The Green Data Center
When I was last in Seattle I heard the Microsoft leaders in this area speak about the creation of a Green Data Center and power reduction enhancements being built into the OS and Server products.
I discovered via TechNet email today the following article
Its kind of refreshing to see a holistic approach - sure its good to green your office (and get cost savings) but what about the tools we all now rely on for our jobs. Its got to be more than just switch off your computer (which incidentally is now a thing of the past- hibernation and sleep being the biggest productivity improvement in my life).
The trade-off is between:
- Cost of Power
- Pollution Impact
Windows Server operating systems fully support platform power management capabilities (Windows Server Power Management). For example:
-
- Feature parity with Windows client operating systems
- Device, processor power management
- System sleep
The most relevant power savings features for servers today are:
-
- Processor power management
- PCI Express Active State Power Management
However green data centers are more than just servers:
And there is increasing pressure on companies to push out a green policy:
- Consensus growing on Environmental Impact
- Public Opinion increasing
- The Cost of Energy rising
- Datacenter Energy Consumption rising
- Government Laws / Regulations increasing
- Consumer Demand Increasing
- Shareholder Demand Increasing
- Corporate Customer Demand Increasing
There are industry wide initiatives emerging such as:
There are a number of press announcements happening at this time. The keywords are indicative (planning or implemented). For example:
Most companies planning to 'Go Green' in data centers, says study
Microsoft building green data center
White Papers
Optimizing Windows Vista Platforms for Energy Efficiency
Windows Vista Energy Conservation
Processor Power Management in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
How to Enable Processor Power Management in Windows Server 2003