Monitoring data center power consumption is critical

In modern data center design, the most easily overlooked factor is energy, power consumption and monitoring. When a data center is built, considering energy usage is a priority for IT administrators before they perform other tasks. Correct decisions can improve server http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/17734.html "> Health and Improve data center overall efficiency. By contrast, ignoring factors such as monitoring data center energy costs can severely reduce data center efficiency and increase additional costs. Through this article, you can learn some strategies and methods for managing data center energy.

Building energy-sensitive data centers

The idea is simple: if you can monitor it, you can manage it effectively. The only way to optimize the datacenter is to set up a stable monitoring platform for your environment. But each data center is unique, and the energy requirements between servers and sites vary. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study what resources you currently have, how far you will develop in 5-10 years, and how technology procurement will affect energy use in the short and long term.

Monitor power consumption. To obtain a perfect and accurate data center power consumption information, we need to monitor the energy consumption from several points. This includes an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), a machine room distribution unit (PDU), and a cabinet environment. One of the important tasks of energy management is to understand and compute the data Center Energy Utilization (PUE). To do this, measurements are required at the UPS to get the underlying data center energy consumption data. The measurement results will be used to calculate pue and determine energy use trends. By monitoring the PDU, administrators can prevent the PDU-level overload from appearing. By effectively monitoring the PDU, the administrator can also ensure that the energy is evenly distributed in the facility. It can be said that the best way to observe the energy costs of data centers is to data from the installation and distribution devices in the rack. Modern cabinet-level PDU integrates monitoring and control functions to achieve continuous energy health monitoring. These PDUs can also be configured to send alarms or update information to a centralized management agent for data analysis.

Because the power consumption of cabinets and data centers varies significantly depending on the actual device situation, different infrastructure also corresponds to different load levels, and each individual cabinet should choose a PDU that matches it. In a more advanced environment, it is recommended that you configure two PDUs for dual power environments. The use of dual PDU can achieve the following two benefits: You can upgrade the cabinet-level PDU energy overhead monitoring capabilities and provide a higher level of overload protection sockets group.

Through energy management systems, administrators can provide PDU-level and cabinet-level voltage, power, current, and hourly consumption monitoring data. The energy architect can be the most direct data to highlight the data center energy cost situation. This information can also help with data center management and other support for efficiency and availability of more advanced data centers.

Remember, monitoring energy is very important, but how to deal with waste of resources? A reliable cabinet-level PDU can not only provide energy management after installation, but also support IT service deduction and determine the retention capacity. Modern cabinets and room-level PDUs can also support remote control of independent troubleshooting to prevent the addition of new or uncontrolled equipment, preventing the equipment from being monitored for dangerous overload conditions.

Monitor energy utilization. IT administrators are likely to be the main cost of data center operational spending in a very short time. Unfortunately, even with this fact, many facilities still lack adequate energy monitoring capabilities. This industry problem can be solved by a kind of centralized monitoring system. Centralized monitoring systems, such as Emerson Tepco Co. Or Liebert, can be implemented across the current IT network or specialized network. The simplest best practices are recommended when creating a dedicated energy monitoring environment:

• 2000 to 3000 sq. ft. sites typically utilize existing network infrastructure rather than setting up stand-alone networks.

• Larger data center facilities require the establishment of a dedicated network to ensure quality monitoring. With automation and management system integration, the advantages of proprietary management network is reflected, but also can follow this method to achieve multi-site management.

Managing Data center Energy does not necessarily require manual processes. Automating the collection process and analyzing monitoring data from UPS or PDUs can help reduce energy costs by analyzing energy utilization. Other benefits of having automated systems and improving it productivity. Monitoring energy utilization allows administrators to track energy consumption across the data center, automatically compute and analyze pue, and further optimize optional energy resources. UPS devices can provide a lot of valuable information. The monitoring system can track UPS energy output to determine whether it runs at maximum efficiency. The use of modern energy-sensing systems can even monitor the power supply of distribution boards. Select to detect energy usage in addition to common server and cabinet equipment, and to monitor systems that are not IT systems such as lighting and generators, to identify the impact of these systems on energy efficiency.

Energy monitoring skills and advantages

There are many benefits to be gained from monitoring and managing energy use:

• Reduce energy and operational costs and boost profitability: even if energy costs are reduced, the savings can be substantial over time.

• Rebates and rewards: Many organizations, local or regional governments, and energy providers offer energy rebates or incentives to enterprises with high energy efficiency and energy-consuming controls, providing certain facilities for businesses. Energy-efficient organizations such as Energy Star, Green grid and uptime Cato provide a range of incentives and certifications for energy efficiency. Many states in the United States provide rebates for energy efficiency technologies and practices. You can use the database of state incentives for renewables and effeciency (http://www.dsireusa.org/) site to inquire about the benefits of energy utilization across states.

• Precision Deduction: Monitoring energy can provide accurate use of data, so that the calculation of deduction easier, for users is also more equitable.

• Reduce emissions: Efficient data center energy use can not only reduce its own operational costs, but also reduce the total amount of carbon emissions.

Remember, small details have a big impact on achieving energy-cost monitoring. The following list is an important factor that can often be overlooked.

1. Pay attention to server room temperature: Through the installation of Network temperature sensor (installed in the cabinet, monitoring temperature and humidity and air conditions, etc.), the administrator can confirm whether their equipment is operating in the ASHRAE recommended indicators (64.4 to 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Through cooling monitoring, the energy costs of data centers can also be common. This ensures that the server runs stably and reduces energy costs.

2. Manage alerts and alarms: Automated systems can help administrators ensure energy testing and environmental stability. Create alerts and alarms so administrators can proactively respond to the important responsibility of data center maintenance-energy management. Identify the problem area before the problem is upgraded, and the administrator can take action to reduce the load or redistribute it according to the actual situation.

3. Ensure that the battery is available: the best way to prevent data loss or server corruption is to have a properly configured environment with a healthy standby battery. For best practices in deploying UPS or battery monitoring systems, you can also monitor the health status of each battery. The most effective battery monitoring system will keep track of all battery parameters, including internal resistance, which means using DC test current to ensure measurement accuracy and repeatability. Good routine preventative maintenance, battery replacement and UPS monitoring can help keep the data center and battery system and health, and when power outages occur, you'll find it worthwhile to pay for it.