Green Data Centers
Green data center is a repository for the storage, management, and dissemination of data in which the mechanical, lighting, electrical and computer systems are designed for maximum energy efficiency and minimum environmental impact.
Green data centers don't just save energy, they also reduce the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades to deal with increased power and cooling demands. Organizations are also starting to take the next step and are looking at the entire data center from an environmental perspective.
Eight steps to green data centers
The green data center has moved from the theoretical to the realistic, with IT pros being challenged to construct new data centers with energy saving, sustainable materials, and other environmental efficiencies in mind.
However, Companies don't need to build a whole new data center to begin saving on energy. Below are some steps recommended that enterprises can take in their existing data centers to save on power consumption:
- Cut the physical number of servers through high-density options, such as blade servers, and through virtualization.
- Reduce storage hardware by using SANs or other NAS devices that consolidate storage space. Consolidation of physical units greatly affects the amount of power consumed by the data center and can also represent lower-acquisition costs.
- Look for energy-efficient hardware such as multi-core CPUs that reduce redundant and external electronics and therefore save on energy.
- Check out CPU performance-stepping technology that dynamically adjusts the energy that processors require in relationship to processor load.
- Dynamic control of a server's internal fans can reduce the energy needed when the air in the data center is cooler.
- Liquid cooling of server racks can limit the amount of energy needed to remove heat from the data center.
- Follow the hot aisle/cold aisle layout for arranging equipment in the data center. Although this technique dates to the mid-1990s, it's extremely effective. The design lets cool air flow through the aisles to the servers' front-air intake, and lets hot air flow from the back of servers to the AC return ducts, therefore requiring less energy for cooling.
- Look for software that is multi-threaded to take advantage of multi-core-processor machines. Today you can buy a new server out-of-the-box that is multi-core, but the software's not written for it, so you can't take advantage. This falls in the lap of the software designers, they need to make sure their software is multi-threaded to take advantage of multiprocessor machines.
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