Managing Data Center Power and Cooling
By Force10 Networks
Optimizing the overall power efficiency of the data center requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on technologies and strategies to minimize power consumption and maximize power efficiency at every level within the infrastructure, including CPU chips, power supplies, servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. In addition to measures that maximize power efficiency for hardware devices, there are also software strategies, such as server virtualization, that can play a significant role in reducing power consumption.
There are a number of potential benefits that can be derived from an increased focus on power consumption and power efficiency:
- extending the life of existing data centers and minimizing retrofits
- gaining at least partial control of growing expenses for power and cooling
- optimizing new data center designs
dubois said:
September 30th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Reducing overall power consumption is not the mission of most data center managers. Their priority is to expand IT services within energy load capacity and thermal constraints.
Consumption has plateaued (or soon will) by necessity; meanwhile there is growing revenue tied to IT services. Until recently, management hasn’t had an issue with IT costs growing with revenue.
If consumption goes down, good, but it will bounce back. If revenue plateaus because of the data center — “Houston, we have a problem.”
free said:
May 11th, 2010 at 7:17 am
love your blog Wonderful post.S.F….I could not said it better myself.