OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT METHODS AND DEVICES THEREOF IN INFORMATION-PROCESSING SYSTEMS

• US 20090259345A1
• Filed: 01/12/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miki, Yoshio, Okitsu, Jun, Saito, Tatsuya, Nakajima, Tadakatsu, Kato, Takeshi, Shiga, Yoko
• Granted Patent: US 9,128,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25387 Control sequences so as to optimize energy use by controlled machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2638 Airconditioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

Total power consumption of information-processing devices and power supply/cooling facilities is reduced to realize energy saving operation of information-processing system. The information-processing system includes information-processing devices, power supply facilities, cooling facilities and an operations management device. The operations management device is connected to the devices and the facilities and includes layout information constituted of locations and operating information of the devices and locations and environmental information of the facilities. Also, the operations management device obtains the power consumption of the devices, the power supply loss of the power supply facilities and the cooling power of the cooling facilities by using the layout information, and then allocates the workloads to the devices so as to reduce the total sum of power consumption, supply loss and cooling power.

Claims

1. An operations management method in information-processing system which is realized by a computer system and constituted of information-processing devices and facilities for supplying power to or cooling the devices,

wherein the computer system executes:

a first step of storing layout information including locations and operating information of the devices and locations and environmental information of the facilities;

a second step of obtaining power consumption of the devices with respect to workloads based on the operating information;

a third step of obtaining power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities based on the layout information and the power consumption; and

a fourth step of allocating the workloads to the devices so as to reduce a total sum of the power consumption of the devices and the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities.

2. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the second step, a device power function for calculating the power consumption is set with workloads of the devices used as variables based on specification, configuration and operating information of the devices, and the power consumption is calculated using the device power function.

3. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the third step, a facilities power function for calculating the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities is set with the power consumption and layout information of the devices used as variables, and the power supply loss or cooling power is calculated using the facilities power function.

4. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the second step, a device power function for calculating the power consumption is set with the workloads of the devices used as variables, and the power consumption is calculated using the device power function,

in the third step, a facilities power function for calculating the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities is set with the power consumption of the devices calculated from the device power function and the layout information used as variables, and the power supply loss or cooling power is calculated using the facilities power function, and

in the fourth step, with a total sum of the device power function and the facilities power function set as an objective function, an optimum solution or executable approximation solution for minimizing the objective function with respect to a combinational optimization problem of allocating the workloads to the devices is obtained.

5. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the second step, a device power function for calculating the power consumption is set with the workloads of the devices used as variables, and the power consumption of each of the devices is calculated using the device power function,

in the third step, a facilities element function for calculating the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities required for each of the devices with respect to the power consumption of each of the devices calculated from the device power function is set, and the power supply loss or cooling power for each of the devices is calculated using the facilities element function, and

in the fourth step, a device function with the workload as a variable is set for each of the devices by summing the device power function and the facilities element function, and with a total sum of the device functions corresponding to all the devices set as an objective function, an optimum solution or executable approximation solution for minimizing the objective function with respect to a combinational optimization problem of allocating the workloads to the devices is obtained.

6. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the fourth step, with admissibility workload condition of the devices and admissibility power condition of the facilities used as a constraint condition and with a total sum of the power consumption of the devices and the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities set as an objective function, an optimum solution or executable approximation solution for minimizing the objective function with respect to a combinational optimization problem of allocating the workloads to the devices is obtained.

7. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer system further executes a fifth step of controlling the facilities for supplying power or cooling based on the workloads allocated to the devices, the locations of the devices obtained from the layout information and the power consumption.

8. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the devices constitute a virtualization environment, and

the allocation of the workloads to the devices in the fourth step is carried out by arrangement of a plurality of virtual devices to physical devices.

9. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein a job scheduler for the devices is provided, and

the allocation of the workloads to the devices in the fourth step is carried out by arrangement of jobs to the devices by the job scheduler.

10. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the devices constitute a SAN boot environment, and

the allocation of the workloads to the devices in the fourth step is carried out by selecting a device to be booted by the SAN boot environment.

11. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the allocation of the workloads to the devices in the fourth step is carried out by arrangement of the devices to be operated, idled or stopped.

12. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the devices are server units, and

the computer system further executes a sixth step of moving software between the server units in accordance with a change in the allocation of the workloads to the devices.

13. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the devices are storage units, and

the computer system further executes a seventh step of moving or copying data between the storage units in accordance with a change in the allocation of the workloads to the devices.

14. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the devices are network units, and

the computer system further executes an eighth step of changing connecting configuration of the network units in accordance with a change in the allocation of the workloads to the devices.

15. An operations management method in information-processing system which is realized by a computer system and constituted of information-processing devices and facilities for supplying power to or cooling the devices,

wherein the computer system executes:

a first step of monitoring operating information of the devices and environmental information about power supply or cooling of the facilities and storing the operating information and locations of the devices and the environmental information and locations of the facilities as layout information;

a second step of allocating virtual workloads to the devices based on a current or scheduled workload;

a third step of calculating a virtual power consumption with respect to the virtual workloads of the devices based on the operating information;

a fourth step of calculating virtual power supply loss or virtual cooling power of the facilities based on the layout information and the virtual power consumption;

a fifth step of searching for an allocation method of the virtual workloads to the devices so as to reduce a total sum of the virtual power consumption of the devices and the virtual power supply loss or virtual cooling power of the facilities; and

a sixth step of allocating real workloads to the devices at an appropriate timing based on the allocation method of the virtual workloads.

16. The operations management method in information-processing system according to claim 15,

wherein the computer system further executes a seventh step of mapping and displaying location coordinates and operating information of the devices and location coordinates and the environmental information about power supply or cooling of the facilities in a space in which the devices and the facilities are installed, based on the layout information stored in the first step.

17. An operations management method in information-processing system which is realized by a computer system and constituted of a plurality of physical devices to which a plurality of virtual devices can be allocated with an arbitrary combination and facilities for supplying power to or cooling the plurality of physical devices,

wherein the computer system executes:

a first step of storing, as layout information, locations of the plurality of physical devices, allocation information of the plurality of virtual devices to the plurality of physical devices, operating information of the plurality of physical devices and the plurality of virtual devices, and locations and environmental information of the facilities;

a second step of calculating power consumption of the plurality of physical devices accompanied by workloads of the plurality of virtual devices based on the operating information;

a third step of calculating power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities based on the layout information and the power consumption; and

a fourth step of searching for a combination of allocations of the plurality of virtual devices to the plurality of physical devices so as to reduce a total sum of the power consumption and the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities.

18. An operations management device in information-processing system which is realized by a computer system and constituted of information-processing devices and facilities for supplying power to or cooling the devices,

wherein the computer system comprises:

a first function of storing layout information including locations and operating information of the devices and locations and environmental information of the facilities;

a second function of obtaining power consumption of the devices with respect to workloads based on the operating information;

a third function of obtaining power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities based on the layout information and the power consumption; and

a fourth function of allocating the workloads to the devices so as to reduce a total sum of the power consumption of the devices and the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities.

19. The operations management device for information-processing system according to claim 18,

wherein, by the second function, a device power function for calculating the power consumption is set with the workloads of the devices used as variables based on specification, configuration and operating information of the devices, and the power consumption is calculated using the device power function.

20. The operations management device for information-processing system according to claim 18,

wherein, by the third function, a facilities power function for calculating the power supply loss or cooling power of the facilities is set with the power consumption and layout information of the devices used as variables, and the power supply loss or cooling power is calculated using the facilities power function.