Abstract:
A system and method for monitoring, at a Web browser, electrical components can include the steps of receiving, information related to electrical components, such as servers, disposed in a plurality of cabinets, a portion of the cabinets being located in a first geographic location, and a second portion of the cabinets being located in a second geographic location, remote from the first geographic location, receiving information related to the real-time characteristics of the electrical components and displaying a graphical representation of the cabinets, the components and the information related to the real-time characteristics of the electrical components. The information related to the electrical components can include which cabinet the electrical components are located, the rated current draw of the electrical component, and the rated temperature of the electrical component. The real-time characteristics of the electrical components can include the actual percentage of rated current load, the actual percentage of rated temperature, and the actual percentage power draw. Displayed views can include a cabinet view, a room view, a floor view, a building view, a state view, a country view and a world view.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent application No. 60/913,313, filed Apr. 23, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the invention relate generally to electrical systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for rack management and capacity planning for distributed electrical systems such as high-density server installations. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In today&#39;s business environment, the success of many corporations and business enterprises is dependent upon a vast internal information technology infrastructure that includes hundreds or thousands of servers and other computer devices distributed throughout the enterprise. 
         [0004]    These servers are typically housed in special environmentally controlled rooms that contain rows of electrical cabinets. Each electrical cabinet can contain one or more servers, as well as electrical power distribution components. Electricity is distributed through branch circuits to power the servers and other components in the cabinets. 
         [0005]    As the needs of different business units within an organization change and grow, it is often necessary to add additional servers into the organization&#39;s information technology infrastructure. As decisions are made as to where to ad additional servers, capacity planning for adding additional servers, and/or moving servers can become complex and cumbersome. Keeping track of available electrical loads, HVAC capacities, and cabinet capacities as well as other pertinent information related to the deployment of servers and other electrical equipment throughout the organization is ever more important and complex. 
         [0006]    In addition, overloaded and unbalanced circuits can cause catastrophic failures which can lead to loss of data and stop business units from performing necessary functions. Thus, it would be helpful to be able to monitor these circuits throughout the enterprise 
         [0007]    Moreover, many large business enterprises have physical assets spread across the globe. Currently, facility departments and information technology departments lack a unified integrated system or tool to implement capacity and facility planning and to monitor electrical equipment assets located at a plurality of sites for a large distributed enterprise. For example, an information technology firm having sites distributed at locations throughout the world may have hundreds of locations each requiring capacity and facility planning, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Located within these hundreds of locations may be tens of thousands of pieces of energy consuming equipment, which contribute to the overall equipment deployment profile of each site and of the enterprise. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, what would be desirable, but has not yet been provided, is a centrally located, user-friendly system for capacity and facility planning as well as tracking or monitoring of electrical characteristics of equipment located at one or more sites distributed at multiple geographic locations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The above-described problems are addressed and a technical solution is achieved in the art by providing systems and methods for implementing capacity and facility planning and monitoring, of electrical equipment located at multiple sites. The systems of some embodiments make it possible to view a plurality of data centers, which can be spread all over the world, as a single united entity. The system includes a plurality of PCs/Workstations that are Web-enabled, a Web server, and a database server which includes information relating to pieces of energy consuming equipment located at one or more sites distributed at multiple geographic locations. 
         [0010]    A system and method for facility planning can include the steps of receiving information related to electrical components, such as servers disposed in a plurality of cabinets, receiving information related to the real-time characteristics of the electrical components and displaying a graphical representation of the cabinets, the components and the information related to the real-time characteristics of the electrical components. The information related to the electrical components can include which cabinet the electrical components are located the rated current draw of the electrical component, and the rated temperature of the electrical component. The real-time characteristics of the electrical components can include the actual percentage of rated current load the actual percentage of rated temperature, and the actual percentage power draw. Displayed views can include a cabinet view, a room view, a floor view, a building view, a state view, a country view and a world view. 
