Cooling Costs PDF

COOLING Cooling Costs  Some estimates state that cooling can account for upward of 63 percent of your IT department’s power usage. That’s obviously a big amount and not something that should be overlooked.  If you need more cooling power, rather than simply turning up the air conditio...

COOLING Cooling Costs  Some estimates state that cooling can account for upward of 63 percent of your IT department’s power usage. That’s obviously a big amount and not something that should be overlooked.  If you need more cooling power, rather than simply turning up the air conditioning, it’s useful to figure out how much you’re actually spending and how much you actually need to spend. Power Cost  Let’s take a moment to understand how much power costs and how those costs are computed. Electricity is paid for per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This is a measure of the hourly consumption of electrical power. For the sake of easy math, let’s use a basic electrical device the household incandescent light bulb to determine how much electricity costs.  A 100-watt (W) bulb uses 100 watt-hours of electricity in 60 minutes. As such, ten 100 W light bulbs will use a total of 1 kWh of electricity per hour. But electrical power costs are different around the country.  Table compares the average price per kWh for each region of the U.S. and shows how much it has increased in one year.  Because most companies aren’t just running on ten light bulbs, let’s put the numbers in realistic terms. International Data Corp. estimated that companies worldwide spent about $29 billion to cool datacenters in 2007, up 400 percent from 2000 IDC, 2006. Causes of Cost Cooling is a major component of your power consumption and, by extension, your IT budget. A number of issues drive up power consumption and cooling costs, including the following:  Increased power consumption as more servers and storage devices are deployed.  Increased heat density in the racks because of increased computing power in a confined space.  Irregular heat load in the datacenter. This is exacerbated by poor planning for heat management as the topology of the datacenter changes.  Increasing power costs across the U.S.  A tendency to overcool datacenters. The “flood-cooling impulse” leads datacenter managers to overcool their datacenters by more than two and a half times what is needed. Calculating Cooling Needs (Q. How are cooling needs calculated?)  All the equipment in your server room generates heat. So does the lighting. And so do the people working there. All these sources of heat contribute to the heat load of the server room. Typically this number is expressed in British Thermal Units (BTUs) or kW. One kilowatt is the same as 3412 BTUs.  For your air conditioner to cool a room, its output must be greater than the heat load. Before buying any new cooling equipment, it’s important to figure out how much you need.  To determine the heat load, you must take into consideration a number of factors, not just the heat load of your equipment. The following sections address these additional considerations.  Room Size The room itself requires cooling. To calculate the cooling needs of the room, use this formula: Room Area BTU = Length (meters(m)) × Width (m) × 337  Windows Most often, server rooms have no windows. If yours has none, you can skip this calculation. However, if you do have windows, look at these formulas to determine which is most applicable to your datacenter: South Window BTU = South Facing Window Length (m) × Width (m) × 870 North Window BTU = North Facing Window Length (m) × Width (m) × 165 If there are no blinds on the windows, multiply the results by 1.5. Add together the results of these calculations to get your final amount: Windows BTU = South Window(s) BTU + North Window(s) BTU  People in the Room You probably don’t have someone permanently stationed in the server room. If people aren’t in there, you can skip this section. However, if you do have people located in the server room, the heat load goes up about 400 BTU per person. Here’s the formula:  Total Occupant BTU = Number of occupants × 40  Equipment Obviously, most of the heat generated is from your equipment. You can find the equipment’s power consumption in its documentation or on the vendor websites, if it’s not written on a sticker with the serial number. Don’t forget to take into consideration any other equipment that might be in the room (maybe there’s a photocopier or other additional equipment). Here’s the formula: Equipment BTU = Total wattage for all equipment × 3.5  Lighting Multiply the total wattage for lighting by 4.25, as shown in the following formula: Lighting BTU = Total wattage for all lighting × 4.25  Total Cooling Requirement Now, just add up all these numbers and you’ll get the total amount of cooling you’ll need for your datacenter, as follows: Total Heat Load = Room Area BTU + Windows BTU + Total Occupant BTU + Equipment BTU + Lighting BTU  You can take this number with you when you go air conditioning shopping. Small air conditioning units have a cooling capacity of between 5000 and 10,000 BTUs. Larger units use a measurement in tons of cooling. One ton of cooling is about the same as 12,000 BTUs Reducing Cooling Costs  If you’ve looked at your datacenter’s cooling bill (or have been afraid to), just know there are some ways you can reduce costs. Also, if you find you need more cooling, it might be wiser to deploy equipment that won’t chow down a lot of power.  Table 4-2 shows how much money different-sized datacenters can save in different parts of the world.  It also shows how much pollution can be cut when optimizing cooling. Economizers (Q. Explain Economizers concept in detail.)  You can save a lot of money if you are able to put Mother Nature to work for you. In a lot of the country, winter provides you with an opportunity to enhance your cooling system by using the cold outside air to cool things down.  