2008 Strategies for Green IT at Penn:Data centers and servers

From Provider Wiki

This is a subpage of the 2008 Strategies for Green IT team.

Introduction

At the initial kickoff meeting (provide link to minutes), we decided to break out the larger Green IT team into two subcommittees.

• Data centers and servers
• Desktops and end-users

Each group will be tasked with focusing on their subtopic, including testing and generating documentation. Please use this wiki for all documentation development so that we may have a history of what the group did.

Subgroup participants

• Stephanie Alarcon
• Gavin Burris
• Alex Chekholko
• Joe Cruz
• Barbara McAleese
• Don Valentino
• Clay Wells

Brainstorming

This information has been moved to its own page in order to make this information more readable. The brainstorming information can still be accessed here: 2008_Strategies_for_Green_IT_at_Penn:Data_centers_and_servers:Brainstorming

Areas of Focus

System Requirements

• Can you compare these requirements to machines you already own?
• Do you have spare compute/disk on your existing hardware to accommodate these needs or is new hardware necessary?
• Can you get by with lower-voltage CPUs (they tend to have slightly lower performance)?
  • Is additional hardware even necessary?
  • Can you install a virtual machine on your own hosted server, or on a virtual hosting service (such as the one provided by Technology Support Services)? Costs may be cheaper over the long run going with a hosted service than by purchasing and configuring your own hardware.
    • Sample hosted Virtual Machine configuration and cost

Vendor Offerings

Based on the results of 'System Requirements', spec out similar machines from the major vendors. E.g. a 1U,2S,4core,16GB,2spindle machine with an FC card, something like a Dell PE1950, or an IBM x3550 or an HP DL360 G5 or a Sun X2100 M2.

• Get quotes from at least three vendors for the same specs.

more green than usual

• Get quotes for LV CPUs and 2.5" disks.
  • Article on Disk size and power savings: Disk_size
• Check if there's a markup and if the power savings will be worth it.
• Can you specify details like no printed manuals and no power cords?
• Make sure that you are getting power supplies that meet Energy Star 4 requirements, which includes specifications for 80+ power supplies (power supplies that are 80% or greater efficient).

Dell

• Dell Earth has clickable server offerings, easy place to start
• Energy Smart line
  • 1950, 2950, and 2970
• Low voltage Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron processors
• Ultra low-voltage, minimum-energy CMOS
• online and downloadable Dell capacity calculator

Product Offerings

This product grid is as of 5/2008

IBM

• Blades: IBM BladeCenter HS21
  • no IBM gear on current Energy Star list?
  • IBM is encouraging virtualization to consolidate servers, thus reducing the load on data center supporting equipment.
• IBM downloadable power configurator

SUN

Placeholder for information on SUN as a hardware vendor and their sustainability efforts.

Purchasing

General information on Green Purchasing at Penn can be found here.

Choosing a Physical Location

A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that only 46 % of the power used in a data center goes to powering servers. Of the rest:

• 23 percent was used by HVAC cooling equipment,
• 8 percent by HVAC fans
• 8 percent by uninterruptible power supply equipment losses
• 4 percent by lighting.
• 11 percent was attributed to other uses, such as miscellaneous electrical losses, support office area, etc.

Picking a data center where Green IT practices are in place may be better than trying to host a small number of servers locally.

Considerations include:

• Determining the power requirements of all related hardware
  • Firewall
  • Switches
  • UPS
• Determining the power load of associated cooling equipment
  • Centralized data centers will have much more efficient cooling than smaller scale centers (or closets).

There's no one-size-fits-all solution for data centers. Every situation will vary depending on infrastructure requirements which include but may not be limited to:

• Rack space for initial requirements and the need for future growth.
• Power
• Air conditioning
• Networking equipment
• Accessibility

Do It Yourself Data Center

Pros

• You control your own data center environment.
• Convenient access.

No need to run across campus to the data center.

Cons

• Up-front costs of building your own data center.

