Green Grid Offers Data Centre Efficiency Tools

In an effort to help facility and data centre managers keep track of power and cooling efficiency, the Green Grid is to offer two online tools, free of charge.

The Green Grid’s new Power Efficiency Estimator tool enables data centre operators to compare different possible situations involving power topologies and technologies inside their facilities. For example, data centre managers can input factors such as workload, availability and space constraints into the PEE and obtain a report designed to improve planning and subsequent decision making.

The new PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) Calculator allows managers to input their facilities’ specific data at regular intervals to determine their PUE. PUE is a metric created in 2009 by the Green Grid that determines the amount of energy used by a facility and all the IT gear inside of it.

Both tools will be available for public download at the Green Grid website by the end of March, Green Grid Chairman John Tuccillo said. The Green Grid is holding its third annual Technical Forum in San Jose on the 3 and 4 February.

The Green Grid also made available a freely downloadable whitepaper, “The Impact of Virtualization on Data Center Physical Infrastructure.” The report offers guidance on how data centre professionals can maximise power and cooling electricity savings in a data centre that uses virtualisation for consolidation purposes.

The paper is available to Green Grid members and non-members in the “Library & Tools” section of the Green Grid’s website.

Finally, the Green Grid has launched a self-directed online course, “Data Center 101: Constrained Capacity,” to help data centre managers become familiar with industry lexicon and solutions to everyday challenges.

The Green Grid is a global consortium of companies, government agencies and educational institutions dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centres and business computing ecosystems. It consists of about 200 member companies and features board members from Microsoft, Intel, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, APC Schneider, Dell and other top-tier IT corporations.