But it isn’t as simple as opening a window to accomplish this. To do so, you need to employ what is called an economizer.  There are two types: 1. Air-side economizers 2. Waterside economizers Air-side Economizer  An air-side economizer regulates the use of outside air for cooling a room or a building. It employs sensors, ducts, and dampers to regulate the amount of cool air brought in.  The sensors measure air temperature both inside and outside the building. If it notices that the outside air is suitably cold enough to cool the datacenter, it will adjust its dampers to draw in the outside air, making it the main source of cooling.  This cuts or eliminates the need for the air conditioning system’s compressors, which provides a big cost savings.  Not everyone is in love with air-side economizers. Their main beef is over contamination and humidity levels. Because the economizers are drawing air in from outside, pollution can potentially enter the datacenter. A larger concern is the change of humidity in the datacenter.  If air-side economizers are something your organization wishes to employ, you should consider air filters and supplemental humidification. However, what you spend on filtration and humidification might be more than if you just used your regular air- conditioning system. Water-side Economizer  A water-side economizer utilizes evaporative cooling (usually provided by cooling towers) to indirectly produce chilled water to cool a datacenter when outdoor conditions are cool (often at night). This is best for environments with temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit for 3000 or more hours a year.  Using economizers, chilled-water-plant energy consumption can be cut by up to 75 percent.  You will also see reductions in maintenance costs, because the fluid-chilled cooling system allows you to drastically reduce maybe even completely eliminate the need for chiller operation.  Water-side economizers are especially beneficial, because not only do they save costs, but they don’t allow contaminants or altered humidity levels into the datacenter.  Water-side economizers work with a cooling tower, evaporative cooler, or dry cooler to cool down the datacenter. This type of economizer is normally incorporated into a chilled water or glycol-based cooling system.  Fluid in the cooling system passes through a coil to cool the room, thus eliminating the need for the compressor to operate. Water-side economizers cool using a loop connecting to a cooling tower, evaporative cooler, or dry cooler. On-Demand Cooling (Q. Explain On-Demand Cooling.) On-demand cooling systems are becoming more and more prevalent. These units are brought in to provide temporary cooling when central air is down. They are also widely used in datacenters. There are two types of on-demand cooling systems, very similar in function to economizers:  Air to Air: Smaller air-to-air coolers can be wheeled into the room needing cooling. They use flexible ductwork to connect to a window, and then the generated heat is transferred out of the building. They can be plugged into a standard 110-volt wall outlet. Larger units can be mounted on the outside of the building, with cool air being ducted through a window. These units operate on temporary 208-to-230-volt circuits.  Water based: These are much larger units, where a standard garden hose is connected to the device so that water flows in, cools down the equipment, and then is sent through a second hose to run down a drain. HP’s Solution  Hewlett-Packard offers a cooling technology that it says can cut an IT department’s power costs by up to 40 percent. The system, called Dynamic Smart Cooling, uses sensors to control the temperature in specific areas of the datacenter. HP labs were able to reduce the power to cool a datacenter from 45.8 kW using a standard industry setup to 13.5 kW.  Dynamic Smart Cooling is an intelligent solution, and rather than turning your datacenter into a meat locker, the system allows air conditioners managed by specially designed software to regulate the cold air delivered to a room based on the needs of specific computers.  Dynamic Smart Cooling uses the datacenter’s air conditioning system to adapt to changing workloads with sensors attached to the computers.  If the system senses that a computer is warming up too much, air conditioners will send more cool air. Optimizing Airflow (Q. How airflow can be optimized?)  Air exchange is important. To deliver the precise cooling environment, air must be exchanged at a sufficient rate. Normal office environments must change air over twice an hour. In high-density datacenters, air has to be exchanged 50 times an hour. If enough air is not exchanged, cooling air will heat up before it reaches the equipment, and disaster could occur.  Finding the latest and greatest in cooling technology is certainly a useful tactic in reducing your cooling costs. But some good practices can help minimize your costs without you having to buy the newest product.  This section looks at some best practices that can help optimize the airflow around your servers and other networking equipment. Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle Equipment is typically designed to draw in air from the front and then blow the exhaust out the rear. As Figure shows, this allows equipment to be arranged to create hot aisles and cool aisles.  Something you’ll notice about Figure is that the cool sides of equipment are arranged together, whereas the hot sides of equipment face each other. This allows the equipment to draw in cool air, rather than air that has already been preheated by the rack of equipment in front of it.  