Hot / cold aisle
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Stands for: Hot-aisle / cold-aisle data-center layout and containment
The data-center layout that keeps equipment intake air separate from exhaust - rows face front-to-front and back-to-back.
Racks arranged so all fronts (intakes) share a cold aisle fed by cooling, and all rears (exhausts) share a hot aisle returning to the CRAC/CRAH units, stop hot exhaust from recirculating into intakes. Containment - doors and panels sealing one aisle or the other - sharpens the separation and the efficiency numbers (PUE). Blanking panels in empty rack slots are the humble detail that makes the whole scheme work.
Also known as: hot aisle, cold aisle, containment, airflow