The Green and Virtual Data Center
Features
- Explores how to create and sustain a next-generation virtual data center
- Addresses multiple green technologies and practices for the entire IT data center
- Describes design and implementation tradeoffs using various best practices and technologies to sustain application and business growth while maximizing resources
- Explains how server and storage virtualization, clustering, performance and capacity planning, energy efficiency, and environmentally friendly IT can support a diversity of applications and high-performance computing
- Provides real-world perspectives, tips, recommendations, blueprints, and case studies on enabling a green IT data center infrastructure
Summary
The Green and Virtual Data Center sets aside the political aspects of what is or is not considered green to instead focus on the opportunities for organizations that want to sustain environmentally-friendly economical growth. If you are willing to believe that IT infrastructure resources deployed in a highly virtualized manner can be combined with other technologies to achieve simplified and cost-effective delivery of services in a green, profitable manner, this book is for you.
Savvy industry veteran Greg Schulz provides real-world insight, addressing best practices, server, software, storage, networking, and facilities issues concerning any current or next-generation virtual data center that relies on underlying physical infrastructures. Coverage includes:
Many current and emerging technologies can enable a green and efficient virtual data center to support and sustain business growth with a reasonable return on investment. This book presents virtually all critical IT technologies and techniques to discuss the interdependencies that need to be supported to enable a dynamic, energy-efficient, economical, and environmentally-friendly green IT data center. This is a path that every organization must ultimately follow.
Take a tour of the Green and Virtual Data Center website.
CRC Press is pleased to announce that The Green and Virtual Data Center has been added to Intel Corporation’s Recommended Reading List. Intel’s Recommended Reading program provides technical professionals a simple and handy reference list of what to read to stay abreast of new technologies. Dozens of industry technologists, corporate fellows, and engineers have helped by suggesting books and reviewing the list. This is the most comprehensive reading list available for professional computer developers.
Table of Contents
GREEN IT AND THE GREEN GAP-REAL OR VIRTUAL?
IT Data Center Economic and Ecological Sustainment
The Many Faces of Green—Environmental and Economic
The Growing Green Gap: Misdirected Messaging, Opportunities for Action
IT Data Center “Green” Myths and Realties
PCFE Trends, Issues, Drivers, and Related Factors
Closing the Green Gap for IT Data Centers
Summary
Energy-Efficient and Ecologically Friendly Data Centers
Electric Power and Cooling Challenges
Electrical Power—Supply and Demand Distribution
Determining Your Energy Usage
From Energy Avoidance to Efficiency
Energy Efficiency Incentives, Rebates, and Alternative Energy Sources
PCFE and Environmental Health and Safety Standards
Summary
NEXT-GENERATION VIRTUAL DATA CENTERS
What Defines a Next-Generation and Virtual Data Center?
Why Virtualize a Data Center?
Virtualization Beyond Consolidation—Enabling Transparency
Components of a Virtual Data Center
Summary
IT Infrastructure Resource Management
Common IRM Activities
Data Security (Logical and Physical
Data Protection and Availability for Virtual Environments
Data Protection Management and Event Correlation
Server, Storage, and Network Resource Management
Summary
Measurement, Metrics, and Management of IT Resources
Data Center-Related Metrics
Different Metrics for Different Audiences
Measuring Performance and Active Resource Usage
Measuring Capacity and Idle Resource Usage
Measuring Availability, Reliability, and Serviceability
Applying Various Metrics and Measurements
Sources for Metrics, Benchmarks, and Simulation Tools
Summary
TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENABLING GREEN AND VIRTUAL DATA CENTERS
Highly Effective Data Center Facilities and Habitats for Technology
Data Center Challenges and Issues
What Makes up a Data Center
Data Center Electrical Power and Energy Management
Cooling, HVAC, Smoke and Fire Suppression
Data Center Location
Virtual Data Centers Today and Tomorrow
Cloud Computing, Out-Sourced, and Managed Services
Data Center Tips and Actions
Summary
Servers—Physical, Virtual, and Software
Server Issues and Challenges
Fundamentals of Physical Servers
Types, Categories, and Tiers Of Servers
Clusters and Grids
Summary
Data Storage—Disk, Tape, Optical, and Memory
Data Storage Trends, Challenges, and Issues
Addressing PCFE Storage Issues
Data Life Cycle and Access Patterns
Tiered Storage—Balancing Application Service with PCFE Requirements
Data and Storage Security
Data Footprint Reduction—Techniques and Best Practices
Countering Underutilized Storage Capacity
Storage Virtualization—Aggregate, Emulate, Migrate
Comparing Storage Energy Efficiency and Effectiveness
Benchmarking
Summary
Networking with Your Servers and Storage
I/O and Networking Demands And Challenges
Fundamentals and Components
Tiered Access for Servers and Storage—Local and Remot
Abstracting Distance for Virtual Data Centers
Virtual I/O and I/O Virtualization
Virtualization and Management Tool Topics
Summary
APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Putting Together a Green and Virtual Data Center
Implementing a Green and Virtual Data Center
PCFE and Green Areas of Opportunity
Summary
Wrap-up and Closing Comments
Where We Have Been
Where We Are Going—Emerging Technologies and Trends
How We Can Get There—Best Practices and Tips
Chapter and Book Summary
Appendix A: Where to Learn More
Appendix B: Checklists and Tips
Glossary
Index
Author Bio(s)
Editorial Reviews
The book reviews the latest developments in facilities, server, storage, networking, and monitoring technologies and provides a roadmap of how each can be used to create next-generation data centers that combine efficiency with scalability . . . Schulz’s book provides an excellent primer for those wanting to understand how to create data centers for this new paradigm.
—Kurt Marko, in Processor, March 2009, Vol. 31, No. 11
What I like about Schulz’s approach is that he doesn’t really pass judgment on whether or not you should re-adjust your IT initiatives around some greener-good agenda. He’s focused more so on illustrating how some of the technologies you’re already considering for the good of your business – virtualization, blade platforms, cloud computing power management – might otherwise be pretty cool for the environment, too.
—Heather Clancy, Green Tech Pastures, in ZDNet, February 26, 2009
Greg Schulz has presented a concise and visionary perspective on the Green issues. He has cut through the hype and highlighted where to start and what the options are. A great place to start your green journey and a useful handbook to have as the journey continues.
—Greg Brunton, EDS/An HP Company
I must admit that I have been slightly skeptical at times, when it comes to what the true value is behind all of the discussions on ‘green’ technologies in the data center. As someone who has seen both the end user and vendor side of things, I think my skepticism gets heightened more than it normally would be. This book really helped dispel my skepticism. ...extremely well organized and easy to follow. Each chapter has a very good introduction and comprehensive summary. This book could easily serve as a blueprint for organizations to follow when they look for ideas on how to design new data centers. It's a great addition to an IT Bookshelf.
—Dr. Steve Guendert, Global Solutions Architect, Brocade Communications
