2015-01-31

Green and Virtual Data Center Links

By Greg Schulz

Green and Virtual IT Data Center Links


Moving beyond Green Hype and Green washing

Green hype and green washing may be on the endangered species list and going away, however, green IT for servers, storage, networks, facilities as well as related software and management techniques that address energy efficiency including power and cooling along with e-waste, environmental health and safety related issues are topics that wont be going away anytime soon.

There is a growing green gap between green hype messaging or green washing and IT pain point issues including limits on availability or rising costs of power, cooling, floor-space as well as e-waste and environmental health and safety (PCFE).

To close the gap will involve addressing green messaging and rhetoric closer to where IT organizations pain points are and where budget dollars exists that can address PCFE and other green related issues as a by-product. The green gap will also be narrowed as awareness of broader green related topics coincide with IT data center pain points, in other words, alignment of messaging with IT issues that have or will have budget dollars allocated towards them to sustain business and economic growth via IT resource usage efficiency. Read more here.



Enabling Effective Produtive Efficient Economical Flexible Scalable Resilient Information Infrastrctures

The following are useful links to related efficient, effective, productive, flexible, scalable and resilient IT data center along with server storage I/O networking hardware and software that supports cloud and virtual green data centers.

Various IT industry vendors and other links
Green and Virtual Data Center Primer
Green and Virtual Data Center: Productive Economical Efficient Effective Flexible
Are large storage arrays dead at the hands of SSD?
Closing the Green Gap
Energy efficient technology sales depend on the pitch
EPA Energy Star for Data Center Storage Update
EPA Energy Star for data center storage draft 3 specification
Green IT Confusion Continues, Opportunities Missed!
Green IT deferral blamed on economic recession might be result of green gap
How much SSD do you need vs. want?
How to reduce your Data Footprint impact (Podcast)
Industry trend: People plus data are aging and living longer
In the data center or information factory, not everything is the same
More storage and IO metrics that matter
Optimizing storage capacity and performance to reduce your data footprint
Performance metrics: Evaluating your data storage efficiency
PUE, Are you Managing Power, Energy or Productivity?
Saving Money with Green Data Storage Technology
Saving Money with Green IT: Time To Invest In Information Factories
Shifting from energy avoidance to energy efficiency
SNIA Green Storage Knowledge Center
Speaking of speeding up business with SSD storage
SSD and Green IT moving beyond green washing
Storage Efficiency and Optimization: The Other Green
Supporting IT growth demand during economic uncertain times
The Green and Virtual Data Center Book (CRC Press, Intel Recommended Reading)
The new Green IT: Efficient, Effective, Smart and Productive
The other Green Storage: Efficiency and Optimization
What is the best kind of IO? The one you do not have to do



Click here to learn about "The Green and Virtual Data Center" book (CRC Press) for enabling efficient , productive IT data centers. This book covers cloud, virtualization, servers, storage, networks, software, facilities and associated management topics, technologies and techniques including metrics that matter. This book by industry veteran IT advisor and author Greg Schulz is the definitive guide for enabling economic efficiency and productive next generation data center strategies. Read more here and order your copyhere. Also check out Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking (CRC Press) a new book by Greg Schulz.

White papers, analyst reports and perspectives

Business benefits of data footprint reduction (archiving, compression, de-dupe)
Data center I/O and performance issues - Server I/O and storage capacity gap
Analysis of EPA Report to Congress (Law 109-431)
The Many Faces of MAID Storage Technology
Achieving Energy Efficiency with FLASH based SSD
MAID 2.0: Energy Savings without Performance Compromises

Articles, Tips, Blogs, Webcasts and Podcasts

AP - SNIA Green Emerald Program and measurements

AP - Southern California heat wave strains electrical system

Ars Technica - EPA: Power usage in data centers could double by 2011

Ars Technica - Meet the climate savers: Major tech firms launch war on energy-inefficient PCs - Article

Askageek.com - Buying an environmental friendly laptop - November 2008

Baseline - Examining Energy Consumption in the Data Center

Baseline - Burts Bees: What IT Means When You Go Green

Bizcovering - Green architecture for the masses

Broadstuff - Are Green 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 Incompatible?