The cold aisles have perforated floor tiles to draw cooler air from the raised floor. Floor mounted cooling is placed at the end of hot aisles, but not parallel to the row of racks. This is because parallel placement can cause the hot exhaust to be drawn across the top of the racks and mixed with the cool air. It also decreases overall energy efficiency. Raised Floors  Datacenters are conventionally built on a floor that is raised 18 to 36 inches. The higher the floor level, the more air that can be distributed under the floor and the more air that can be used by the cooling system. But higher isn’t always practical.  There can be major disruptions to day-to-day operations. Plus, the higher up you build the floor, obviously, the closer you’ll be getting to the ceiling. This can be a hindrance not only for rack sizes, but also for the flow of air over the top of equipment. Cable Management  Developing a good cable management system in conjunction with the hot-aisle/cold-aisle design can equate to more energy efficiency.  Whenever possible, it’s best to route your cables under the hot aisle, as shown in Figure. This reduces the cool air’s path to the equipment as it is drawn in through the perforated tiles and into the equipment’s cooling systems.  Route cables along the hot aisle whenever possible to avoid airflow problems in the cool aisle.  Some racks now provide expansion channels that help with cable management and ease heat removal for high-density racks. It may be possible to retrofit existing racks with these channels.  Some organizations are also running cabling above or through racks, rather than under the floors, to reduce the interference with the flow of air from below. Further, some organizations are deploying advanced power strips to bring the power load closer to the rack rather than running so many cables through the datacenter. We’ve all seen messes of cabling that resemble an enormous blue or grey spaghetti bundle. These bundles act like insulation, trapping heat near the equipment and preventing cool air from passing through. Vapor Seal  It’s also important to ensure you have a good vapor barrier in your datacenter, cutting it off from the rest of the building. If you have a poor vapor barrier, humidity will move into the datacenter during hot months and escape during the winter months.  A good vapor seal reduces the costs to humidify or dehumidify. Prevent Recirculation of Equipment Exhaust (Q. What are the ways to prevent recirculation of equipment exhaust?) Your networking gear can get hot enough on its own and doesn’t need help from its neighbors—nor does it need to heat up its neighbors. The following are some simple steps you can employ in your datacenter to prevent exhaust from being reabsorbed by other devices. These are illustrated in Figure. 1. Hot-aisle/cool aisle: Employ the hot-aisle/cool-aisle design. 2. Rigid enclosures: Build rigid enclosures to keep exhaust heat from being sucked back into the device’s cool air intakes. 3. Flexible strip curtains: Use flexible strip curtains to block the open air above your racks that have been configured into a hot-aisle/cool-aisle layout.  You can prevent exhaust from overheating your equipment by following some simple steps. 4. Block unused rack locations with blanks: Equipment typically draws in cool air from the front and exhausts it out the back. Blanking open areas under equipment prevents the exhaust from being drawn back into the device. 5. Design with cooling in mind: Although most do, some equipment does not draw air in from the front and exhaust it out the back. Some have top-discharge or side-to-side designs. Configure your racks to ensure your equipment doesn’t blow into the intake of other equipment. 6. Select racks with good airflow: Buy racks that don’t have an internal structure that would block the smooth flow of air to your equipment. Supply Air Directly to Heat Sources (Q. What are the ways to cool down devices that generate heat?) Rather than shelling out the money to cool the entire datacenter, you can save some money and just cool down the devices generating heat. These tips can help:  Use the correct diffusers: The type of diffuser you would use in an office is not appropriate for a datacenter. Select diffusers that deliver air directly to the equipment that needs cooling.  Correctly place supply and returns: Diffusers should be placed right by the equipment to be cooled. They should not be placed so they direct cooling air at heat exhausts, but rather into the air intakes. Supplies and slotted floor tiles should not be placed near returns to prevent a cool air “short circuit.”  Minimize air leaks: Systems that use a raised floor can lose cool air through cable accesses in hot aisles.  Optimize air conditioner placement: In large datacenters, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model would be useful. This helps locate the best placement for cooling units. It also helps minimize the distance between air conditioner units and large loads.  Use properly sized plenums: Return plenums need to be the right size to allow a lot of air to flow through. Obstructions such as piping, cabling trays, and electrical conduits need to be taken into consideration when plenum space is calculated.  Provide enough supply: Under-floor supply plenums must be big enough to allow enough air to service your equipment. Again, take into consideration obstacles such as piping, cabling trays, and electrical conduits. Fans Fans also suck up a lot of power, especially when a lot of them are spinning at the same time. Take these tips into consideration to improve fan efficiency:  Use a low-pressure drop system: Use low-pressure drop air handlers and ductwork. Make sure there is enough capacity in your under-floor plenums to allow air to flow.  