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Energy Efficient ICT at the University of Sheffield

Chris Cartledge Independent Consultant C.Cartledge@sheffield.ac.uk With thanks to The University of Sheffield SusteIT. Energy Efficient ICT at the University of Sheffield. Practical Steps for ICT Electricty Use Improvement. ICT Electricity Use Footprint

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Energy Efficient ICT at the University of Sheffield

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  1. Chris CartledgeIndependent Consultant C.Cartledge@sheffield.ac.uk With thanks to The University of Sheffield SusteIT Energy Efficient ICT at theUniversity of Sheffield

  2. Practical Steps for ICT Electricty Use Improvement • ICT Electricity Use Footprint • IT equipment, Measuring and Costing • The Electricity Bill • Purchasing • Data Centres • European Code of Conduct • ASHRAE 2008 • PCs • Practical purchasing • A benchmark

  3. University of SheffieldICT Electricity Use (2008) • More than £1M/year • About 20% Institution use • PCs dominate • Servers: over 30% (including HPC & departmental)‏

  4. University of SheffieldData Centres Electricity (2008) • Servers, Network, PABX • Over 40% of ICT use, £400,000 p/a • Including departmental & remote cabinets • Could be higher – overheads underestimated?

  5. Measuring Power Use • Manufacturer's figures • Where they exist • Measure equipment • Instantaneously or • Over a period or better • Monitor continuously • Use meter readings • Remember aircon, UPS, etc overheads

  6. Electricity Cost • In 2008, electricity was 10p per unit (kilowatt hour)‏ • plus VAT (5%) and climate change levy? • has increased and is increasing, so now say 15p • Over a year of 365*24 = 8760 hours • About £1.80 per watt per year • Date centres • Measured air conditioning overhead at Sheffield is 1.8 • Typical, and much lower than aircon CoP (earlier estimate was 1.5) • Now continuously monitored by SNMP and Ganglia • So for equipment in data centre, electricity costs 27p per unit • Over a year, about £2.40 per watt of IT equipment installed

  7. IT Equipment Buying • Typically, it is blind to electricity consumption • The bill is somebody else's responsibility • Information not always easily available • Cost from configuration tool, but not electricity use • Lots of other complex issues: VMware, Wake on LAN, Stable platform, etc... • Sheffield includes life cost of electricity in VFM

  8. Purchasing Example Sun X2200 HPC Server~25% Power Saving worth £130 p/a Watts

  9. Sheffield Data Centres • Two, conventional: • Dark - with the lights off! • Physical changes • Hot aisle – cold aisle arranged, with some aisle containment • Redundant aircon units switched off • Power monitoring, using SNMP capable distribution blocks, into Ganglia • Equipment changes • Virtualisation – PC, SPARC servers and storage (NAS) • Redundant equipment switched off • HPC compute servers powered up dynamically • Signed up to EU Code of Conduct on Data Centres • IT working with Estates - not always easy

  10. Code of Conduct for Data Centres • A European Action to Improve Energy Efficiency • http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/energyefficiency/html/standby_initiative_data%20centers.htm • Best Practice Guidelines to enable change • About 120 good practices: covers all issues • Including on setting up a project to bring about change • An excellent, readable, How To Do It guide • Unlikely to become compulsory • HEFCE mindful of University independence • But possibly unavoidable? • Sheffield has signed up to it

  11. EU Code of ConductGroup Involvement • Establish a cross disciplinary change board • Consider impacts, ensure effective solution • Definition of standard IT hardware • M&E implications of new services • Audit existing equipment • optimise and consolidate where possible • Virtualisation • Temperature set point • Identify and deal with little used and unused services

  12. EU Code of ConductSome Top Rated Practices • Buy energy efficient IT devices • Use virtualised servers and storage • Switch off hardware for unused services • Virtualise little used services • Separate cold air from heated return air • Use free or economised cooling • Increase temperature set points

  13. Desktop PCs • Monitors • LCDs much better than CRTs • Now power down automatically, by default • Desktop PCs • Powered down, when not in use • Thin client (Sunray) deployed where appropriate • Lifetime cost of electricity factored into purchase decisions • Other issues – in particular maintaining a stable platform • It has not been feasible to have PCs specially built • Instead Standard PCs are configured to be electrically efficient

  14. PCs Information on energy consumption now better • EnergyStar Typical Energy consumption available • A guide - good for office PCs, not 24 hour use • BUT PCs could/should be better! • In 2007 Sheffield identified Mac Mini as Best in Class • Still is today: a genuine core 2 duo PC but not feasible • No Windows license not a standard PC platform...

  15. Apple Mac Mini vs PCs

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