SVLG Follows Up on EPA Report
The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) released a report documenting the results of demonstration projects it organized in the wake of the 2007 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Report to Congress on Server Data Center Energy Efficiency (EPA Report). The report:
•    Re-computes energy projections from the EPA Report
•    Presents a side-by-side comparison of energy savings achieved by the case studies
•    Defines and analyzes a scenario consisting of the combined initiatives documented in this report.

The SVLG suggests that the findings may help accelerate the adoption of energy saving technology in data centers.

 

The inaugural project includes 11 technology initiatives with 17 case studies. Organizers say the project will continue with future iterations based on the commitment of many of the contributing organizations and through continued outreach to host data center operators and green IT and site infrastructure technology providers.
The projections were even better than the SVLG expected and validated the EPA's estimates of the efficiency of technology maturity. Data center technology is on track to meet the EPA's best-case scenarios, concludes the report. Also the SVLG now believes that legacy retrofits can almost be as efficient as new commissions. Existing data centers can also contribute to reducing energy use. In addition, the SVLG concluded that holistic IT transformation initiatives deliver a greater impact than site improvements.

Datacenter Dynamics Publishes DC Results
Datacenter Dynamics released "Washington 2007 through 2008 Subscriber Supplement" as an update to is April 2008 publication capturing views of the U.S. data center market. The findings presented in the Report are based on two Datacenter Dynamics events held in Washington, DC. Datacenter Dynamics researchers say the results position Washington, DC as closer to the mainstream results from other American cities compared to its somewhat idiosyncratic position of 2007. In 2007 the results were characterized by concerns over quality issues (both project-based and infrastructural) and over the introduction of higher density servers, rather than by the power and cooling concerns of larger markets. The Washington DC position was characterized also by low levels of past and future technology adoption compared to elsewhere in the USA.
The reasons for these salient characteristics are complex and may partly be attributed to:
• A high representation of government institutions in the Washington DC sample

• A high proportion of new data centers with relatively low power demand
• Significant skills shortages, particularly on the vendor/consultant side
The 2008 results indicate Washington has moved from concerns about the growth process to a position of concern about the consequences of that growth (i.e. the cooling of higher densities and the power consumption consequences of that). Both average and maximum power demand per rack have risen over the period of research.

The Uptime Institute opened registration for its 2009 Symposium on Data Center Greenness to be held April 13-16 at the New York Hilton Hotel, New York City. The event, themed Lean, Clean, & Green, will specifically tackle the industry's challenging energy consumption and carbon footprint issues. The Institute is offering a $1,000 discount on Symposium tuition to those who pre-register before August 31. Take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and send your wait-list request to Tom Baehr at (505) 946-3462.

Intel is hosting a free industry event about energy efficient computing in the data center on August 18 in San Francisco, California. Attendees will hear directly from industry leaders and technical experts on:
•    Whether high-density computing or low-density computing is preferred and why
•    Whether "containerized" computing or traditional brick and mortar data centers are preferred and why
•    Energy-efficiency metrics from industry leaders at all levels from the silicon up to the data center itself.
 
Verari Systems announced that its VB1257 VMware ESX 3.5 certified blade delivers twice the number of VMware virtual machines per blade than similar competitive blade offerings while using 50 percent less energy.

Mission Critical posted a new white paper from Upsite Technologies on its website.  The white paper, Profitably Improving Site Infrastructure Energy Efficiency, is also available from Upsite. 

Alpheus Communications opened a new data center in Houston, TX. The new raised-floor facility will serve enterprise colocation customers and will include high-density power and hot air containment systems. Alpheus' new data center will be located in downtown Houston providing businesses with over 5,000 square feet of data center space. Alpheus offers a secure computing environment for off-site production operations and disaster recovery solutions.

The Cummins Power Generation two-day Power Training workshop is the industry's first training course, specific to high-speed diesel generator technology to be fully endorsed by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Cummins has planned further dates for November 2008 and various dates in 2009. For more information please visit Cummins (training details are under the services menu).
                
Advanced Data Centers (ADC) announced today that its McClellan Park data center received Platinum Pre-Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council under the LEED Green Building Rating System. The McClellan Park facility, located in Sacramento, CA, is the industry's first and only LEED Platinum pre-certified data center. The McClellan Park data center will have a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1. Advanced Data Center's LEED Platinum pre-certified data center is located on the former McClellan Air Force Base, a 3,000+ acre business park located in Sacramento, CA, that now serves as a state-of-the-art corporate and industrial office park.
 
Databarracks annual Backup and Recovery survey indicate that overall, 91 percent of companies claim to be confident in their backup solutions. Upon further investigation, says the report, 74 percent of those who do not use encryption or replication and do not take backups offsite are confident despite skipping these steps. Furthermore, 67 percent still consider their backup solution to be secure even though they do not keep or check backup logs and do not test their restores to ensure that they are working properly. The survey also reveals that 27 percent of companies' data loss is caused by human error, 26 percent from hardware failure, and 19 percent from software failure. Previous reports from 2006 indicated that hardware failure caused the majority of data loss at 61 percent, while human error only accounted for 2 percent.

DataSite Orlando, a provider of superior, large-scale data center space in the United States, will open a 130,000 square-foot purpose-built data center in south Orlando. The facility is scheduled to begin accommodating tenants in September of this year, assisting the region's marketplace by offering large-scale, secure space for the operation of data storage equipment and networks.

Server Tech' s CW-24V is a switched CDU with mixed outlets for overhead power/busways in high-density power distribution applications. The Switched CDUs combine remote configuration and management with power distribution and power and environmental monitoring. The CDU allows rebooting of a single or dual-power server with one command and provides SNMP alerts when power or environmental conditions exceed thresholds. Operators can assign users specific access rights to designated outlets or groups.
The Switched CDU has middle entry for network, serial, and environmental connections combined with a top power cord entry, which provides great flexibility when connecting switched CDUs to overhead power or busways.

Caterpillar Inc. introduced its G3516C 50 Hz high-efficiency natural gas generator set with optional air and fuel system controls specifically designed for island mode applications. The G3516C 50 Hz generator set equipped with the island mode control system generates
power independently from the power grid with a high-efficiency, natural gas-fueled engine for commercial and institutional customers who require reliable, high-quality electric power. Earlier this year, Caterpillar launched G3520C generator sets capable of island mode operation rated at 50 Hz and 60 Hz. This new G3516C 50 Hz generator set helps to meet market demand by expanding the range of unit ratings available to customers, allowing them to select the most economical system configuration for their on-site power profiles.