Microsoft Blog Post – Thinking Out of the Box – Chicago Container Data Center

October 20, 2008 Dave Ohara

DataCenterKnowldge has a post about Microsoft’s Chicago Data Center.

Microsoft: PUE of 1.22 for Data Center Containers
October 20th, 2008 : Rich Miller

Microsoft says its testing shows that the data center containers it is installing in its new Chicago data center are extraordinarily energy efficient. The 40-foot shipping containers packed with servers can deliver a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) energy efficiency rating of 1.22, which rivals recent PUEs reported by Google. Microsoft’s Mike Manos revealed the PUE numbers in a blog post about the Chicago data center, which has just completed its first phase of construction.

Mike Manos’ original post is here.

The specifics about the Green and PUE is below.

The other thing which is important is the energy efficiency of the containers. Now I want to be careful here as the reporting of efficiency numbers can be a dangerous exercise in the blogo-sphere. But our testing shows that our containers in Chicago can deliver an average PUE of 1.22 with an AVERAGE ANNUAL PEAK PUE of 1.36. I break these two numbers out separately because there is still some debate (at least in the circles I travel in) on which of these metrics is more meaningful. Regardless of your position on which is more meaningful, you have to admit those numbers are pretty darn compelling.

For the purists and math-heads out there, Microsoft includes house lighting and office loads in our PUE calculation. They are required to run the facility so we count them as overhead.

On the “Sustainability” side of containers it’s also interesting to note that shipping 2500 servers in one big container has a positive reduction on the CO2 related to transportation, let alone the amount of packaging material eliminated.

So in my mind, containers are driving huge cost and efficiency (read also as cost benefits in addition to “green” benefits) gains for the business. This is an extremely important point, as Microsoft expands its data center infrastructure, it is supremely important that we follow an established smart growth methodology for our facilities that is designed to prevent overbuilding—and thus avoid associated costs to the environment and to our shareholders. We are a business after all. We must do all of this while also meeting the rapidly growing demand for Microsoft’s Online and Live services.

Skanska’s Green Data Center Project

October 20, 2008 Dave Ohara

DataCenterKnowledge covers Skanska’s green data center project.

Skanska Hired for $150M Data Center Project
October 20th, 2008 : Rich Miller
Skanska says it has been awarded the construction management assignment for a new, $150 million data center project in the western U.S. for “one of the largest companies in Internet trading.” The facility will be approximately 19,000 square meters, or about 204,000 square feet. Construction has begun and is scheduled for completion in May 2010, according to Skanska, which said its focus on energy efficiency was “decisive” in its selection.

“We have focused on developing our expertise within Green Construction,” says Mike McNally, President, Skanska USA Building. “Our green solution benefits us, the customer and the environment. We strengthen competitiveness for both parties while at the same time reducing environmental impact.”

Skanska is one of the world’s leading construction groups with expertise in construction, development of commercial and residential projects and public-private partnerships. Skanska USA is based in Parsippany, New Jersey and has approximately 4,000 employees.

The original press release is here.

Energy efficient solutions that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases were decisive in selecting Skanska for implementing the project. Skanska has developed a total solution that reduces energy costs for operation and cooling of the facility by up to 60 percent compared with traditional technology.

Security + Green IT = ?

October 20, 2008 Dave Ohara

Accenture has a post using the example of Security being a change in behaviors, not just new equipment.

Security: The Green Glue

Posted at Oct. 16, 2008 04:10 PM CST

By Andrew Skinner, UK Data Center Technology & Operations

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to present Accenture's point of view on Green IT to an audience at the European Symantec Vision event. The key concept is that green IT is not simply about buying new hardware but should actually be about changing the way in which IT is used within the business. I introduced the topic with the example of a merger (clearly a very topical issue in the financial sector at present) to explain what I mean. The new organization would have two e-mail systems running on two sets of server hardware. Should the organization refresh this hardware to make it more efficient—or should it begin by rationalizing its applications?*

Andrew is hopeful.

What became clear was that this move toward the virtual organization will challenge many organizations both technically and socially. The movement of data to processing centers and the accessing of data by a mobile workforce will send palpitations through the security teams within the organization, challenging how security is enabled. For too long we have used the physical walls of the facilities in place of appropriately implemented policies that control and monitor data movement—but the green agenda will challenge this. On one hand we are talking to our clients about supporting remote working, but on the other, organizations do not yet have the ability to control this mobile workforce, what data they are able to access and how much they can see.

Security solutions will become the "green glue" over the coming years, with the solutions to reduce the impact of IT on the environment reliant on properly implemented security solutions at a corporate level.

But will Security + Green IT = Green Glue or a New Conflict?

Many security groups have grow in size and budget over the last ten years. While Green is an effort to be more efficient eliminating waste and reducing the use of resources. Security has been able to implement HW, SW, and new processes for security.