This includes everything required to get the room ready for use which may include:

- The server rack(s)

- Networking infrastructure (Routers & VLAN, Hubs/Switches, Hardware firewalls)

- Air conditioning costs (rack units, computer room units)

- Possible power upgrades (more outlets, 120V/250V, additional fuse box)

• Space to grow might be limited.

Is there space for future growth?

Shared Hosting

Data center colocation plays a strategic role in modern IT operations. For many people, it presents an attractive alternative to building and maintaining a sizable data center.

Housing your servers and network equipment in a shared location does offer a number of benefits, but the picture isn’t always black and white. Before committing to a shared data center, there are a few things to consider:

Pros

• Eliminate up-front costs associated with building your own data center.

• Deploy within an existing data center infrastructure.

Cons

• The overall space and load requirements are substantial.

• Your data center requires intensive management.

• Physical security is a major concern.

• Possible data center fees might cost more in the long run.

Pros and Cons

     * Deploy within an existing data center infrastructure.
     * Shared power, cooling, network infrastructure is much more efficient
     

Racking/Cabling

In general, consolodated racking of servers, and keeping the associated cables as neat as possible will help encourage airflow, and lower cooling costs. Keep cables tied to the side rails and bundled together. Improving "Air management" - or optimizing the delivery of cool air and the collection of waste heat - can involve many design and operational practices. Air cooling improvements can often be made by addressing:

• short-circuiting of heated air over the top or around server racks
• cooled air short-circuiting back to air conditioning units through openings in raised floors such as cable openings or misplaced floor tiles with openings
• misplacement of raised floor air discharge tiles
• poor location of computer room air conditioning units
• inadequate ceiling height or undersized hot air return plenum
• air blockages such as often happens with piping or large quantities of cabling under raised floors
• openings in racks allowing air bypass (“short-circuit”) from hot areas to cold areas
• poor airflow through racks containing IT equipment due to restrictions in the rack structure
• IT equipment with side or top-air-discharge adjacent to front-to-rear discharge configurations
• Inappropriate under-floor pressurization - either too high or too low

Here is an example of poor cabling:

Here is an example of excellent cabling:

(from Purdue's HPCC Barn-raising: http://tinkergeek.com/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=Math_Datacenter&spgmPic=15#spgmPicture)

More Solutions:

• high-efficiency computer power supplies; on-site generation combined with special chillers for cooling using the waste heat; direct liquid cooling of racks or computers; and lowering the standby losses of standby generation systems.
• Some of the solutions to common air distribution problems include:
• Use of "hot aisle and cold aisle" arrangements where racks of computers are stacked with the cold inlet sides facing each other and similarly the hot discharge sides facing each
• Blanking unused spaces in and between equipment racks
• Employ Liquid Cooling of Racks and Computers Liquid cooling is a far more efficient method of transferring concentrated heat loads than air, due to much higher volumetric specific heats and higher heat transfer coefficients.
• The most common current approach is to use a chilled water coil integrated in some manner into the rack itself. Liquid cooling is adopted for reasons beyond efficiency; it can also serve higher power densities (W/sf). Energy efficiencies are typically realized because such systems allow the use of a medium temperature chilled water loop (50-60°F rather than ~45°F) and by reducing the size and power consumption of fans serving the data center. With some systems and climates, there is the possibility of cooling without the use of mechanical refrigeration (cooling water circulated from a cooling tower would be enough).
• High-efficiency computer power supplies to reduce load at the racks.

OS Optimizations

• OS optimizations are based primarily on the software and hardware being used.

• Many operating systems today utilize the dynamic frequency scaling capabilities of modern day processors by default. This built-in functionality allows us to focus on other issues in the data center.

• An easy way to help save energy and prevent global warming is by choosing computer equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR.

The links below provide more information on these issues.

Processor & OS Technologies

Energy Star Information

Energy-Aware Server Provisioning and Load Dispatching

Clayw 09:42, 17 April 2008 (EDT)

Monitoring/Metering

Keep an eye on your overall server processor load as well as your power consumption. Monitoring can be done with a switched and metered PDU (power distribution unit), with power-aware server management interfaces, or with a temporary clamp-on meter. A single, high-powered server running near capacity is more efficient than several smaller servers that are under performing.

