HP BL460c Delivering an Adaptive Infrastructure with the HP BladeSystem c-Clas - Page 2
Abstract, Introduction: Challenges to the enterprise data center, Power, cooling, and density
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Abstract This technology brief discusses general concepts involved in emerging data center architecture. Some of the challenges that are shaping data centers today include power and cooling, the increased complexity of the infrastructure and how to manage it efficiently, and the total cost of ownership. It is especially critical to manage costs so that operating expenses are reduced. As a result, more resources can be applied to new innovation, driving business growth. An adaptive, or flexible, infrastructure is required that responds to these challenges. Fundamental requirements for an adaptive infrastructure include modularity, the ability to virtualize systems, manageability, and energy efficiency. More advanced infrastructure functionality requires more dynamic behavior, such as real-time discovery and state information, using the same tools to manage physical and virtualized systems, isolating and encapsulating functions, along with analysis and optimization of computing resources. HP has responded to these challenges with the HP Adaptive Infrastructure strategy and portfolio that delivers a business-ready infrastructure. The BladeSystem c-Class architecture is core to an Adaptive Infrastructure with specific design innovations of modularity, power and cooling densities, improved manageability, and virtualization. This technology brief focuses on the server technology side of delivering an Adaptive Infrastructure. While storage and networking architectures are important considerations in the Adaptive Infrastructure strategy, they are not the focus of this paper. This brief is written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem architectures. If not, please refer to the HP websites www.hp.com/go/proliant, and www.hp.com/go/bladesystem, as well as the additional URLs in the "For More Information" section at the end of this paper. Introduction: Challenges to the enterprise data center Much has been written about the challenges to the modern enterprise data center. Some of these challenges are listed and discussed below: • Power, cooling, and density • Comprehensive management. Managing a data center is increasingly difficult as a result of the increasing number and complexity of new applications; at the same time, businesses are demanding accelerated deployment of solutions, and the infrastructure continues to get more complex. • Cost of ownership, including both capital and operational expenses These challenges will force data center architectures and implementations to move up a level in flexibility and responsiveness to make it a truly business-ready or "Adaptive" infrastructure. Power, cooling, and density As aggregate demand for computing cycles has increased, the interlinked issues of power, cooling, and density have emerged as critical issues for enterprise data centers. In some cases, power and cooling costs have emerged as an infrastructure selection criterion that is just as important as performance levels or acquisition cost. . Because of the interdependencies among power, cooling, and density, effective solutions are most likely to come from large integrated system suppliers as opposed to niche market suppliers who typically address only a portion of the problem. The optimal solution will involve understanding workload requirements, technology roadmaps, and facility limitations. It may require a combination of establishing best practices, using efficient components and systems, using virtual machines to consolidate server hardware, replacing servers, building new facilities, optimizing the efficiency of the infrastructure, and outsourcing portions of the enterprise workload. 2