Use redundant air handlers during normal operations: It is more efficient to use auxiliary fans at a lower speed than a single fan at high speed. Power usage drops with the square of the velocity. As such, operating two fans at 50 percent capacity uses less power than one fan at full capacity. Humidity ( Q. How to achieve proper humidity levels? ) Datacenter cooling systems must also be able to adapt to exterior temperature and humidity. Because these factors will change depending on where on the globe the datacenter is located—along with the time of year—datacenter air-conditioning systems must be able to adapt to these sorts of changes. Too much humidity can wreck your datacenter equipment. Too little humidity can wreck your datacenter equipment. Use these tips to help keep your datacenter at the right level:  Establish a humidity sensor calibration schedule: Humidity sensors drift and require frequent calibration—more so than temperature sensors. Also, incorrect humidity sensors are less likely to be noticed than incorrect temperature sensors. As such, establish a frequent test and calibration schedule for your humidity sensors.  Allow for sensor redundancy: Make sure you have enough sensors to keep an eye on your datacenter’s humidity level. To ensure a tight control, multiple sensors should be used. At the very least use two, but more are better.  Manage humidity with a dedicated unit: If ventilated air is used (maybe from an air- side economizer), control humidity with a single ventilation air handler.  Lock out economizers when necessary: When using an air-side economizer, minimize the amount of air that’s brought in when the dew point is low. This saves money on having to humidify the dry air.  Centralize humidity control: Each datacenter should have its own centralized humidity control system. Multiple systems wind up fighting each other, and the system becomes less efficient. Adding Cooling  If your datacenter is especially “equipment dense,” you’ll need to add some extra cooling capacity.  The best way to cool your equipment is to make sure the cooling gear is as close as possible to the heat sources. When you decide how to supplement your cooling systems, you should consider what type of system to use (air or fluid based) and what type of design the system will use. Fluid Considerations  As anyone with a car knows, fluid is a great way to move heat from equipment (in this case, the engine) to keep it cool. As anyone who has ever left their cellular telephone in a pocket as it went through the wash knows, electronics and water don’t mix. That’s not to say that fluid-based cooling systems have no place in datacenter environments. It just means you’ve got to use care.  Of course, water isn’t the only fluid used for cooling. Though water is normally used in floor-mounted cooling, because of safety concerns, R134a refrigerant is typically used when cooling is used closer to the equipment. This is because refrigerant turns into a gas when it reaches the air, so leakage doesn’t pose a threat to your equipment.  Table lists the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions. Advantages and Disadvantages of Water and Refrigerant  However, it isn’t just safety and effectiveness that makes refrigerant a good match for cooling needs.  Fluid solutions employ micro-channel coils for better efficiency, and a low-pressure system results in lower operating costs. It can also provide an energy efficiency savings of between 25 and 35 percent based on kilowatts of cooling capacity per kW of heat load. System Design  Because getting close to the heat source is so important, the cooling system’s design is important to consider. There are two common designs in datacenters open and closed.  In a closed design, the electronics and cooling equipment are situated together in a sealed environment. The benefit of this is that it is a high-capacity cooling solution. The downside is that the design isn’t as flexible, nor fault-tolerant.  In a datacenter environment, however, an open design is preferred, because a closed solution offers little flexibility. For example, if a cooling system fails, the racks are isolated from the room’s own cooling opportunities. Inside the enclosure, the server can reach its over-temperature limit in 15 seconds.  With an open architecture, modules can be positioned close to the racks, but are not enclosed, so room air can be a sort of backup if the cooling equipment fails. This makes it much safer for both your organization’s data reliability as well as the hardware’s physical health.  Not least of all, you have much greater flexibility to configure and reconfigure your datacenter as the system evolves. Datacenter Design  You can optimize your cooling needs by how you design your datacenter. A number of issues can help you reduce the amount of cooling you need, simply by how you design your datacenter and how cooling is deployed. Centralized Control (Q. State the advantages of custom centralized air-handling system.) When designing your cooling plan, it’s best to employ a custom centralized air-handling system. This sort of system offers several benefits over the prevalent multiple-distributed unit system, including the following: 1. Better efficiency. 2. Can use surplus and redundant capacity. 3. Units can work in conjunction with each other, rather than fighting against one another. 4. Uses fluid-cooled chiller plants, which are much more efficient than water- and air cooled datacenters. 5. Less maintenance is required.  Greening IT Green PCs  Green PCs, also known as eco-friendly or sustainable computers, are designed to minimize their environmental impact throughout their entire lifecycle, from production to disposal. Here are some key features and benefits:  Key Features: 1. Energy Efficiency: Low power consumption, using energy-efficient processors, and power management systems. 2. Sustainable Materials: Use of recycled, recyclable, and biodegradable materials in construction. 3. Reduced E-Waste: Design for recyclability, reusability, and minimal packaging. 4. Non-Toxic Components: Avoidance of hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium. 5. Carbon Offset: Manufacturers offset carbon emissions from production and transportation.  