         [0011]    Thus, by way of embodiments of the invention, systems and methods are provided for tracking or monitoring) of electrical characteristics of equipment located at one or more sites distributed at multiple geographic locations. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Embodiments of the invention will be more readily understood from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments presented below considered in conjunction with the attached drawings, of which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1A  is a block diagram showing a system architecture in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1B  is a block diagram showing a system architecture in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a software architecture, constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of the navigation of user screens, constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is screen shot of Web page which displays a world map in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is screen shot of Web page which displays a country map in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is screen shot of Web page which displays a locations screen in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is screen shot of Web page which displays a floor screen in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is screen shot of Web page which displays a room screen according to equipment by occupancy in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is screen shot of Web page which displays a room screen according to equipment by alarms in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is screen shot of Web page which displays a rack/cabinet watt load in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is screen shot of Web page which displays a heat map in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is screen shot of Web page which displays a PDU Distribution in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is screen shot of Web page which displays a report by design/load overview in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is screen shot of Web page which displays a report generated for a particular PDU according to PDU detail, showing actual load conditions in detail in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is screen shot of Web page which displays rack detail in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 16-17  are screen shots of Web pages which displays panel detail in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 18  is screen shot of Web page which displays an edit panel screen after selecting the Room Overview tab; 
           [0031]      FIG. 19  is screen shot of Web page which displays load detail vs. time from the panel detail screen; and 
           [0032]      FIGS. 20A-20H  are details of data tables stored in the database server of embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0033]    It is to be understood that the attached drawings are for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the invention and may not be to scale. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system and method and software application that provides real time and historical branch circuit monitoring, circuit alarm notification, and cabinet asset management for small and large data centers. The system of the present invention makes it possible to view a plurality of data centers, which can be spread all over the world, as a single entity. The present system bridges the gap between facility infrastructure and cabinet management for power capacity planning. The system can display compiled energy usage data to allow for proper distribution of equipment in a data center to avoid overloading, of circuits and cabinets. An enterprise can predict alarms/excessive power dissipation conditions and make it possible for an enterprise to make decisions concerning load balance and upgrades to their systems based on power dissipation in a centralized fashion from any of a plurality of distributed terminals. Features of certain embodiments can include one or more of: A non-proprietary, browser-based user interface; Input/Output (I/O) capability for detailed cabinet and room environmental monitoring; Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and email alarm notification; Ethernet and MODBUS communications; SQL database for report generation; The addition and modification of rooms, cabinets, and circuits; and An automatic audit trail for tracking changes made by a user. 
         [0035]    The system of some embodiments can simplify capacity planning and accelerate the speed of high-density server deployment. The system is capable of tracking and recording additions, movements, and deletions in branch circuits. The system can track load vs. available AC power and cabinet capacities within a data center. The system can depict graphically dynamic power variations at the circuit, cabinet, room, and facility level, and can provide automated alarms in real time. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 1A , an exemplary system architecture of the present invention is depicted, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, generally, indicated at  10 . The system  10  includes a plurality of Web-enabled terminals  12 , which can be PCs or workstations, a Web server  14 , a database server  16 , a plurality an of Ethernet to MODBUS TCP converters  18 , a plurality of MODBUS RS-485 to TCP/IP converters  20 , a plurality of MODBUS splitters (not shown), I/O Blocks (not shown), and a plurality of branch circuit current transformers  22 . The system can be communicatively coupled to a network, such as the Internet  19 . In a preferred embodiment, the Web-enabled terminals  12  include a monitor which supports a resolution of up to 1680×1050 pixels. The PC/Workstation  12  cain be configured to run the following application programs: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP™ operating system, Internet Explorer™ Version 5.0 or higher Visual Interdev 6.0, Microsoft SQL Server 2000™, Microsoft Office 2003™, Macromedia Flash, HTML guardian, Safenet Sentinel License Designer, Fusion Charts, CimQuest Ingear, Front Page Extensions and permissions, and Paint Shop Pro. In one embodiment, the servers  14 ,  16  can preferably be a Pentium 4 or higher running at 2.8 GHz with 2 GB of RAM and 146 GB Raid 5 hard disks. The Web server  14  includes an HTTP server, WEB GUI tools, and an application server running under a version of the Windows operating system. The servers  14 ,  16  can be configured to run Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 4, IIS 6.0, and Windows 2003 Server with Front Page Extensions. 
