HP ML150 Optimizing facility operation in high density data center environment - Page 5

The HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) sizing tool assists systems administrators in building highly available, high-performance HP SIM deployments running on Microsoft Windows®, Linux®, or HP-UX operating systems. With input from quality assurance and performance testing, the tool recommends server configurations based on projected management workloads, installed management applications, and number of console users. The tool also provides performance and configuration data designed to help systems administrators optimize the performance of existing HP SIM deployments. To see the complete offering of HP sizers and configurators, go to the HP ActiveAnswers tools web page at http://h71019.www7.hp.com/ActiveAnswers/cache/71114-0-0-0-121.html Data center assessment An evaluation of current workloads, facility infrastructure, and server configurations is necessary to determine existing power and cooling requirements, and to project future requirements. IT administrators and data center managers should have access to methodologies and services designed to assess existing conditions, identify problems, and indicate solutions. HP Datacenter Thermal Assessment Services1 provide a thorough review and analysis of facility infrastructure. If risks or deficiencies are found, a qualitative and quantitative explanation is provided for each, including prioritized recommendations based on industry experience, industry standards, and engineering and operational best practices. Component power and cooling This section addresses efficient practices for power and cooling at a component level and the individual solutions required for each component. Processor power and cooling Processor power and cooling requirements depend on the per watt performance of an individual processor. The ability to manage this performance in relation to demand, at both the processor and chip levels, is crucial to avoiding power and cooling issues. Processor P-state The latest server processors from Intel and AMD have power state registers that are available to programmers. With the appropriate ROM firmware or operating system interface, these hardware registers can be used to switch a processor between different performance states or P-states2. Changing the performance state (that is, the processor frequency and voltage) enables processors to operate at different power levels. Tables 1 and 2 list P-states exposed by the Intel® Xeon™ 3.8GHz/800-MHz and Quad-Core 2.66-GHz processors. Table1. P-states of the Intel Xeon 3.8-GHz processor P-state Pmax Description Core frequency Maximum performance 3.8 GHz Approximate core voltage 1.4 VDC Pmin Minimum power 2.8 GHz 1.2 VDC 1 For more information go to http://h20219.www2.hp.com/services/cache/114078-0-0-225121.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN. 2 P-states-The ACPI body defines P-states as processor performance states. For Intel and AMD processors, a Pstate is defined by a fixed operating frequency and voltage. 5