Benefits: 1. Reduced Carbon Footprint: Lower energy consumption and emissions. 2. Cost Savings: Energy efficiency reduces electricity bills. 3. Extended Device Life: Durable design and high-quality components. 4. Improved Indoor Air Quality: Non-toxic materials and reduced emissions. 5. Enhanced Brand Reputation: Demonstrated commitment to sustainability.  Examples of Green PCs: 1. Dell's OptiPlex 7070 Eco 2. HP's EliteDesk 800 G4 Eco 3. Lenovo's ThinkCentre M90a Eco 4. Apple's Mac Mini (made from recycled aluminum) 5. Asus's Eco-friendly Vivobook  What to Look for When Buying a Green PC: 1. Energy efficiency ratings (e.g., Energy Star) 2. Material sustainability (e.g., recycled plastics) 3. E-waste reduction features (e.g., recyclable packaging) 4. Non-toxic component certifications (e.g., RoHS) 5. Manufacturer's environmental policy and reporting  By choosing green PCs, individuals and organizations can contribute to a more sustainable future, reduce their environmental footprint, and promote eco-friendly practices in the tech industry. Green Notebook  A Green Notebook, also known as an Eco-Friendly Notebook or Sustainable Notebook, is a notebook designed to minimize its environmental impact throughout its entire lifecycle. Here are some key features:  Key Features: 1. Recycled Materials: Covers, pages, and binding made from recycled paper, cardboard, or other materials. 2. Sustainable Paper: FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council), recycled, or bamboo paper. 3. Biodegradable Materials: Covers, pages, or binding made from biodegradable materials like plant-based plastics. 4. Minimal Waste: Designed to reduce waste, with minimal packaging and no unnecessary inserts. 5. Non-Toxic Ink: Soy-based or vegetable-based ink used for printing. 6. Durable Construction: Built to last, reducing the need for frequent replacements.  Benefits: 1. Reduced Deforestation: Sustainable paper sources help preserve forests. 2. Lower Carbon Footprint: Recycled materials, biodegradable materials, and minimal waste reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 3. Conservation of Resources: Recycled materials conserve water, energy, and land. 4. Improved Indoor Air Quality: Non-toxic ink and materials promote healthier indoor environments. 5. Supports Sustainable Practices: Encourages eco-friendly habits and reduces waste.  Examples of Green Notebooks: 1. Moleskine's Eco-Friendly Notebook 2. Leuchtturm1917's Recycled Notebook 3. Rhodia's Webnotebook made from recycled materials 4. Quo Vadis' Habana Notebook with recycled covers 5. Ecojot's 100% Recycled Notebook  What to Look for When Buying a Green Notebook: 1. Recycled content percentage 2. Sustainable paper certifications (e.g., FSC) 3. Biodegradable materials 4. Non-toxic ink 5. Minimal packaging and waste 6. Durable construction  By choosing a Green Notebook, individuals can contribute to a more sustainable future, reduce their environmental footprint, and promote eco-friendly practices in the stationery industry.  Green servers  Green servers, also known as eco-friendly or sustainable servers, are designed to minimize their environmental impact while providing reliable and efficient computing services.  Key Features: 1. Energy Efficiency: Optimized hardware and software to reduce power consumption. 2. Renewable Energy: Powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydroelectric. 3. Sustainable Materials: Built with recyclable, biodegradable, or conflict-free materials. 4. Reduced E-Waste: Designed for longevity, upgradeability, and recyclability. 5. Low Carbon Footprint: Minimized carbon emissions through efficient cooling systems and supply chain optimization.  Benefits: 1. Reduced Energy Costs: Energy efficiency saves organizations money. 2. Lower Carbon Emissions: Contributes to a cleaner environment and mitigates climate change. 3. Improved Brand Reputation: Demonstrates commitment to sustainability. 4. Increased Data Center Efficiency: Optimized cooling and power usage. 5. Compliance with Regulations: Meets environmental standards and regulations.  Certifications: 1. Energy Star (US EPA) 2. EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) 3. RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) 4. WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) 5. ISO 14001 (Environmental Management)  Types of Green Servers: 1. Blade Servers: High-density, energy-efficient servers. 2. Virtualization Servers: Consolidate multiple servers, reducing hardware needs. 3. Cloud Servers: Scalable, on-demand computing with minimized resource waste. 4. Open Compute Servers: Open-source, energy-efficient server designs.  Examples of Green Server Providers: 1. Google Cloud Platform (carbon-neutral since 2007) 2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Sustainable Data Centers 3. Microsoft Azure (100% renewable energy by 2025) 4. IBM Cloud (energy-efficient data centers) 5. OVHcloud (carbon-neutral data centers)  What to Look for When Choosing Green Servers: 1. Energy efficiency ratings (e.g., Energy Star) 2. Renewable energy sources 3. Sustainable materials and supply chain practices 4. E-waste reduction and recycling programs  5. Carbon offsetting or neutrality 6. Certifications and compliance with environmental regulations  By adopting green servers, organizations can reduce their environmental footprint, improve efficiency, and contribute to a more sustainable future. Green Data Centers Green data centers focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, incorporating practices that reduce environmental impact. Key aspects include: 1. Energy Efficiency: Employing efficient cooling methods, such as liquid cooling and advanced airflow management, to lower energy usage. 2. Renewable Energy Sources: Utilizing solar panels, wind turbines, or purchasing renewable energy credits to power operations sustainably. 