         [0037]    The integration of a database into the system  10  is via interactions between the Web server  14  and the database server  16 , and is transparent to the browsers running on the terminals  12 . When a Web browser on a terminal  12  requests a data page from the Web server  14 , the Web server  14  uses an application program to access the database via an ODBC driver, generates an HTML-data page on-the-fly, then passes the page from the database server  16  directly to the Web browser on a terminal  12 . The Web server  14  can be thought of as the portal to the World Wide Web of the Internet  19  from the point of view of the operating system running on the Web server  14 , and by network connection and extension, to the Web-enabled terminals  12 . The Web server  12  provides a facade to the operating system&#39;s resources by encapsulating the operating system and providing the requested resources to the browser on the terminals  12  using the functionality of the local operating system of the terminals  12 . A client application program running on a terminal  12  can use a Web browser to contact the Web server  14  and use HTTP to ask the Web server  14  for a specific document. The Web server  14  would then send the requested document back to the Web browser which, in turn, would display the document via the client program running on the terminal  12 . 
         [0038]    For database connectivity, embodiments of the invention can be developed by use of IDC, which is an ISAPI dynamic link library (DLL) that uses ODBC to gain access to databases, which allows the creation of Web pages dynamically from a database. To publish database information on the Web using IDC, an .IDC file can be created that resides on an IIS server residing on the Web server  14 . .IDC can be created. An .IDC file is a text file that specifies an ODBC data source and login information as well as queries programmed in SQL to retrieve/update data. An .HTX file is also created to act as a formatting template for any retrieved results. The .IDC file references the .HTX file so that the database information can be formatted to display in an HTML page. Finally, a developer can create a Web page that passes a reference to a specific .IDC file in order to connect to and access the database from a Web browser on a terminal  12 . 
         [0039]    Embodiments of the invention can be developed by use of Visual InterDev, a program which provides a complete development system for building Web applications. Visual InterDev includes client- and server-side programming tools, database connectivity tools, content editing tools, publishing and site management abilities, and team-based development support. Visual InterDev relies on a technology from Microsoft IIS called Active Server Pages. An Active Server Page is where application logic is stored. A Web developer can use server-side scripting languages, stick as MS VB script and JScript, to perform application processing directly on the Web server  14 . With Active Server Pages, a Web developer can build dynamic Web applications with advanced state management, server-side scripting, and server components. MS Visual InterDev also supports client-side scripting languages, such as VRScript, JScript, and ActiveX controls. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, the system  10  is adapted to monitor the current draw from equipment located on racks residing in rooms on floors of enterprise buildings which may be distributed throughout the world. Some embodiments makes use of MODBUS connectivity for access to measurement circuitry from the database server  16 . Connectivity to the Web is via an ethernet-to-MODBUS TCP converter  18 , located with the database server  16 , and a plurality of MODBUS TCP/IP-to-RS-485 multi-point-to-multipoint converters  20  located at the power distribution sites distributed over the Web via the Internet  19 . The converters  20  use Port 6110, Lantronix Xpress DR+, and Square D EX100SD. The MODBUS splitters (nots shown) employ SCADLINK IP Gateway. 
         [0041]    Using, the MODBUS standard hardware/software for the present invention has many advantages over other automated data acquisition standards such as: in addition to hardware, MODBUS is also an application layer messaging protocol, positioned at level 7 of the OSI model, which provides client/server communication between devices connected on different types of buses or networks; Modbus can allow up to millions of automation devices to communicate. MODBUS devices can be accessed at a reserved system port 502 on the TCP/IP stack; and MODBUS is a request/reply protocol and offers services specified by function codes. 
         [0042]    MODBUS function codes are elements of MODBUS request/reply PDUs; MODBUS is an application layer messaging protocol for client/server communication between devices connected on different types of buses or networks; MODBUS can be implemented using: TCP/IP over Ethernet; Asynchronous serial transmission over a variety of media (wire: EIA/TIA-232-E. EIA-422, EIA/TIA-485-A; fiber, radio, etc.); and MODBUS PLUS, a high speed token passing network. 
         [0043]    The I/O blocks for connecting from the MODBUS TCP/IP-to RS-485 converters  20  from/to the branch circuit monitoring current transformers  22  can be Microbrick UI81. The branch circuit monitoring (BCM) current transformers  22  can be either Veris H663 Modbus Split-Core BCMs or Veris H704 Modbus Split-Core BCMs. Communications interfaces between the system  10  and other systems is possible via MODBUS Port 502, SQL Port 1433, HTTP Web Port 80. SMPT Port 25 and SNMP. 
