Method and apparatus for holistic power management to dynamically and automatically turn servers, network equipment and facility components on and off inside and across multiple data centers based on a variety of parameters without violating existing service levels

• US 20090240964A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tier44 Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power Assure, Inc.
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Clemens
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections

Abstract

The present invention provides a METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HOLISTIC POWER MANAGEMENT TO DYNAMICALLY AND AUTOMATICALLY TURN SERVERS, NETWORK EQUIPMENT AND FACILITY COMPONENTS ON AND OFF INSIDE AND ACROSS MULTIPLE DATA CENTERS BASED ON A VARIETY OF PARAMETERS WITHOUT VIOLATING EXISTING SERVICE LEVELS. This method and apparatus pertains specifically to a method and apparatus for power management in data centers and large server environments.

Until today all servers running a specific application or virtualized environment are kept turned on to support various levels of application demand. With the invention of Holistic Power Management this invention completely automates the tasks required to shutdown and turn off servers not needed and to turn them on and start them up independent of their physical location. Furthermore this invention makes such changes dynamically based on application load, environmental conditions and energy pricing and availability and can adjust cooling services accordingly.

Claims

1. A method and apparatus for using software to automatically and dynamically adjust the number of servers and computing equipment inside and across data centers based on a variety of parameter

a. The method of claim 1 wherein said software is used on a plural computing environment.

b. The method of claim 1 wherein said software is used on a network connecting computers.

c. The method of claim 1 wherein said software is used on server environments residing in a single or at multiple physical locations.

d. A method of claim 1 wherein said software is used to keep running servers at a certain load level and add or remove additional equipment to keep servers at such load levels independent of the load on the overall server farm.

e. A method of claim 1 wherein said software is used to adjust cooling dynamically and automatically to the changes in the number of running equipment.

2. A method to create reference measurements for equipment including but not limited to said equipments power consumption at off-state, idle-state, and loaded-state.

3. A method and apparatus to collect utility grid status information.

4. A method and apparatus that can calculate and automatically adjust an optimized configuration for an application environment including:

servers, network equipment, and facility components inside one data center or across multiple data centers by

turning on, down and off such equipment dynamically and without user interaction, and

lowering the electricity usage for such an application environment, and keeping the same level of service as if all servers and equipment were running