Business Week - CEO Guide to Technology

Business Week - Computers' elusive eco factor

Business Week - Clean Energy - Its Getting Affordable

Byte & Switch - Keeping it Green This Summer - Don't be "Green washed"

Byte & Switch - IBM Sees Green in Energy Certificates

Byte & Switch - Users Search for power solutions

Byte & Switch - DoE issues Green Storage Warning

CBR - The Green Light for Green IT

CBR - Big boxes make greener data centers

CFO - Power Scourge

Channel Insider - A 12 Step Program to Dispose of IT Equipment

China.org.cn - China publishes Energy paper

CIO - Green Storage Means Money Saved on Power

CIO - Data center designers share secrets for going green

CIO - Best Place to Build a Data Center in North America

CIO Insight - Clever Marketing or the Real Thing?

Cleantechnica - Cooling Data Centers Could Prevent Massive Electrical Waste - June 2008

Climatebiz - Carbon Calculators Yield Spectrum of Results: Study

CNET News - Linux coders tackle power efficiency

CNET News - Research: Old data centers can be nearly as 'green' as new ones

CNET News - Congress, Greenpeace move on e-wast

CNN Money - A Green Collar Recession

CNN Money - IBM creates alliance with industry leaders supporting new data center standards

Communication News - Utility bills key to greener IT

Computerweekly - Business case for green storage

Computerweekly - Optimising data centre operations

Computerweekly - Green still good for IT, if it saves money

Computerweekly - Meeting the Demands for storage

Computerworld - Wells Fargo Free Data Center Cooling System

Computerworld - Seven ways to get green and save money

Computerworld - Build your data center here: The most energy-efficient locations

Computerworld - EPA: U.S. needs more power plants to support data centers

Computerworld - GreenIT: A marketing ploy or new technology?

Computerworld - Gartner Criticizes Green Grid

Computerworld - IT Skills no longer sufficient for data center execs.

Computerworld - Meet MAID 2.0 and Intelligent Power Management

Computerworld - Feds to offer energy ratings on servers and storage

Computerworld - Greenpeace still hunting for truly green electronics

Computerworld - How to benchmark data center energy costs

ComputerworldUK - Datacenters at risk from poor governance

ComputerworldUK - Top IT Leaders Back Green Survey

ComputerworldMH - Lean and Green

CTR - Strategies for enhancing energy efficiency

CTR - Economies of Scale - Green Data Warehouse Appliances

Datacenterknowledge - Microsoft to build Illinois datacenter

Data Center Strategies - Storage The Next Hot Topic

Earthtimes - Fujitsu installs hydrogen fuel cell power

eChannelline - IBM Goes Green(er)

Ecoearth.info - California Moves To Speed Solar, Wind Power Grid Connections

Ecogeek - Solar power company figures they can power 90% of America

Economist - Cool IT

Electronic Design - How many watts in that Gigabyte

eMazzanti - Desktop virtualization movement creeping into customer sites

ens-Newswire - Western Governors Ask Obama for National Green Energy Plan

Environmental Leader - Best Place to Build an Energy Efficient Data Center

Environmental Leader - New Guide Helps Advertisers Avoid Greenwash Complaints

Enterprise Storage Forum - Power Struggles Take Center Stage at SNW

Enterprise Storage Forum - Pace Yourself for Storage Power & Cooling Needs

Enterprise Storage Forum - Storage Power and Cooling Issues Heat Up - StorageIO Article

Enterprise Storage Forum - Score Savings With A Storage Power Play

Enterprise Storage Forum - I/O, I/O, Its off to Virtual Work I Go

Enterprise Storage Forum - Not Just a Flash in the Pan - Various SSD options

Enterprise Storage Forum - Closing the Green Gap - Article August 2008

EPA Report to Congress and Public Law 109-431 - Reports & links

eWeek - Saving Green by being Green

eWeek - 'No Cooling Necessary' Data Centers Coming?

eWeek - How the 'Down' Macroeconomy Will Impact the Data Storage Sector

ExpressComputer - In defense of Green IT

ExpressComputer - What data center crisis

Forbes - How to Build a Quick Charging Battery

GCN - Sun launches eco data center

GreenerComputing - New Code of Conduct to Establish Best Practices in Green Data Centers

GreenerComputing - Silicon valley's green detente

GreenerComputing - Majority of companies plan to green their data centers

GreenerComputing - Citigroup to spend $232M on Green Data Center

GreenerComputing - Chicago and Quincy, WA Top Green Data Center Locations

GreenerComputing - Using airside economizers to chill data center cooling bills

GreenerComputing - Making the most of asset disposal

GreenerComputing - Greenpeace vendor rankings

GreenerComputing - Four Steps to Improving Data Center Efficiency without Capital Expenditures