         [0044]    Referring to  FIG. 1B , another exemplary system architecture of the present invention is shown, making use of a trend server, site servers, building servers, wireless servers, and one or more failover servers. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the software architecture of the present invention is depicted. The software architecture include a Web browser program  24  running on the terminals  12 , a Field View Web application  26  running on the Web server  14 , a Field View Admin application  28  running on the Web Server  14 , a polling agent  29  running within the Field View Admin application  28 , a heartbeat daemon  30  running within the Field View Admin application  28 , an SQL-query-able database  32  stored on the database server  16 , and a database server program  34  for access to/from the database  32  running on the database server  16 . The field View Web application  26  communicates with the database server  16  via ODBC. The Field View Web application  26  was developed using the Microsoft Internet Server API and runs as an extension of the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), The Field View Web application  26  is configurable and allows for thousands of concurrent users to access the system  10 . The Web browser program  24  provides a browser-based user interface on each of the terminals  12 . The Web browser program  24  can communicate with the Field View Admin application  28  and the database server program  34  via ODBC. The Field View Admin application  28  configures all aspects of the system  10  including providing the real time branch circuit monitoring, alarm notification, and cabinet asset management functions of the system  10 . 
         [0046]    Upon start up of the system  10 , Field View Admin application  28  can perform the one or more of following system checks: License Key information; SQL Server Database Connection; and/or User Permissions 
         [0047]    The Field View Admin application  28  initializes the polling agent  29  and tile heartbeat daemon  30 . The Polling Agent  29  collects current measurement data using the ModBus Interfaces  18 ,  20 . It continuously scans the circuits of each panel via the plurality of branch circuit current transformers  22  and gets the data which in turn is updated in the SQL Server Database  32 . In some embodiments, the Polling Agent  29  scans approximately 200 Circuits per second and simultaneously. Circuit Alarms due to overloads can be generated at the same time based on the severity level. The following are the different types of alarms that can be generated: Team Circuit Critical High Alarm; Team Warning High Alarm; Team Circuit Warning Low Alarm; Circuit Critical High Alarm; Circuit Warning High Alarm; Circuit Warning Low Alarm; and Commission Failure. 
         [0048]    The Heartbeat Demon  30  keeps track of the Polling Agent  29 . If the Heartbeat Daemon  30  determines that there is no response from or failure of the Polling Agent  29 , then the Heartbeat Daemon  30  restarts the Polling Agent  29 . An Email is generated by the Heart Beat Daemon  30  if it fails to start the Polling Agent  29  with in the time span of 15 minutes. 
         [0049]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of the navigation of user screens, constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Referring now to  FIGS. 3-9 , the user accesses the application via a Web browser at a terminal  12  and is first presented with a login screen  36 , from which a user enters a login and password. Once logged in, the user is presented with a world map  38  ( FIG. 4 ). The user then selects the country  40  of the location of a facility in question. This brings the user to a country map screen  42  ( FIG. 5 ), from which the user can select the state (province)  44 . This brings the user to a locations screen  46  ( FIG. 6 ), from which the user can select one of the address locations  48  of a facility. The user can select a facility location by street address  50 , add a location  52  or edit an existing location  54 . This brings the user to a floor screen  56  ( FIG. 7 ) from which the user can select one of the floors  56  of a facility. The user can add a floor  57  or edit an existing floor  58 . This brings the user to a room screen  59  ( FIG. 8 ) from which the user can select one of the rooms  60  of a floor. The user can add a room  61  or edit an existing room  62 . At the upper left hand corner of the room screen is a top plan view of the rooms on a floor plan  63 , from which the user can select a room to display, which causes the room  60  to be highlighted and the floor plan of the room  64  be displayed as a map. A plurality of horizontally aligned tabs  65  align the top of the room view  60 . When selecting the Room Overview Tab  66 , a room map  67  is shown of equipment. The map  67  lists cabinets of equipment by column  69 , with each column  69  designated by a letter prefix and the individual cabinet  70  listed by number (e.g., A- 01 ). Each of the individual cabinets  70  has a dotted coding scheme  71 , which designates an empty cabinet (e.g. A- 06 ) indicated by an open square and progressively fuller cabinets indicated by larger squares (e.g., A- 01 ). Tabs  72 ,  74  to the upper left corner of the screen (e.g. Data Field  3 A and Colo  1 ), respectively, indicate several views for a floor plan. The “Data Field  3 A” tab  72  of  FIG. 8  lists equipment by occupancy, while the Colo  1  tab of  FIG. 9 , causes racks having alarms to be listed in a table  74 . 
