Comments on: Powering a warehouse-sized computer - part 1 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/ Data storage info & analysis Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:26:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Robin Harris http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101771 Robin Harris Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:12:20 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101771 Cedric, It isn't clear what benchmarks they used, but it seems like these are internal Google tests rather than a standard. <strong>Update:</strong> The paper mentions in passing that <blockquote> . . . we run a suite of benchmarks that includes some of our most representative workloads as well as a few micro- benchmarks, under variable loads. </blockquote> OSGuy and Harold, With hydro-power the dams have to let a certain amount of water through to keep the fish and fisherman happy. So if they can sell the power that water produces, it is a win. Otherwise it just rolls out to sea and the Bonneville Power Administration doesn't get a nickel for it. Robin Cedric,

It isn’t clear what benchmarks they used, but it seems like these are internal Google tests rather than a standard. Update: The paper mentions in passing that

. . . we run a suite of benchmarks that includes some of our most representative workloads as well as a few micro- benchmarks, under variable loads.

OSGuy and Harold,

With hydro-power the dams have to let a certain amount of water through to keep the fish and fisherman happy. So if they can sell the power that water produces, it is a win. Otherwise it just rolls out to sea and the Bonneville Power Administration doesn’t get a nickel for it.

Robin

]]> By: Harold http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101201 Harold Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:57:09 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101201 Open Systems Guy: I would imagine so. Clearly, the power companies have already worked out protocols so that the demands of steel electric furnaces---used for e.g. scrap in the now wildly successful "mini-mills", but also used long before them---are handled gracefully by the grid. And for a plant like that, the cost of provisioning peak power is going to be significant, so charging in terms of it makes a lot of sense, especially since a mini-mill is I would guess going to normally run at near peak power. Also, mini-mills with continuous rolling systems after the furnace and data-centers (at least the ones that never seem to have quite enough generator backup :-) are not going to be the first in line to volunteer for interruptible provisioning; you can get better rates if you allow the power company to have you shed load when their total peak gets too high. - Harold Open Systems Guy: I would imagine so. Clearly, the power companies have already worked out protocols so that the demands of steel electric furnaces—used for e.g. scrap in the now wildly successful “mini-mills”, but also used long before them—are handled gracefully by the grid.

And for a plant like that, the cost of provisioning peak power is going to be significant, so charging in terms of it makes a lot of sense, especially since a mini-mill is I would guess going to normally run at near peak power.

Also, mini-mills with continuous rolling systems after the furnace and data-centers (at least the ones that never seem to have quite enough generator backup :-) are not going to be the first in line to volunteer for interruptible provisioning; you can get better rates if you allow the power company to have you shed load when their total peak gets too high.

- Harold

]]> By: Cedric http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101083 Cedric Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:49:06 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-101083 Hi Robin, The study mentioned a 'power intensive' benchmarks... does this relate the SPEC benchmarks currently under construction or does it related to another benchmarks? Any paper or study for power intensive benchmarks ? Hi Robin,

The study mentioned a ‘power intensive’ benchmarks… does this relate the SPEC benchmarks currently under construction or does it related to another benchmarks?

Any paper or study for power intensive benchmarks ?

]]> By: Storage @ Work http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100978 Storage @ Work Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:56:44 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100978 <strong>Robin Harris has been paying attention to Google's data center power analysis work...</strong> Robin Harris, the StorageMojo, has a couple interesting posts on his ZDNet blog and his StorageMojo blog. If you are interested in this topic, I think both are worth a look see....... Robin Harris has been paying attention to Google’s data center power analysis work…

Robin Harris, the StorageMojo, has a couple interesting posts on his ZDNet blog and his StorageMojo blog. If you are interested in this topic, I think both are worth a look see…….

]]> By: Open Systems Guy http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100912 Open Systems Guy Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:54:52 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100912 I wonder why datacenters are not charged by the KWh like the rest of the world? I wonder if it's to keep them from overloading the grid with spikes of usage... I wonder why datacenters are not charged by the KWh like the rest of the world? I wonder if it’s to keep them from overloading the grid with spikes of usage…

]]> By: Anil Gupta http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100702 Anil Gupta Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:15:59 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/07/26/powering-a-warehouse-sized-computer-part-1/#comment-100702 Robin, Ten days ago, I also covered this very paper (can be downloaded from http://labs.google.com/papers/power_provisioning.pdf) on my blog at http://andirog.blogspot.com/2007/07/power-consumption-of-google-services.html. Barraso previously published a paper in ACM Queue discussing how cost of powering a computing device exceeds the cost of hardware. Google also proposed a new spec for server power supply that is 90% efficient than the current ones with 60-70% efficiency. Like you wrote before, Google treating its infrastructure as core operation is one of Google's competitive advantage over its competitors. Google also muddies the "build vs buy" and "focus on your core business, let someone else worry about everything else" debate. Isn't it. Anil Robin,

Ten days ago, I also covered this very paper (can be downloaded from http://labs.google.com/papers/power_provisioning.pdf) on my blog at http://andirog.blogspot.com/2007/07/power-consumption-of-google-services.html. Barraso previously published a paper in ACM Queue discussing how cost of powering a computing device exceeds the cost of hardware. Google also proposed a new spec for server power supply that is 90% efficient than the current ones with 60-70% efficiency.

Like you wrote before, Google treating its infrastructure as core operation is one of Google’s competitive advantage over its competitors. Google also muddies the “build vs buy” and “focus on your core business, let someone else worry about everything else” debate. Isn’t it.

Anil

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