NEMA, which stands for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, is a standards-setting body for the North American electrical industry. NEMA connectors are plugs and receptacles used for mains electricity that conform to NEMA standards. The plug and receptacle configuration chart on page 198 shows NEMA configurations that are available in Geist products.

A “Plenum” is compartment or chamber used for HVAC air distribution. In the data center, this is typically the space below a raised floor. A “Plenum Rated” cable refers to structured cabling permitted by building code for use in plenum spaces. Plenum rated cable has a slow-burning, fire-resistant casing that emits little smoke. Article 645 of the National Electric Code (NEC), titled Information Technology Equipment, discusses the use of power cables under a raised floor.

The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, is a United States Government Agency charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. FCC rules prohibit electronic equipment used in the United States from emitting any Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) that endangers the functioning of a radio navigation service or other safety services or seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a radio communications service. The FCC has established maximum emission levels for unintentional radiators based on whether they are intended for commercial or household use. Products intended for household use are required to meet Class B limits, while products intended for commercial use are required to meet Class A limits. Representative samples of Geist products are tested by an FCC Registered Lab to the Class A limits. All Geist products are compliant with FCC regulations.

The term is used by UL® when it determines that a complete product, such as a power distribution unit (PDU), is safe for use as intended by the manufacturer. Only UL® can authorize the use of the UL® Listing Mark.

The CE Mark is a required conformance mark that must be placed on certain types of electrical and electronic equipment sold in the European Union. The CE mark is used to indicate that a manufacturer certifies that a product conforms to all applicable European safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) directives.

RoHS (pronounced “rows” or “row-hoss”) is an acronym for Restriction on the use of Certain Hazardous Substances. The term RoHS is most commonly used to refer to the European Union’s (EU) RoHS Directive. The objective of the EU RoHS directive is to restrict the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This reduction is intended to both reduce the amount of hazardous substances in landfills resulting from the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment and to minimize the health and environmental impact of recycling electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS Compliance is mandatory for PDU products sold in Europe, and is becoming increasingly more important for PDU products sold in the United States. For example, California has already passed Proposition 65, a RoHS-like law requiring certain electrical and electronic equipment to comply with the requirements established by the EU RoHS Directive.