         [0050]    Referring, again to  FIGS. 3 and 8 , the tabs  65  listed along the top of a floor plan, which indicate the various view that can be displayed for a given floor, include a room overview  66 , a PDU distribution  80 , a reports  82 , a heat map  84 , config  86 , and rack watt load  88 . Selecting one of these tabs brings the user to new screens as shoe in  FIGS. 10-18 . 
         [0051]    The details presented when selecting the Room Overview  66  provide the specifics of power and environmental conditions, including design, ratings, and loads. Individual circuits can be traced from a cabinet through a panel. A unique room identification is assigned to every room in the Room table (located in the database  32  of  FIG. 3 ). An outline of an exemplary algorithm executed when the Room Overview  66  is selected is as follows. 1) Permissions are checked for a user to access a Room Overview  66 ; 2) The room identification is checked in the room table (of the database  32 ); 3) Alarms based on the room identification are checked in the alarms table (of the database  32 ); 4) Inactive and passive cabinets/racks from the racks table (of the database  32 ) are checked based on status while sub device from alarms table are selected based on retention (in the database  32 ); 5) The rack name, sub device identification, coordinates, BTU watt rating, watt Load and severity are selected from the racks and alarms table; 6) A rollover displays the Status, Rated watts, Load watts, Load % of each cabinet; 7) All the records from the PDU table are selected based on the room identification; and 8) The IO points from the IO points table are selected based on the identification of the IO point and the room. 
         [0052]    Types of input/output (IO) points that can be displayed include: T—Temperature; H—Humidity; L—Leak Detect; and O—Disabled. 
         [0053]    Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 10 , the rack/cabinet watt load  88  can be selected to display the contents of a room  90  or a zone  92  via a filter  94 . The cabinet/watt load  88  displays the number of active, passive, and future cabinets; the total area of the cabinet in square feet; the rating, load, and free total KW; the watt load per cabinet; and the design and load of watts per square feet. The user can view the total of the cabinet watt load across the row/column, and the average of the cabinet watt load across the row/column.  FIG. 10  shows a selection by room. The room view shows cabinets now displayed along rows  96 . Each cabinet (e.g., A- 01 ) shows a display of the cabinet number  98 , the rated wattage of the cabinet  100 , the actual power dissipation for that cabinet  102 , and an optional bar  104  indicating the degree of overload. The boxes to the left and right of the rack row list indicate total power dissipation for a row of racks  106  and the average power dissipation, rating, and a bar indicating overload  108 . The boxes above the rack row list indicate total  110  and average  112  power dissipation for a column of racks. A summary chart  114  above the list of total  110  and average  112  power dissipation list the number of racks, ratings, and load for the entire floor. 
         [0054]    An outline of an exemplary algorithm executed when the rack/cabinet watt load  88  is selected is as follows: 1) Permissions are checked for a user to access a Cabinet watt Load; 2) Room identification is checked in the room table (of the database  32 ); 3) The maximum length of the cabinet name is checked in the rack table based on room identification; 4) The Maximum watt Load is checked from the rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone Number; 5) The Maximum and the Minimum number of Columns in the room are selected from the Racks table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 6) Colors are displayed based on the selection from the color table, and the value of the level; 7) The Columns and sum of the watt load are selected from the Rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 8) The Minimum and the Maximum of Rows are selected from the Rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 9) The Sum, Average of watt Load, and Average of BTU watt Rating are selected from Rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 10) The Active Racks, Non Active Racks, Passive, and Future are displayed based on data from the Rack table based on Status, Room and the Zone number; and 11) The Sum of the BTU watt Rating and watt Load are displayed from the Rack Table based on the Room identification and the Zone number. 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 11 , the heat map  84  can be selected to display the contents of a room  116  or a zone  118  according to watts  120  and/or BTUs generated  122  via a filter  126 . The heat map  84  displays the severity level for each cabinet in the room based on watts specified by a user. The heat map  84  also displays the Cabinet information, including output in watts, the average heat dissipation of each Cabinet row, and the total heat dissipation of the Cabinet row. (For example, in a block where the Color is Red, the output heat dissipation for that cabinet is attaining dissipating more then usual and needs to be checked immediately—i.e., a Critical Condition.). The user can also view the cabinet information for the entire room or for a zone. Some exemplary outputs shown in the Heat Map can include: Cabinet&#39;s Output in watts; Cabinet&#39;s Output in BTU&#39;s; Entire Room or Zone Heat Dissipation; Total and Average heat dissipation of the Cabinets; 
         [0056]    An outline of an exemplary algorithm executed when the heat map  84  is selected is as follows: 1) Permissions are checked for a user to access the heat map  84 ; 2) Room identification is checked in the Room table; 3) Zonal information is checked; 4) The Sum of watt load is checked from Rack table based on Room identification and Zone number; 5) The Maximum and the Minimum number of Columns in the room is selected from the Racks table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 6) Colors are displayed based on a selection from the color table, and the value of the levels; 7) The above steps are repeated for each column; 8) The Columns and sum of the watt load is selected from the Rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number; 9) Columns, average of the watt load, and average of the BTU watt Rating are selected from the Rack table based on the Room Identification and the Zone number grouped by the column order; 10) The Active Racks, Non Active Racks, Passive, Future are displayed from the Rack table based on Status, Room and the Zone number; and 11) The Sum of the watt load and watt Rating are displayed from the Rack Table based on the Room identification and the Zone number. 
