If you're a typical user deploying or upgrading a mid-density (5–12 kW/rack) data center with raised-floor cooling and standard CRAC/CRAH units, cold aisle containment is the faster, lower-risk starting point—and hot aisle containment becomes worth serious consideration only when. If you're a typical user deploying or upgrading a mid-density (5–12 kW/rack) data center with raised-floor cooling and standard CRAC/CRAH units, cold aisle containment is the faster, lower-risk starting point—and hot aisle containment becomes worth serious consideration only when. An aisle containment system is a simple way to improve cooling efficiency in hot aisle/cold aisle rack configurations. Essentially creating a room within the aisle, the system helps keep hot and cold air separated to make existing air conditioning systems in data center and edge-of-network. Hot aisle and cold aisle containment are foundational concepts in data center design. In this guide, we'll break down how hot aisle and cold aisle configurations. The hot aisle /cold aisle data center layout was originated by IBM in 1992 and it is one of the oldest ways to save energy in the data center. Cooling is. How do you arrange server racks to maximize performance while minimizing costs? The configuration you choose directly impacts cooling efficiency, space utilization, and your bottom line.