3. Efficient Hardware: Selecting energy-efficient servers and equipment designed to consume less power. 4. Sustainable Design: Building data centers using eco-friendly materials and designs that optimize natural light and ventilation. 5. Waste Reduction: Implementing recycling programs for electronic waste and striving for zero landfill waste. 6. Water Conservation: Using water-efficient cooling systems and recycling wastewater. 7. Monitoring and Management: Employing advanced monitoring systems to track energy usage and identify areas for improvement. By focusing on these elements, green data centers can significantly reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining performance and reliability. Green Cloud Computing Green cloud computing refers to environmentally sustainable practices in cloud computing. It focuses on reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption of data centers and cloud services. Key aspects include: 1. Energy Efficiency: Optimizing resource allocation to minimize power usage, using energy-efficient hardware, and implementing virtualization techniques to maximize server utilization. 2. Renewable Energy: Leveraging renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind, to power data centers and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. 3. Resource Optimization: Employing strategies like load balancing and server consolidation to reduce overall resource consumption. 4. Sustainable Practices: Implementing recycling programs, responsible e-waste management, and using eco-friendly materials in data center construction. 5. Carbon Offset Programs: Supporting initiatives that offset carbon emissions, such as tree planting or investing in renewable energy projects. The aim is to provide scalable computing solutions while minimizing environmental impact, making cloud services more sustainable. Green Data Storage Green data storage refers to environmentally friendly practices and technologies used to store and manage data with minimal energy consumption and environmental impact. Key elements include: 1. Energy-Efficient Hardware: Utilizing energy-efficient storage devices, such as solid- state drives (SSDs) and energy-efficient hard drives, to reduce power consumption. 2. Virtualization: Implementing virtualization technologies to optimize storage utilization and reduce the number of physical devices needed. 3. Data De-duplication: Using techniques to eliminate duplicate copies of data, which decreases the storage space required and reduces energy use. 4. Cloud Storage Solutions: Leveraging cloud services that prioritize green practices, such as using renewable energy to power data centers. 5. Sustainable Practices: Adopting recycling programs for old storage devices and ensuring responsible disposal of e-waste. 6. Efficient Cooling: Implementing advanced cooling solutions to minimize energy usage in data storage facilities. The goal of green data storage is to balance the growing demand for data storage with the need to minimize environmental impact. Green Software Green software is software designed to be environmentally friendly, focusing on minimizing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions throughout its lifecycle. This includes optimizing code for efficiency, utilizing sustainable infrastructure, and considering the environmental impact of the software's use and development. The aim is to create technology solutions that are sustainable and have a lower ecological footprint. Here are the key points about green software: 1. Definition: Software designed to minimize environmental impact. 2. Energy Efficiency: Optimizes code to reduce energy consumption. 3. Sustainable Infrastructure: Uses eco-friendly data centers and cloud services. 4. Lifecycle Consideration: Evaluates environmental impact from development to deployment. 5. Lower Carbon Footprint: Aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with software use. 6. Sustainable Practices: Encourages responsible coding and resource usage. These practices help make technology more sustainable. Green Networking and Communication Green networking and communication refer to practices and technologies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of networking and communication systems. Here are the key points: 1. Energy Efficiency: Optimizing network devices and protocols to consume less energy. 2. Resource Management: Using resources more efficiently to minimize waste. 3. Sustainable Technologies: Implementing eco-friendly technologies like energy-efficient routers and switches. 4. Virtualization: Reducing physical hardware through virtualization to save energy and space. 5. Renewable Energy: Powering networks with renewable energy sources. 6. Reduced E-Waste: Promoting the recycling and responsible disposal of networking equipment. These practices help create a more sustainable and eco-friendly communication infrastructure.  Recycling Means of Disposal Obviously, you can’t just throw your computers in the dumpster, slam down the lid. Different areas have different requirements for the disposal of end-of-life technology. Recycling is one way to get rid of old devices, but there are other strategies when dealing with old equipment. Recycling  Computer recycling involves breaking down the computer to recover metals, plastic, and glass for reuse. It also aids in keeping hazardous materials from tainting the environment.  Computer recycling is complex, because there are over 1000 different materials in a computer. As such, computers are one of the most complex things to recycle.  Computer recyclers are normally large companies or government programs. They need to handle high volumes of recycling materials to make their business profitable. They look for components containing precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum.  