ACTIVE POWER MANAGEMENT
Why can't you turn off computers you're not using?
Cassatt's new Active Power Management technology safely and intelligently
powers servers off when they are not needed or idle. Controlled by polices
set by administrators and optimized automatically, the technology continually
optimizes power consumption based on the time of day, demand, curtailments
imposed by power companies, or other facilities-based events. In early
tests with Active Power Management, customers have experienced up to 50
percent reduction in their power usage, simply by allowing Active Power Management
to turn off servers when idle, and then confirm a successful power-up when
they're needed again.
Active Power Management: Best Practices Applied Intelligently and Elegantly
What sets Cassatt Active Power Management apart from any other approach is the way in which it intelligently works with existing resources in the data center. The technology is unique in that it applies best-practice principles that are:
- Policy-Based—Administrators can apply appropriate
business policies and priorities in order to determine when, where, and
how to shut down idle servers, rather than leave then running 24 X 7 or
relying on hard-wired power
decisions. Polices can then be applied to safely and successfully power
servers back on and confirm a successful start up.
- Application Aware—Knows when and how applications can be systematically shut down and brought back up gracefully, and is aware of application interdependencies shared across multiple servers.
- Hardware and Software Independent—Runs on any platform, requires no change to existing
hardware and software configurations, and is compatible with existing power distribution/UPS equipment.
Complementary to Virtualization and Consolidation Projects
The Cassatt Active Power Management approach is complementary to current data center energy efficiency
strategies–such as upgrading to more energy-efficient servers, improving HVAC efficiencies, smart power
distribution systems, server consolidation, and virtualization. Organizations making use of virtualization will be
able to gain not only the benefits of using fewer servers, but with Active Power Management they will be able to
extend those benefits to all power management scenarios across all virtual and physical facilities.
Because it is faster and easier to implement than existing strategies, Active
Power Management is an ideal first move to take when striving to cut power
consumption. Cassatt's approach has been shown to provide as much as 50
percent additional savings on top of what customers would be getting with
their existing efficiency plans.
How Does Active Power Management Work?
Cassatt Active Power Management technology does not require modification to hardware or software, nor does it
require installing any additional software on managed servers. Rather, it leverages internal power controllers found
on most modern servers or external power distribution units. This means the solution can be quickly installed in most
data centers with minimum disruption to operations–enabling energy and cost savings to accrue almost
immediately. Customers don't need to install an entire utility computing environment to take advantage of these
energy efficiency capabilities.
Cassatt Active Power Management technology is based on a sophisticated policy engine that takes into account
server priorities and needs, server interrelationships, application dependencies and relationships, and individual
server power consumption in deciding when to power-down machines. It takes into account variables such as peak- and
off-peak power schedules, time-of-day, and emergencies such as "demand curtailment" mandates from power companies to
reduce electrical consumption–for example, on hot summer weekdays. The technology determines which servers to
power down, and for how long, and then safely handles application requirements before turning them off. As servers
are needed again, it applies the same logic and priorities to power those servers back on as appropriate.
Cassatt Active Power Management technology can be a cornerstone to customers'
strategy to move more and more toward a green data center.
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