GreenerComputing - Enabling a Green and Virtual Data Center

Green-PC - Strategic Steps Down the Green Path

Greeniewatch - BBC news chiefs attack plans for climate change campaign

Greeniewatch - Warmest year predictions and data that has not yet been measured

GoverenmentExecutive - Public Private Sectors Differ on "Green" Efforts

HPC Wire - How hot is your code

Industry Standard - Why green data centers mean partner opportunities

InformationWeek - It could be 15 years before we know what is really green

InformationWeek - Beyond Server Consolidaiton

InformationWeek - Green IT Beyond Virtualization: The Case For Consolidation

InfoWorld - Sun celebrates green datacenter innovations

InfoWorld - Tech's own datacenters are their green showrooms

InfoWorld - 2007: The Year in Green

InfoWorld - Green Grid Announces Tech Forum in Feb 2008

InfoWorld - SPEC seeds future green-server benchmarks

InfoWorld - Climate Savers green catalog proves un-ripe

InfoWorld - Forester: Eco-minded activity up among IT pros

InfoWorld - Green ventures in Silicon Valley, Mass reaped most VC cash in '07

InfoWorld - Congress misses chance to see green-energy growth

InfoWorld - Unisys pushes green envelope with datacenter expansion

InfoWorld - No easy green strategy for storage

Internet News - Storage Technologies for a Slowing Economy

Internet News - Economy will Force IT to Transform

ITManagement - Green Computing, Green Revenue

itnews - Data centre chiefs dismiss green hype

itnews - Australian Green IT regulations could arrive this year

IT Pro - SNIA Green storage metrics released

ITtoolbox - MAID discussion

Linux Power - Saving power with Linux on Intel platforms

MSNBC - Microsoft to build data center in Ireland

National Post - Green technology at the L.A. Auto Show

Network World - Turning the datacenter green

Network World - Color Interop Green

Network World - Green not helpful word for setting environmental policies

NewScientistEnvironment - Computer servers as bad for climate as SUVs

Newser - Texas commission approves nation's largest wind power project

New Yorker - Big Foot: In measuring carbon emissions, it’s easy to confuse morality and science

NY Times - What the Green Bubble Will Leave Behind

PRNewswire - Al Gore and Cisco CEO John Chambers to debate climate change

Processor - More than just monitoring

Processor - The new data center: What's hot in Data Center physical infrastructure:

Processor - Liquid Cooling in the Data Center

Processor - Curbing IT Power Usage

Processor - Services To The Rescue - Services Available For Today’s Data Centers

Processor - Green Initiatives: Hire A Consultant?

Processor - Energy-Saving Initiatives

Processor - The EPA's Low Carbon Campaig

Processor - Data Center Power Planning

SAN Jose Mercury - Making Data Centers Green

SDA-Asia - Green IT still a priority despite Credit Crunch

SearchCIO - EPA report gives data centers little guidance

SearchCIO - Green IT Strategies Could Lead to hefty ROIs

SearchCIO - Green IT In the Data Center: Plenty of Talk, not much Walk

SearchCIO - Green IT Overpitched by Vendors, CIOs beware

SearchDataCenter - Study ranks cheapest places to build a data center

SearchDataCenter - Green technology still ranks low for data center planners

SearchDataCenter - Green Data Center: Energy Effiecnty Computing in the 21st Century

SearchDataCenter - Green Data Center Advice: Is LEED Feasible

SearchDataCenter - Green Data Centers Tackle LEED Certification

SearchDataCenter - PG&E invests in data center effieicny

SearchDataCenter - A solar powered datacenter

SearchSMBStorage - Improve your storage energy efficiency

SearchSMBStorage - SMB capacity planning: Focusing on energy conservation

SearchSMBStorage - Data footprint reduction for SMBs

SearchSMBStorage - MAID & other energy-saving storage technologies for SMBs

SearchStorage - How to increase your storage energy efficiency

SearchStorage - Is storage now top energy hog in the data center

SearchStorage - Storage eZine: Turning Storage Green

SearchStorage - The Green Storage Gap

SearchStorageChannel - Green Data Storage Projects

Silicon.com - The greening of IT: Cooling costs

SNIA - SNIA Green Storage Overview

SNIA - Green Storage
SNW - Beyond Green-wash
SNW Spring 2008 Beyond Green-wash

State.org - Why Texas Has Its Own Power Grid

StorageDecisions - Different Shades of Green

Storage Magazine - Storage still lacks energy metrics

StorageIOblog - Posts pertaining to Green, power, cooling, floor-space, EHS (PCFE)