Some reasons not to recycle old equipment include: 1. Not knowing how to properly dispose of equipment. 2. The slim chance the equipment might be used in the future. 3. The possibility that the equipment can be given to another organization.  Most computer recyclers remarket working parts and entire computers because they are able to recognize higher profits than through shredding and smelting to recover materials. Refurbishing (Q. Explain term Refurbishing and also explain what are the commercial & non-commercial refurbisher? )  Refurbishing means damaged equipment to bring it to workable or better looking condition. When a refurbisher receives discarded computers, it tests them, extracts useable parts from computers that are not repairable, and then fixes the ones that can be fixed.  Missing parts replaced such as hard drive, memory and cards. CD ROM, fan, battery and power supply, slot covers can be replaced if needed.  Computers can be refurbished according to specific client specifications. One working computer can be built from 3 to 4 non-working computers. The other non-recycling parts can be sent to recycling companies.  Refurbishing can be divided into non-commercial refurbishers and commercial refurbishers. Non-commercial Refurbishing  This field is composed mostly of nonprofit and school-based programs doing computer training. This market turns around reused computers and provides them to low-income families. More than 70 percent of noncommercial computer reuse is sent to schools.  The innovative measure is to repair or up trade instead of recycling donating used electronic equipment, refurbishing and leasing.  A donation of computers to school and job training organization. There are number of non-profit organization in United States which have developed an infrastructure to collect, refurbish and distribute unused and obsolete computers. This market turns around reused computers and provides them to low-income families.  Larger programs such as Computers for Schools Canada; Per Scholas in New York; and Students Recycling Used Technology in Portland, Phoenix, Georgia, and Silicon Valley provide 10,000 or more computers each year. Commercial Refurbishing  Most major computer companies have their own divisions for repurposing computers— companies such as HP Financial Services and IBM Global Asset Recovery Services.  RECONNECT -is a partnership between Dell and Goodwill Industries. Computers can be brought into Goodwill locations, Dell will refurbish them, and then the repurposed computers are sold with the proceeds going to Goodwill Industries. Make the Decision  Whether you choose to recycle or reuse is a decision you have to make to keep all your end-of-life PCs from filling every cabinet, closet, nook, and cranny in your organization.  You have to define clear objectives for what you want done with the equipment and what the final place will be for them.  If you want the systems destroyed, you should consider a recycler.  You might consider donating or repurposing your equipment.  If you have decided on donating computers for reuse, you should think twice, 1. First, you need to think about the age of the computers. If they are too old (more than 5 years) they may not be able to run the same software that other computers do. 2. Also, will the recipient be able to use the equipment or refurbish it for use? If it is too old, it might not be economical for the recipient to pay to bring the machines up to working order. 3. Finally, make sure any sensitive personal or business information has been removed from the computers. Life Cycle  Planning for the end is something you should have done when you thought about buying them.  Establishing a system’s life cycle gives Information Resource managers a tool to control budgets and respond to management with a business case for the new machines, their operation, and how you will ultimately phase them out of the organization. From Cradle to Grave  Let’s take a closer look at what is involved in the product life cycle, from the very beginning to the very end.  A product life cycle takes all parts of the computer’s life into consideration. Figure shows the phases of a product’s life cycle. 1. Terms  One has to define objective for the development of a new system.  Identify the need of replacing your or organization computers. 2. Feasibility Study  The next step is a feasibility study, which asks whether the concept for a new system is achievable and realistic in terms of money, time, and the end result.  As an outcome of the study, you may find that all you need to do is update components of your existing system rather than completely replace it.  This saves you money, and it also prevents a computer from having to be recycled. 3. Fact Finding  Fact-finding is essential skill set in your existing system and how it is being used.  Monitor your staff and ask them how they use the system. It’s a good idea to watch them so you can get a realistic idea of how they use the system.  Often, people will not be completely forthcoming with their answers because they might be embarrassed about the parts of the system they have trouble using. 4. Analysis Think up your ideal system, taking into consideration the needs identified in the “Terms” section. Don’t limit yourself by anticipating budgetary limitations. Design your system the way you would if you had a blank check. 5. Design  In this stage, based on the above model, one has to built a real model. Use whatever elements you can from the “Analysis” section.  At this stage, you produce a document that describes the system, but it need not contain specific brands or models of hardware or software. 6. System Specification  System Specification help to define the operational and performance guidelines for a system. It may outline how the system is expected to perform.  When purchasing software or hardware, system specifications may be outlined during the evaluation process and agreed upon during the payment process.  