HP to data center managers: Put a lid on it
As part of its evolving data center product and services strategy, Hewlett-Packard has introduced a technology called HP Dynamic Power Capping that lets data center managers set provisioning ceilings for how much power a specific server is allowed to use. You can base that cap on how much energy that system typically needs to run its standard applications.
So, while you may not be able to increase the amount of power that you can direct toward your data center operations, you'll now be able to better allocate where your available power goes, essentially reclaiming and redirecting those energy resources.
HP believes that the technology will help companies increasing the number of servers that that a data center can accommodate, while also reducing energy consumption. According to some internal measures it has worked up, HP believes Dynamic Power Capping can save a business up to $300,000 per year and cut power consumption by 25 percent. "This is one of the main challenges that data centers face today: systems aren't provisioned properly," says Peter Gross, vice president and general manager of EYP Mission Critical Facilities, which is an HP company focused on data center design and optimization services.
By the way, that includes both physical and virtual servers. HP Dynamic Power Cooling is compatible with hypervisors and basically any operating system you'd find in a data center. What's more, the technology already is embedded into ProLiant server models (including ProLiant DL380 G5, DL360 G5 and BL460c G5, which is a blade configuration) and actually has been included for some time in these server models. So, many existing HP customers will be able to simply switch on this capability by buying an appropriate license. The cost is $549 for a tower license or $399 for a blade server license.
HP Dynamic Power Capping is part of the high-tech vendor's broader Thermal Logic portfolio. According to HP executives, the portfolio is focused on technologies and services that reduce total energy use, reclaim "trapped" power capacity or extend the life of the data center. Another new offering included within the Thermal Logic family is HP Insight Control Environment, software for measuring power consumption and allowing IT managers to monitor real-world power and cooling consumption trends.
There's a ton more energy-efficiency news out of HP today, but I need to digest a little more about the hardware and services offerings and will post more information later this week.