November 1, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Hewlett-Packard's (hp.com) next generation of radio frequency identification technology, previewed last week, has several practical implications for data centers, according to a report by Internetnews.com.
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RFID, similar in theory to bar code identification, uses electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency spectrum to transmit signals. A RFID system consists of an antenna and a transceiver, which read the radio frequency and transfer the information to a processing device, and a transponder, or tag, which is an integrated circuit containing the RF circuitry and information to be transmitted.
According to the report, RFID can be applied to allow system administrators to monitor the installations of servers and racks for example, whether a rack door has been opened, when and where a server was moved, or whether a server or rack is hotter than the others. The implementation combines RFID-tagged individual servers and racks with sensors and readers. This technology is designed for larger data centers consisting of tens of thousands of servers.
The report said HP will continue its heavy investment in RFID technology. The company, which has tested RFID internally for over two years, has committed $150 million to RFID over the next five years.