         [0057]      FIG. 11  shows a selection by room. The layout of the heat map display is the same as for the rack watt load tab  88 , except that for a given rack  128 , heat generated is also expressed as a percentage  130  of the rated load. Each of the racks  128  is also color coded or grey scaled for the degree of heat generated. 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 12 , the PDU Distribution  80  can be selected to display a rack details  132  directly, and/or panel details  134  via a filter  136 . The PDU distribution  80  graphically depicts where power is coming from and where it is going, which can simplify capacity planning and trouble shooting. An exemplary outline of an algorithm executed when the PDU Distribution  80  is selected is as follows: 1) User Permissions are checked; 2) Room identification is checked from the Room table; 3) PDU records are selected from the PDU table based on the Room identification; 4) Records from the Rack table are selected based on the Status and the Room Identification; 5) Colors are displayed based on a selection from the color table; 6) Circuits are selected based on the Rack identification and the Panel identification from the Panels table; and 7) Panels from the PDU Panels table are displayed. 
         [0059]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 13 , the Reports tab  82  can be selected to display rack detail  142 , PDU detail  144 , AC Unit detail  146 , design/load overview  148 , environmental multipoint  150 , room notes  152 , and team circuit coverage  154  which is selectable by a filter  156  by teams in alarms  158  or all teams  160 . All reports are display based on the Room to be displayed. A non-exhaustive list of exemplary reports is as follows: 
         [0060]    Asset Management: This presents the user with the Brand and Model of the Server that is assigned to a cabinet. 
         [0061]    GEN Detail: The GEN Detail displays a report for the GEN name, Real Power kW, Apparent Power kVA, Power Factor, Current Phase A, Current Phase B and Current Phase C for all GEN at a given Location. 
         [0062]    UPS Detail: The UPS Detail displays a report for the UPS name, Real Power kW, Apparent Power kVA, Power Factor, Current Phase A, Current Phase B and Current Phase C for all UPS at a given Location. 
         [0063]    CDP Detail: The CDP Detail displays a report for the CDP name, Real Power kW, Apparent Power kVA, Power Factor, Current Phase A, Current Phase B and Current Phase C for all CDP at a given Location. 
         [0064]    PDU Detail: The PDU Detail displays a report for the PDU name, Real Power kW, Apparent Power kVA, Power Factor, Current Phase A, Current Phase B and Current Phase C for all PDU at a given Location. 
         [0065]    PDU Panel Detail: The PDU Detail displays a report for the PDU details, the KVA, Panel Amps, Phase Amp Load, and the Positions for the PDU. 
         [0066]    Cabinet Summary: The Cabinet summary displays the list of the Cabinets of a selected room. 
         [0067]    AC Unit Detail: The AC Unit Detail displays a report for the AC Units, tons, the BTU rating, and the load percentage for the AC unit. 
         [0068]    Design/Load Overview Report: The Design Load Overview displays a report of the physical, electrical, and environmental details. It also displays the various active, passive, and future cabinets and the total number of cabinets. 
         [0069]    Team Circuit Overage: The Team Circuit Overage displays a report of the cabinet name, the team, the PDU, the Panel, the Circuit, the rating, the load, and the alarm. It also displays the team average rating and the team total load. 