As I just posted on sacred cows. Security has many Sacred Cows.

How about if the Security Group Manager also picks up responsibility for Green IT? Security is one of those services that goes across many groups, requiring collaboration to create better security. The challenge is to be secure and greener.

I wrote on the Green + Security + Virtualization topic previously.

Save the IT Sacred Cows or Grind Them Up?

October 17, 2008 Dave Ohara

A friend pointed me to EMC’s Chuck Hollis blog.

Chuck Hollis
VP -- Global Marketing CTO
EMC Corporation
Chuck has been with EMC for 13 years, most of them pretty good.
He enjoys speaking to customer and industry audiences about a variety of technology topics, and -- of course -- enjoys blogging.

One entry which caught my eye is A Tale of Two Companies where Chuck contrasts two companies approach to IT.

Company One.

My job was to speak a bit about what EMC was working on now, and what we saw in the next few years that could really help them get the job done.

I rose to the challenge, and spoke with passion about the transformative power of newer technology to reduce cost structures, remove friction from traditional IT and be more responsive to the business.

I pointed to how many companies were getting started with today's products and achieving amazing results, and could only look forward to more goodness as the technologies marched forward.

I offered up that now -- more than ever -- was the time to take a hard look at how they did IT, and start grinding up a few of those sacred cows and start making tasty hamburgers (so to speak).

I'm sure that I was able to win over a few covert converts in the audience, but the conversation ended up being much more of the same.

I wondered if they had the passion and the incentive to change how they did IT. Because -- from the outside -- that's what it looked like needed to be done.

Company Two.

The team was much smaller. Everyone had a defined role in the organization, but knew what the others on the team did, and had a bit of shared perspective perspective.

They were intensely passionate about virtualizing as much of their environment as they could, as quickly as they could. They had already done a lot, but had a burning desire to do much more, and do it faster.

They had already started to rework their operations around virtualization and "just-in-time" IT. They had created a "new gen" environment, and were experiencing mostly success as the business welcomed the ability to put things up quickly, and change as they went along.

Chuck asks a good question given this economic environment.

The real question for me is -- how many IT organizations will look at this as big opportunity to fundamentally change how they do business?

Not only virtualize the majority of their environment, but re-engineer for speed and flexibility? And, rather than expending enormous effort on each and every application, give them all a decent starting point, and adjust things dynamically as things change?

You can break down companies into 2 categories, those that are trying how to save their sacred cows of IT and those that are ready to throw the sacred cows out and implement change.

Or if you don’t like the sacred cow analogy, here is Chuck’s other point.

When it's cold outside, you can sit inside and shiver, or get busy and build a fire.

Apple’s Green MacBook and Display

October 17, 2008 Dave Ohara

Apple has been a favorite target for Greenpeace looking at its environmental impact.

With Apple’s new MacBook, they are now marketing the Green features.

Apple is most proud of what isn’t in MacBook.

What’s common in other notebooks is missing in the new MacBook. Take, for example, mercury used in CCFL backlights and arsenic contained in the glass of traditional LCD displays. Apple engineers have said no to both. They’ve chosen LED technology and arsenic-free glass. They’ve also said no to brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in logic boards and PVC in cables and connectors. In fact, Apple has done more than remove these toxins from the new MacBook. They’ve done the same for the rest of the new MacBook family, the Apple LED Cinema Display, every iPod, and iPhone 3G. Sometimes saying no is a good thing.

Fewer parts.

Greener parts.

The new MacBook is built with significantly fewer parts. And the parts that remain are significantly greener. Take the unibody, the foundation of the notebook itself. It’s a single piece of solid, recyclable aluminum that replaces dozens of extraneous pieces once destined for landfill.

Small volume speaks volumes.

Made from recycled material, the new MacBook packaging is 41 percent smaller than the previous generation. And that’s huge. It means less paper used for smaller boxes. It also means Apple can use fewer planes to transport the same number of products.

Buried in Apple’s new laptop announcements is Apple’s Greenest Display.

The LED Cinema Display is the most environmentally friendly display Apple has ever created.

Toxin free

One thing that makes the LED Cinema Display so remarkable is what it lacks. Namely, environmentally harmful mercury. And like the latest-generation iPod, iPhone, and Mac computers, the glass used in the display is arsenic-free. Even the internal cables and components are BFR- and PVC-free.

Highly recyclable

Because of its glass and aluminum construction, the LED Cinema Display is highly recyclable. So when you eventually part with it, rest assured it can be remade into something new.

ENERGY STAR

The LED Cinema Display is designed to meet the low power requirements set by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, giving it the ENERGY STAR certification. The result is a display that reduces energy consumption and your carbon footprint.

EPEAT Gold

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, ranks the performance of a product throughout its lifecycle according to its environmental attributes. The LED Cinema Display earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold.