GreenIT : Make the Cloud Green – summary
At the end of the event we report a summary of the fundamental points discussed and addressed.
We started with an introduction to the research project from which this first round table meeting was born and we analyzed the greenpeace document highlighting the pages where the errors due to the confusion of the term cloud computing are noted. It was also highlighted that the impact of energy consumption from the entire ICT world on total greenhouse gas emissions is relatively small compared to the rest of the polluting activities, looking at the SMART2020 document drawn up by the Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) in 2008.
Subsequently, we introduced the topic of “cloud computing and datacenters”, giving a necessary definition of Cloud Computing and highlighting how a non-green-oriented risk of cloud infrastructures can be hidden in the definition. Technologies for datacenters useful for the green approach by making the path of electricity were mentioned, technologies more widely addressed by the speakers invited to the table.
Very interesting and full of useful ideas was the speech by Prof. Giorgio Ventre (How green will be my network) of the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering of Federico II. The study that the university is carrying out on the optimization of the consumption of networking equipment by introducing the state of quiescence on routers and switches in moments of underuse is really of great impact if it is projected on an internet scale.
Then we connected via Skype with Lior Paster SE Manager of SGI, whoanalyzed how the cost of a single server device must consider the energy cost over the three years of life, which on many occasions can be much higher; He illustrated how Rackable System’s (now SGI) approach of reducing chassis length by 50% significantly reduces the number of fans needed and their speed, all while benefiting power consumption. In addition, another fundamental point is the option of direct DC power supply (direct current), an argument we mentioned that convinced us to want SGI’s participation at the table, this option eliminates the power pack gaining about a third of the consumption of a server device. Finally, the SGI has raised a focal point, which must absolutely be analyzed in detail, the useful working temperature of the equipment. It is not necessary to bring the cooling to the 19-22 degrees that servers are usually cooled by the cooling system, but it would even be possible to make them work up to 40-42 degrees. This really means a lot in terms of energy savings of the necessary cooling.
The next speaker, Sergio Cimino, Senior System Engineer at VMware, talked to us about virtualization, an element that is now known to all to be the cornerstone of GreenIT, the technology that most of all has an impact on the energy savings of a datacenter, just think that through “server consolidation”, a term that indicates the virtualization process of an existing datacenter, it is able to optimize the use of computational resources, concentrating services, in the form of virtual machines, within a smaller number of servers of the order of 10:1 or more. Therefore, a datacenter of 1000 servers will be able to perform the exact same functions with only 80 servers. Obviously, the energy savings are obvious, as well as the savings in investment in hardware and maintenance. In addition, we also invited VMware to underline a new function of the vCenter, which is the Distributed Power Management, an automatism capable of concentrating the virtual machines in periods of underload, thus allowing an automatic shutdown of the surplus servers, and then, always autonomously turning on the necessary machines and redistributing the virtual machines by balancing the load. We were also shown a short video of this feature that we attach here.
With VMware we conclude the electrical journey in the datacenter with regard to computing equipment, to move on to the fascinating and complex world of cooling.
The first speaker to introduce us to the topic, Gianfranco Calice, Emerson Network Power Area Manager, illustrated numbers and percentages on traditional datacenter consumption, presented how important it can be to define a right energy efficiency calculation standard by replacing the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), with a value determined by a new fraction (CUPS/Watts Used – Compute Unit per Second). From this and other speeches he presented Emerson’s excellent solutions regarding precision cooling, a topic that we asked to deepen as it is considered very effective and interesting. Truly noteworthy is the patent of Copeland, an Emerson subsidiary for the compressor (Digital Scroll) that adapts to the load by reacting quickly to changes, leading to a further reduction in energy consumption. Emerson is convinced that from the point of view of containment, the cold aisle is the best solution, as we will see in antithesis to APC’s opposition.
The last presentation of the panel discussion was presented by Vincenzo Spagnoletti, Director of SMB Sales South at APC by Schneider Electric, who describes how Schneider Electric’s reach on three fronts (industry, power & control, energy management) leads the group to be the global specialist in energy management and leads to the vision of eco-construction. Even with APC we see how important it is to attack the heat at the source, as close as possible, but here we see the preference for the low warm aisle over the cold. The interesting feature is that of the devices that can be connected to the network and managed via IPAddress with a series of very pleasant graphic interfaces.
The difference in points of view on the hot/cold corridors by two players of such great magnitude requires a sure in-depth analysis.
Our conclusion was necessary where we summarized the focal points that came out of the day and we reiterated the intention to carry out the research with the availability of the players involved.
At our invitation , Prof. Sergio Ulgiati, scientific committee of the WWF and professor of Environmental Sciences at Parthenope, expressed his impressions of everything that was discussed, giving his willingness to deepen the topics and to be involved in the new appointments.