At this stage, you choose exact models, brands and identify suppliers. 7. Implementation and Review  Set up the new system, train your staff to use it, and then monitor it for initial problems. Make any changes necessary to the system to improve performance.  Once the new system is working as you want to it, you can get rid of the components of the old system. 8. Use Use the new system for day-to-day operations. Be sure to maintain and update it as needed. Part of usage is tuning your system for optimal functionality, so be sure to figure ongoing maintenance and monitoring into your life cycle plan. 9. Close  In this stage you put the system in its final resting. You can close the system and migrate data to a more modern system.  At this stage, you decide what you will do with your data and think about how the machines will be disposed of. Green Design (Q. What do you mean by Green Design?) An important area you should keep in mind in your life cycle considerations is designing your system with environmentally responsible use, retirement, and disposal. When designing your system, keep these thoughts in mind: 1. Design for repair Some equipment is not designed so that it can be repaired (at least not easily) and is simply seen as disposable. Include as many elements as possible that can be repaired. 2. Design for upgradability This goes hand-in-hand with the notion of being reparable. Build systems that can be upgraded, rather than having to replace entire components when needed. 3. Design to minimize power consumption Use the equipment which consumes the less electricity that will have to be generated. 4. Design for recycling or a clean disposal  This means designing systems with material types that are easily recycled or can easily find a second life when you’re done with them.  It can also mean including elements that are less toxic, such as using RoHS-compliant equipment or EPEAT-rated equipment. In essence, including green considerations into the life cycle process involves considering the end of the system’s life when performing the initial design. Recycling Companies If you’ve decide to go the recycling route, you should bear in mind certain considerations when making a selection. Naturally, you want to save money, but you also want to go with a recycler who is environmentally responsible. You also want to find a company that is accountable and maintains good records about what they did with your old machines. In this section, we talk about factors to consider when selecting a recycler. Finding the Best One  The quality of electronic recyclers will vary from company to company.  The EPA recommends selecting recyclers who do the following: 1. Maximize reuse, refurbishment, and recycling over disposal and incineration. 2. Take precautions to reduce emissions and exposures to workers and the environment. 3. Provide special handling of components that may contain substances of concern. 4. Ensure that exported electronic products are being sent for legitimate reuse, recycling, or refurbishment. 5. Ensure that downstream recycling, refurbishing, and disposal facilities follow management practices that are consistent with the guidelines. Checklist The EPA utilizes a checklist for federal agencies to help evaluate potential recyclers. The checklist is a good tool for your company. It can also help you evaluate the following: 1. Collectors and haulers Those who collect end-of-life electronics and generally work under contract with another business. 2. Repair shops Those who repair computers for resale and remove operational components for the highest level of reuse. 3. Electronics de-manufacturers Those who take electronics apart for reusable components and also for scrap value. 4. Private asset recovery operations Those who specialize in providing the highest return on discarded computer equipment. They usually work with large-scale businesses. Certifications  You should also take a potential recycler’s industry certifications into consideration. Certifications include the following: 1. Institute of Scrap Recycling Industry’s (ISRI) 2. Recycling Industry Operating Standards (RIOS) certification 3. International Association of Electronic Recyclers (IAER) certification 4. International Organization for Standards (ISO) ISO 14001 certification  Certification achievement is totally voluntary, but it is a good sign of the recycler’s commitment to quality service.  On the other hand, if a recycler doesn’t have any of these certifications, it doesn’t mean they won’t provide quality service. However, because it takes a lot of work to earn these certifications, you can almost be guaranteed that the recycler disposes of materials in an appropriate manner. Hard Drive Recycling  Every computer eventually is removed from service, and often there is sensitive data on the hard drive. There are several popular methods are used to remove data from hard drives: 1. Delete the data using an OS utility degaussing process or service. 2. Triple overwrite the data using a software tool. 3. Physically destroy the drive.  There are drawbacks to these methods. Deleting data with the OS only removes pointers to the data, not the data itself, so the data can actually be recovered fairly easily. Triple overwriting doesn’t destroy the data beyond forensic recovery and it can be very time consuming.  Degaussing devices can be bulky, expensive and dangerous. Destroying the drive with a shredder prevents you from reusing the drive, and create hazardous waste issues. Consequences  If your data goes in wrong hand then lost company information, trade secret as well as potential damage to company’s reputation.  Loss of certain type of data could be civil or criminal liability for company officers. Now a days it is law to keep data secure. Companies can face huge financial penalties and company officers and directors can face prison time.