[ Learn four more ways to reduce datacenter cooling costs. ]
For the ACE project, the team linked data from the server's front-panel temperature sensors (already a standard on most servers and a requirement for Energy Star servers) to the control systems of the air handlers via standard datacenter management communication protocols. Currently, servers and CRAC equipment use completely different protocols; servers employ, for example, HP's IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) or WS-MAN (Web Services Management), and cooling gear runs protocols such as Modbus.
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With a translator in place between the two systems, explained David Jenkins, technology marketing manager in Intel's server group, "the CRAHs could dynamically adjust the speed of the fans and the temperature of the air to the requirements of the servers. The results: Servers received air at the appropriate temperature, power costs for cooling went down, and the energy efficiency of the datacenter went up."
The test environment was of limited size, but the project team determined that potential fan energy savings were as high as 90 percent for particular CRAHs in the test. That's not bad, considering that datacenters are known to spend as much as $1 to cool datacenters for every dollar they spend running IT gear.
Moreover, the project promises future energy-saving opportunities. Monitoring and measuring are integral to running an efficient datacenter operation, and it's all the better if you can accomplish those tasks with as few tools as possible. By giving server management tools direct access to a wealth of server performance and thermal health data, as well as a communication link to cooling equipment, you gain the ability to better understand and control what's happening in the datacenter. You can see which servers are underperforming and which machines aren't getting enough cold air; you can even develop a thermal map of your datacenter to pinpoint hot spots. Better still, all this becomes possible with many of the tools you already have in place -- which makes for a much sweeter ROI.