Storage Search - Various postings, news and topics pertaining to Green IT

Technology Times - Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches

TechTarget - Data center power efficiency

TechTarget - Tip for determining power consumption

Techworld - Inside a green data center

Techworld - Box reduction - Low hanging green datacenter fruit

Techworld - Datacentere used to heat swimming pool

Theinquirer - Spansion and Virident flash server farms

Theinquirer - Storage firms worry about energy efficiency How green is the valley

TheRegister - Data Centre Efficiency, the good, the bad and the way to hot

TheRegister - Server makers snub whalesong for serious windmill abuse

TheRegister - Green data center threat level: Not Green

The Standard - Growing cynicism around going Green

ThoughtPut - Energy Central

Thoughtput - Power, Cooling, Green Storage and related industry trends

Wallstreet Journal - Utilities Amp Up Push To Slash Energy Use

Wallstreet Journal - The IT in Green Investing

Wallstreet Journal - Tech's Energy Consumption on the Rise

Washingtonpost - Texas approves major new wind power project

WhatPC - Green IT: It doesnt have to cost the earth

WHIRnews - SingTel building green data center

Wind-watch.org - Loss of wind causes Texas power grid emergency

WyomingNews - Overcoming Greens Stereotype

Yahoo - Washington Senate Unviel Green Job Plan

ZDnet - Will supercomputer speeds hit a plateau?
Are data centers causing climate change

News and Press Releases

Business Wire - The Green and Virtual Data Center

Enterprise Storage Forum - Intel and HGST (Hitachi) partner on FLASH SSD

PCworld - Intel and HP describe Green Strategy

DoE - To Invest Approximately $1.3 Billion to Commercialize CCS Technology

Yahoo - Shell Opens Los Angeles' First Combined Hydrogen and Gasoline Station

DuPont - DuPont Projects Save Enough Energy to Power 25,000 Homes

Gartner - Users Are Becoming Increasingly Confused About the Issues and Solutions Surrounding Green IT

Websites and Tools

Various power, cooling, emmisions and device configuration tools and calculators
SNIA Emerald program
Carbon Disclosure Project
The Chicago Climate Exchange
Climate Savers
Data Center Decisions
Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)
EMC - Digital Life Calculator
Energy Star
Energy Star Data Center Initiatives
Greenpeace - Technology ranking website also here
GlobalActionPlan
KyotoPlanet
LBNL High Tech Data centers
Millicomputing
RoHS & WEE News
Storage Performance Council (SPC)
SNIA Green Technical Working Group
SPEC
Transaction Processing Council (TPC)
The Green Grid
The Raised Floor
Terra Pass Carbon Offset Credits - Website with CO2 calculators
Energy Information Administration - EIA (US and International Electrical Information)
U.S. Department of Energy and related information
U.S. DOE Energy Efficient Industrial Programs
U.S. EPA server and storage energy topics
Zerofootprint - Various "Green" and environmental related links and calculators

Vendor Centric and Marketing Website Links and tools

Vendors and organizations have different types of calculators some with focus on power, cooling, floor space, carbon offsets or emissions,

ROI, TCO and other IT data center infrastructure resource management. Following is an evolving list and by no means definitive even for a particular vendors as

different manufactures may have multiple different calculators for different product lines or areas of focus.

Brocade - Green website

Cisco - Green and Environmental websites here, here and here

Dell - Green website

EMC - EMC Energy, Power and Cooling Related Website

HDS - How to be green - HDS Positioning White Paper

HP - HP Green Website

IBM - Green Data Center - IBM Positioning White Paper

IBM - Green Data Center for Education - IBM Positioning White Paper

Intel - What is an Efficient Data Center and how do I measure it?