• P3 Kill-A-Watt
• Multiconductor Clamp-On Amperage Meter 7826T12
• APC Metered Rack PDU

End of Life

One thing to consider is whether or not you can extend the life of your existing hardware or if purchasing new equipment will get you more efficient by default. In general, newer hardware will have more efficient power supplies, processors, etc than older hardware.

Extending_Server_Life

Another consideration is proper disposal of your machines. Recycling options have their own pitfalls to watch out for. Penn has some options for consideration:

• Be aware that there are specific EPA regulations with regards to the disposal of electronic waste
• Penn's Center for Community Parnerships
  • They will refurbish machines that meet their requirements, and distribute them to organizations in the Philadelphia area.
• Elemental Inc. are a local electronics salvage organization that will properly recycle and/or dispose of older equipment.

There are several other options that are listed on Penn's Facilities recycling website for recycling, and on Penn's Computer Connection page.

Ebay started the The Rethink Initiative as a way to raise visibility of various electronics recycling efforts by manufacturers, governmental agencies, and other participants. There is a comprehensive list on the site of existing efforts and options within local communities for recycling electronics.

It's Easy Being Green: Resources for Non-IT Staff

--Mcaleese 16:39, 2 May 2008 (EDT)

Purpose - Assist non-IT staff, such as Business Administrators (BAs), with understanding the institutional benefits of Green IT, and particularly, data centers.

Action Step - Develop a 10-minute presentation on the benefits of Green IT. Present at various Business Administrator (BA) Forums, such as the School of Medicine's (SOM) monthly BA Forums. Bob Dugan, Executive Director for SOM Administration, approves the Monthly BA Forum Agenda. Contact Information: rdugan@exchange.upenn.edu, 215-573-0681.

Stress environmental / economic / institutional impacts

• Use the (3) P's = People, Planet, Profits.
• GreenIT is for everyone at Penn; not just large groups. Overall consumption affects the bottom-line over time.
• Executive support for sustainability at Penn is in place and will demand compliance in areas like Green IT.
• Did You Know? Penn Appoints the University's First Sustainability Coordinator - April 25, 2008
• Did You Know? Penn is number one on the EPA College & University Green Power Partnership List.
• To qualify for the EPA Green Power Partnership, Partner organizations MUST MEET OR EXCEED a minimum percentage of green power.

Explain Concepts / Provide Resource Links

• Data Centers - what is it, in a nutshell? (provide real-life example)
• Saving Energy Reduces Costs - Where is data center energy used, and by what equipment? (Kilowatt Hours, HVAC, etc.)
• Make a point to check-in with both Facilities / IT when retrofitting / planning data centers
• Benchmarking / Monitoring (What energy monitoring tools are available?)
• Virtualization (What is it, and what are the cost benefits?)
• Life Cycle Costing

Best Practices "Punch List" for Getting Started

• Let's provide a link to/graphic of our circular diagram.

Penn "Green" Links

• Penn Green Campus Partnership
• Penn Purchasing Services - Green Purchasing
• Penn Green IT
• Penn Green IT for Providers
• Sustainability at Penn Computer Connection

Resource Links

• What is Green Computing?
• What is a Green Data Center? (Brief Video)
• EPA Energy Star Tools and Resources Library
• EPA Enterprise Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency Initiatives
• Build A Green Data Center - Microsoft
• Greener Computing - Information about Data Centers, Servers, Desktops/Laptops, Asset Management, E-Waste, Virtuallization, Energy and HVAC, etc.

Products/Scenarios to Test and Results

• IBM_x3550
• 2.5" HDs vs 3.5" HDs -- power savings?

Final Recommendations

Documentation

Green IT Can Be Virtually Free: article on GreenerComputing.com.

Resources and Information

• ISC's data center has a UPS capacity of 180 kVa, and tries to keep their overall electrical capacity under that load.

Recommended Reading

• The Green Grid white papers
• APC white papers