner deadline: a show-your-work presentation before a packed assembly of fellow architects, Facebook reps, Menlo Park city officials, and a sprinkling of nearby residents. The day’s mission, as Norman tells it: “creating a sense of community” -- or perhaps, more to the point, to create a larger sense of community, one that very conspicuously features Facebook.

[Another concept, for a footbridge linking the campus with the surrounding blocks]

Why can’t the same be applied to a data center design?  Too radical of an idea.  Let’s see who likes and dislikes the idea?

HP announces New Zealand Data Center with Carbon Emissions Reporting

HP announced a new green data center in New Zealand.

HP Announces Multimillion-dollar Next-generation Data Center in Waikato, New Zealand

Data center to help organizations simplify IT and invest more in innovation

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 9, 2011

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HP today announced a multimillion-dollar investment to build and lease a next-generation data center to be located in the Waikato district.

Part of the data center is a carbon emissions reporting service.

the HP Carbon Emissions Management Service, an assessment service that helps organizations calculate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions emanating from the use of IT. This will assist organizations with compliance-based carbon footprint reporting.

The data center of course supports cloud computing.

The facility will provide the infrastructure organizations need for cloud computing services, application modernization and data center transformation, enabling clients to devote more resources to innovation and increase productivity.

“New Zealand has a vibrant economy which encourages technology innovation and environmental sustainability. HP’s energy-efficient data center in New Zealand, incorporating a high standard of design and capabilities, will support digital infrastructure growth and initiatives,” said Rasika Versleijen-Pradhan, senior IT services analyst, IDC New Zealand. “The facility will assist the New Zealand IT industry and provide a local platform for the provision of new high-tech infrastructure services to the region well into the future.”

HP launches Energy Services as an alternative to IBM Smarter Planet, partners with Hara and C3

HP launched its Energy and Sustainability Management Solution and I had an interview with Jay Allardyce, Director, Growth Initiatives, Energy and Sustainability Management, EB and Ken Hamilton, Director, Global Energy and Sustainability Services, HP Technology Consulting along with customer references from executives with Hara, and Avaya.

My first question was this is great you talk about energy what about water?  Jay and Ken both went into more detail on how their solution addresses the growing need for managing water as a resource in addition to energy.  I regularly use water awareness as a test to see if companies are really thinking about sustainability.  I saw an IBM presentation 4 years ago, where an executive discussed water as a resource we need to focus on.  Both HP and IBM pass my simple test, they think of water in addition to energy in their resource management solution.

Here is HP’s Energy and Sustainability Management Services page.

Here is IBM’s Smarter Planet page.

IBM’s marketing machine is tough to beat.  Here is a 8:36 video that has 39,764 views.

HP signed up two top companies to work with - Hara and C3.

Open approach to partnering

To enhance the overall solution and customer experience, HP also announced an ESM partner network in which HP, along with organizations that complement HP’s services, will evaluate a client’s environmental impact and develop best practices for improving resource utilization.

“Customers are seeking solutions that optimize both sustainability and energy management throughout their organizations,” said Amit Chatterjee, chief executive officer and founder, Hara. “Pairing our environmental and energy management solutions with HP’s industry reach and expert delivery provides clients with a superior, holistic approach to identify, prioritize and act on energy- and resource-efficiency strategies that drive cost savings, minimize risk and create value.”

There is no mention of C3, but GreenTech Media choose to make it part of their headline.

HP Teams With C3, Hara for Energy Consulting

Did HP invest in the companies as well? No comment, it says.

Hewlett-Packard wants to become a big player in energy management and energy efficiency, so it has reached out to two rising stars for help.

The company has launched a series of nine consulting services that will leverage the software from Hara and C3 to lower energy and resources consumption, retool organizations for efficiency and make energy reporting and accounting easier. HP's consulting services will focus on reducing energy in overall operations and will not, in most circumstances, get involved in redesigning finished products, according to Jay Allardyce, director of growth initiatives in the energy and sustainability management group. We asked if HP invested in either or both companies and Allardyce declined to comment.

ZDNet also covers the announcement and lists the 9 service offerings.  2 are data center focused.

• HP Critical Facility Sustainability Tradeoff Analysis, an analysis of the impact that certain data center design approaches might have
• HP Critical Facilities Energy Certification Service, a service for helping achieve certifications such as LEED or the EPA’s Energy Star for Data Centers

We’ve reached a new stage of green data centers where both HP and IBM are offering services where the data center is part of an overall sustainability strategy for a company.

China’s Huawei breaking down barriers of Network and Server gear

GigaOm covers Huawei’s move into Cisco’s space.

Cisco Beware! Huawei Plans a Data Center Push

By Stacey Higginbotham Mar. 9, 2011, 12:30pm PT No Comments

Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei has plans to invade the enterprise IT market according to a research note out this morning from Deutsche Bank. An analyst at the firm expects the company to introduce a line of servers, low-end switches, security, VoIP and storage products designed for the enterprise before the end of this year. Huawei recently reported $2 billion in revenue from the enterprise and organized the company into three operating segments: carrier, enterprise and devices.

WSJ discusses Huawei’s growth in the Enterprise.

By Lilly Vitorovich and Molly Neal

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Global telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. expects revenue from its enterprise division to increase eightfold over the next three to five years as it takes advantage of new growth opportunities emerging from cloud computing, a senior company executive told Dow Jones Newswires.

In a departure from its main focus on network infrastructure, the Chinese company said it is reorganising its business around four major areas - network infrastructure, enterprise business, devices, and other. Enterprise sales are expected to double to $4 billion in 2011 and hit $15 billion in three to five years, said William Xu, executive vice president of Huawei and president of Huawei Enterprise Business.

Check out Huawei’s server page.

Server

Overview

We are now entering a new era in which telecommunication and IT industry are integrated.
In this new era, IT can totally change the development of an enterprise.
Based on the understanding of customer requirements, Huawei provides technologically-advanced server products and competitive solutions, which helps customers make profit continuously.
Currently, Huawei has released TecalTM T8000 blade servers and R series rack servers into the market. These products help in telecommunication and internet operations, and energy industry. By using the products, Huawei helps users to handle the technical difficulties in saving energy, improving performance, and developing new architecture.

Will one of the biggest change in IT hardware be the arrival of China’s companies?