LSI - Green site and white paper

NetApp - Press Release and related information

Sun - Various articles and links

Symantec - Global 2000 Struggle to Adopt "Green" Data Centers - Announcement of Survey results
ACTON
Adinfa
APC
Australian Conservation Foundation
Avocent
BBC
Brocade
Carbon Credit Calculator UK
Carbon Footprint Site
Carbon Planet
Carbonify
CarbonZero
Cassatt
CO2 Stats Site
Copan
Dell
DirectGov UK Acton
Diesel Service & Supply Power Calculator & Converter
Eaton Powerware
Ecobusinesslinks
Ecoscale
EMC Power Calculator
EMC Web Power Calculator
EMC Digital Life Calculator
EPA Power Profiler
EPA Related Tools
EPEAT
Google UK Green Footprint
Green Grid Calculator
HP and more here
HVAC Calculator
IBM
Logicalis
Kohler Power (Business and Residential)
Micron
MSN Carbon Footprint Calculator
National Wildlife Foundation
NEF UK
NetApp
Rackwise
Platespin
Safecom
Sterling Planet
Sun and more here and here and here
Tandberg
TechRepublic
TerraPass Carbon Offset Credits
Thomas Kreen AG
Toronto Hydro Calculator
80 Plus Calculator
VMware
42u Green Grid PUE DCiE calculator
42u energy calculator

Green and Virtual Tools

What's your power, cooling, floor space, energy, environmental or green story?

What's your power, cooling, floor space, energy, environmental or green story? Do you have questions or want to learn more about

energy issues pertaining to IT data center and data infrastructure topics? Do you have a solution or technology or a success story that you would like to share

with us pertaining to data storage and server I/O energy optimization strategies?  Do you need assistance in developing, validating or reviewing your strategy

or story? Contact us at: info@storageio.com or 651-275-1563 to learn more about green data storage and server I/O or to

schedule a briefing to tell us about your energy efficiency and effectiveness story pertaining to IT data centers and data infrastructures.

Disclaimer and note:  URL's submitted for inclusion on this site will be reviewed for consideration and to be

in generally accepted good taste in regards to the theme of this site.  Best effort has been made to validate and verify the URLs that appear on this page and

website however they are subject to change. The author and/or maintainer's) of this page and web site make no endorsement to and assume no responsibility for the

URLs and their content that are listed on this page.

Green and Virtual Metrics

Chapter 5 "Measurement, Metrics, and Management of IT Resources" in the book "The Green and Virtual Data Center" (CRC Press) takes a look at the importance of being able to measure and monitor to enable effective management and utilization of IT resources across servers, storage, I/O networks, software, hardware and facilities.

There are many different points of interest for collecting metrics in an IT data center for servers, storage, networking and facilities along with various points of interest or perspectives. Data center personal have varied interest from a facilities to a resource (server, storage, networking) usage and effectiveness perspective for normal use as well as planning purposes or comparison when evaluating new technology. Vendors have different uses for metrics during R&D, Q/A testing and marketing or sales campaigns as well as on-going service and support. Industry trade groups including 80 Plus, SNIA and the green grid along with government groups including the EPA Energy Star are working to define and establish applicable metrics pertinent for Green and Virtual data centers.

Acronym

Description

Comment

DCiE

Data center Efficiency = (IT equipment / Total facility power) * 100

Shows a ratio of how well a data center is consuming power

DCPE

Data center Performance Efficiency = Effective IT workload / total facility power

Shows how effective data center is consuming power to produce a given level of service or work such as energy per transaction or energy per business function performed

PUE

Power usage effectiveness = Total facility power / IT equipment power

Inverse of DCE

Kilowatts (kw)

Watts / 1,000

One thousand watts

Annual kWh

kWh x 24 x 365

kWh used in on year

Megawatts (mw)

kW / 1,000

One thousand kW

BTU/hour

watts x 3.413

Heat generated in an hour from using energy in British Thermal Units. 12,000 BTU/hour can equate to 1 Ton of cooling.

kWh

1,000 watt hours

The number of watts used in one hour

Watts

Amps x Volts (e.g. 12 amps * 12 volts = 144 watts)

Unit of electrical energy power

Watts

BTU/hour x 0.293

Convert BTU/hr to watts

Volts

Watts / Amps (e.g. 144 watts / 12 amps = 12 volts)

The amount of force on electrons

Amps

Watts / Volts (e.g. 144 watts / 12 volts = 12 amps)

The flow rate of electricity

Volt-Amperes (VA)

Volts x Amps

Sometimes power expressed in Volt-Ampres

kVA

Volts x Amp / 1000

Number of kilovolt-ampres

kW

kVA x power-factor

Power factor is the efficiency of a piece of equipments use of power

kVA

kW / power-factor

Killovolt-Ampres

U

1U = 1.75”

EIA metric describing height of equipment in racks.

Activity / Watt

Amount of work accomplished per unit of energy consumed. This could be IOPS, Transactions or Bandwidth per watt.

Indicator how much work and how efficient energy is being used to accomplish useful work. This metric applies to active workloads or actively used and frequently accessed storage and data. Examples would b

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