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 9,003,211 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tier44 Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power Assure, Inc.
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Clemens
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, VINCENT HUY
• Application Number:
  US12/051,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,575 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/321, 713/323, 713/324, 713/1, 713/2, 709/223, 709/201
• 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 for reducing the power consumption required to run an application, the method comprising:

providing a holistic power management component at a central location, the holistic power management component maintaining equipment information across a plurality of data centers;

wherein a piece of equipment is one of a server, network device, data storage device, or cooling device;

the holistic power management component performing;

receiving for each individual piece of equipment across the plurality of data centers, power consumption information;

measuring power consumed by a set of equipment while running a particular application load to determine a total amount of power required to run the particular application load;

determining a set of selected equipment to allocate for supporting portions of the particular application load, based at least on the power consumption information collected for said each individual piece of equipment and the total amount of power required to run the particular application load;

without user interaction, turning on a first selected piece of equipment in the set of selected equipment;

wherein turning on comprises providing power and operating said each selected piece of equipment;

wherein the first selected piece of equipment resides in a first data center;

without user interaction, turning off a second piece of equipment that is not in the set of selected equipment;

wherein turning off comprises taking said each piece of equipment out of operation and turning off the power to said each piece of equipment;

wherein the second piece of equipment resides in a second data center that is not the first data center; and

wherein responsive to an error condition, turning on all of the pieces of equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein power consumption information received for a server comprises an amount of power consumed while the server is running fully loaded, and an amount of power consumed when the server is running idle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the power consumption for a cooling device is dependent on the amount of power consumed by the servers, network devices, and data storage devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the cooling at each data center based on the capacity at said each data center.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the capacity at each data center so that each server at said each data center runs at a predetermined load level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined load level is 70 percent.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing, using a demand balancer at each data center, a power consumption level at each data center dynamically and without user interaction by at least one of;

turning on one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center;

shutting down one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center;

or

turning off one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein responsive to changing the power consumption level in said each data center, providing at least the same level of application service at said each data center.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein responsive to changing the power consumption level in said each data center, providing at least the same level of collective application service across all data centers.

10. A system for automatically and dynamically reducing power consumption while maintaining an application service level across a plurality of data centers comprising:

a plurality of pieces of equipment at each data center of the plurality of data enters, each piece of equipment comprising one of a server, network device, storage device, or cooling device;

wherein servers, network devices, and storage devices of the plurality of pieces of equipment operate to provide an application service;

a holistic power management component located in a data center of the plurality of data centers;

wherein the holistic power management component maintains equipment information for the plurality of pieces of equipment across the plurality of data centers; and

a first demand balancer in a first data center, and a second demand balancer in a second data center that is distinct from the first data center;

wherein the holistic power management component reduces the power consumption required to run an application by;

receiving for each individual piece of equipment across the plurality of data centers, power consumption information;

measuring power consumed by a set of equipment while running a particular application load to determine a total amount of power required to run the particular application load;

determining a set of selected equipment to allocate for supporting portions of the particular application load, based at least on the power consumption information collected for said each individual piece of equipment and the total amount of power required to run the particular application load;

wherein the first demand balancer, in response to receiving from the holistic power management component the set of selected equipment, turns on a first selected piece of equipment in the set of selected equipment in the first data center;

wherein turning on comprises providing power and operating said each selected piece of equipment;

wherein the second demand balancer, in response to receiving from the holistic power management component the set of selected equipment, turns off a second piece of equipment in the second data center that is not in the set of selected equipment; and

wherein responsive to an error condition, the first demand balancer turns on all of the pieces of equipment in the first data center; and

wherein turning off comprises taking said each piece of equipment out of operation and turning off the power to said each piece of equipment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein power consumption information received for a server comprises an amount of power consumed while the server is running fully loaded, and an amount of power consumed when the server is running idle.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein power consumption for a cooling device in a particular data center is dependent on the amount of power consumed by the servers, network devices, and data storage devices located in the particular data center.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a supply balancer at each data center that adjusts the cooling at each data center based on the capacity at said each data center.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second demand balancers each changes a power consumption level in each respective data center dynamically and without user interaction by at least one of:

turning on one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center;

shutting down one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center;

or

turning off one or more servers, network equipment, or facility components inside the data center.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the system provides at least the same level of application service at said each data center before and after changing power consumption levels within said each data center.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the system provides at least the same level of collective application service across all data centers before and after changing power consumption levels across one or more data centers.