         [0070]    Environment Multi-Point: The Environment Multi-Point displays a report for the start date, end date, and the interval in seconds or minutes. It gives the user a select list of IO Points according to their types (“Temperature”, “Leak”, “Humidity” and “Disabled”). 
         [0071]    Room Notes: This displays the date, user and the detailed note that a user submits. 
         [0072]    Activity Log: This displays the date, user and the detailed note whenever an activity occurs. 
         [0073]    Alarms List: This displays the complete alarms that are generated and groups based on the type: IO Panel, Circuit, GEN, UPS, CDP, PDU, Panels and the Cabinet. 
         [0074]    Circuit Load: This displays the location, amp load and the type of the Alarm generated for a room. 
         [0075]      FIG. 13  shows details of displaying, a report by design/load overview  148 .  FIG. 13  lists each of the racks in a row  162 , indicating PDU  164 , rated current  166 , actual load current  168 , available current  170 , rated and load current by panel  172 , current by phase  174 , and position  176 . Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a report is generated for a particular PDU according to PDU detail, showing actual load conditions in more detail by circuit including phase. Referring, now to  FIG. 15 , a rack detail  132  is selected. The rack detail screen  182  shows an illustration of a particular cabinet  184 , above which rated wattage  186  and actual loads  188  for the cabinet and team A is shown. To the left and right of the cabinet  184  are circuit feed graphs  190 ,  192  per panel, showing the panel name  194 , circuit number  196 , rating  198 , load  200 , team number  202 , and circuit type  204 . Referring now to  FIG. 16 , Panel Detail  134  is selected. The Panel Detail  134  lists individual panel details in boxes  206  and  208 , including phase current  210  phase average  212 , phase total  14 , etc. Referring now to  FIG. 17 , a second panel detail  134  is selected. The second panel detail  134  lists individual panel details for a particular panel in each of the cabinets  216  based on circuit number  218 ,  220 . Ratings for each circuit is displayed  222 , circuit ratings for the entire circuit  224  and team  226  are displayed, along with the load  228 .  FIG. 18  shows an edit panel screen  230  after selecting the Room Overview  66  tab.  FIG. 19  shows load detail vs. time from the panel detail screen  232 . 
         [0076]    The details presented when selecting config  86  provide the configuration of the Cabinets, Panels, UPS, GEN CDP, etc. Config  86  can be selected to display a PDU list  234 , a PDU panel list  236 , a rack list  238 , an AC unit list  240 , and an IO Panel list  242 . A non-exhaustive exemplary list of configuration data that can be displayed includes: 
         [0077]    IO Panel List: IO Panel List displays the basic details of the Input Output Panel List. A user can add an IO Panel, edit an IO Pane, and view the list points in the specific IO Panel. 
         [0078]    AC Unit list: AC Unit List displays the basic details of the AC Units. A user can Add an AC Unit, and edit an AC Unit. 
         [0079]    Cabinet List: Cabinet List displays the basic details of the Cabinets. A user can view the list of PDU Panels, add a cabinet, edit a cabinet, and view the list of servers in the cabinet. 
         [0080]    PDU Panel List: PDU Panel List displays the basic details of the PDU Panels. A user can view the list of Cabinets add a PDU Panel, edit a PDU Panel, and view the list of circuits in the PDU Panel. 
         [0081]      FIGS. 20A-20H  are details of data tables stored in the database server of embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0082]    While certain hardware, software, architecture, algorithm and methods are described herein, other configurations can be implanted in accordance with embodiments of the invention, as would be known to one of skill in the art. 
         [0083]    Embodiments of the invention has numerous advantages over prior art energy management systems. A browser-based front end user interface provides the power of real time information anytime, anywhere. The use of graphical navigation which is representative of actual floor plans allows for accurate capacity planning. The present invention simplifies capacity planning and accelerates high density server deployment. Branch circuit additions, moves, and deletions are easily tracked. A Single system tracks the actual load and available power, HVAC, and cabinet capacities within a data center. Catastrophic failures are avoided by monitoring overloads and unbalanced circuit at the cabinet level. Dynamic power variations can be trended at the circuit, cabinet, room, and facility level. The system has cabinet asset management capabilities. 
         [0084]    It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention and that many variations of the above-described embodiments may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.