Transcript
ISS Technology Focus Number 13
In this issue: » Outlet Control in HP Intelligent Power Discovery » HP EcoPOD 240a Environment Control System » Meet the Expert—Bill Whiteman » Recent publications ISS TechComm iTunes New posts are now available on Apple iTunes, either check your iTunes page or go to ours: iTunes page. Follow us:
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Outlet Control in HP Intelligent Power Discovery This article describes the Outlet Control feature of HP Intelligent Power Discovery (IPD). IPD solves major power distribution challenges: provisioning power to IT devices; monitoring and managing servers’ real-time power use; and verifying power connections to critical servers. This article involves the latter. A common cause of server failure is human error when connecting power to servers’ redundant power supplies. How IPD works Our IPD solution automatically discovers the rack installation of ProLiant G7 servers that use HP Common Slot Platinum Power Supplies. IPD includes Intelligent Power Distribution Unit (iPDU) cores with six monitored C-19 outlets, Intelligent Extension Bars with five monitored C-13 outlets, and IPD power cords with embedded RS-232 data lines. The iPDU core has an embedded management module that lets you access power topology information locally through the HP Intelligent PDU Management GUI or remotely using HP Insight Control software or SNMP. When administrators connect ProLiant servers to the IPD components, the iPDU cores immediately detect and communicate with each server’s iLO device before the server is powered on. The iPDU cores and the iLO devices exchange identity data—hostname, IP address, and unique universal identification number—through the IPD power cords. This allows each iPDU to track the servers plugged into the Extension Bar outlets on each load segment (iPDU outlet). IPD is the only solution in the server industry today that automatically correlates server identity to power outlets. Power Cycle Control If you need to reset a server by cycling power to it, you must cycle the correct outlet(s) or you can shut down the wrong server. Also, if a server uses redundant power supplies, you have to cycle all power supplies simultaneously. Using the HP Intelligent PDU Management GUI or Insight Control remotely, you can view and control the status of all outlets on each load segment. The Control page of the management GUI (Figure 1) shows the Redundancy Control option and Power Control switch for each outlet. The Power Cycle Control column includes a switch that allows you to turn power on or off simultaneously to the redundant outlets for each server. By cycling redundant outlets simultaneously, the switch prevents boot errors and power supply errors when the server re-boots. The switch works similarly for a manually entered device, such as a third-party device, for which the device’s UUID is properly matched to its outlets. When an iPDU running firmware v1.4 detects a non-IPD device on an outlet, an assisted
discovery process prompts the user to enter data into highlighted fields on the Device Assignment web page. See ―Additional resources‖ for links to more information about IPD. Figure 1: Control page of the Intelligent PDU Management GUI (partial screen)
Additional resources » HP Intelligent Power Discovery web site » HP intelligent power infrastructure solutions technology brief HP EcoPOD 240a Environment Control System The HP Performance Optimized Data Center 240a (EcoPOD) is an extremely efficient, modular solution with integrated power, cooling, IT and facility management systems. The EcoPOD provides 1.2 MW of redundant power and cooling capacity for 2,200U of rack space, or 44 industry-standard 50U racks. It uses ambient (free) air to deliver a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio as low as 1.05. It can also use free air or air from Direct Expansion (DX) air conditioning units to deliver the most efficient cooling possible. A previous ISS Technology Focus article, HP Performance Optimized Datacenter 240a, summarizes the EcoPOD’s facilities, capabilities, and energy savings. This article describes its Environment Control System (ECS). It monitors, manages, and automates the EcoPOD’s power, cooling, and safety systems. IT load monitoring The ECS uses an industrial-quality programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC gathers IT power consumption data from HP Monitored Power Distribution Units (PDU), up to two per rack. Each PDU accepts 3-phase 415V power and outputs 240V to the rack. The PDU has an input-current monitor that measures the aggregate current draw on each power circuit. Administrators can view IT load data locally or remotely with an optional management module. Policy-based Adaptive Cooling The PLC checks environmental conditions inside and outside the EcoPOD. It also monitors temperature sensors in the EcoPOD’s hot and cold aisles and humidity sensors in its optional humidifier. Users can define policy set points for Adaptive Cooling based on industry parameters– ASHRAE recommended, ASHRAE allowable, or HP allowable temperatures. Based on these environmental conditions and user-defined policies, the ECS selects the Adaptive Cooling mode that uses the least amount of energy: • Free air mode. Ambient air within a specified temperature and humidity range provides cooling. • DX (recirculation) mode. The DX units provide all of the cooling. Facilities management The ECS’s powerful management software allows you to manage facilities locally and
remotely. It keeps track of fire-suppression, smoke and leak detection, HVAC, and airflow control systems. The ECS displays power consumption data, PUE, and alarm conditions on a touch screen monitor inside the EcoPOD or on a remote computer. You can integrate the ECS with existing building management systems through system modbus or TCP/IP. Additional resources » HP Performance Optimized Datacenter 240a QuickSpecs » EcoPOD Interactive Demo Meet the Expert—Bill Whiteman Name: Bill Whiteman Title: Distinguished Technologist, Electrical Years at HP: 22 University: University of Houston Electrical Engineering-Computer Option U.S. Patents: 10
Bill Whiteman is a Distinguished Technologist in HP Industry Standard Servers (ISS). He is an expert on alternative platforms, analysis, prototyping, and proof-of-concepts, and he writes and edits specifications. He has a broad range of skills with inventions in every computer subsystem. He is also on the Board of Directors of the HyperTransport Consortium. Bill grew up in southeast Houston, Pasadena to be exact, where his father was in Engineering Design at the Shell Deer Park chemical plant. He has an eye for innovation Bill has the ability to see potential in new ideas and then influence others to make them a reality. As a case in point, he championed putting GPGPUs into servers about seven years ago by showing working prototypes. Today, HP provides GPGPUs on 14 different ProLiant servers in multiple configurations and offers complete supercomputer clusters of purpose-built ProLiant servers. Even vendors for proprietary supercomputers are using this idea. Favorite project: Birth of the AMD x86 server Before AMD-based x86 servers took their first breath, Bill proved mathematically that the Opteron architecture could achieve benchmark performance above 100,000 tpmC. At that time, the industry’s best score was around 80,000 tpmC. After engineers built and tested the first prototype, it turned out that Bill’s calculations were a little conservative. The server achieved 112,000 tpmC. That prototype eventually became the ProLiant DL585, which paved the way for subsequent AMD-based industry-standard servers. Dreams of AI Bill has several hobbies: automotive restoration and repair, ‖shooting and reloading,‖ R/C airplanes, modeling and casting, and surfing. But he has always wanted to be involved with Artificial Intelligence and robots ever since Asimov made his debut. Because of Bill’s experiences, he understands the complexities of creating a device that can think on its own. He says, ―This era hasn’t happened yet, so I’m still plugging away.‖ HP has the right formula Bill believes that HP has the right formula for leadership. He says HP listens to its customers and uses emerging technologies to create solutions to their ―real‖ problems. ―And for that,‖ he says, ―HP will remain an industry leader.‖ Recent publications The following is a list of papers published since our last edition of the ISS Technology Focus.
» HP Advanced Memory Error Detection Technology » Understanding HP SIM’s Federated Search Architecture » HP custom ESXi images for ProLiant servers
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