Hardware makes a play

Computers of all sizes ? whetherservers sitting in data center racksor desktop computers for officeworkers ? drain power and generateheat. And when their useful life isover, they often take up landfill space.Manufacturers are trying new technologiesand techniques to make them moreefficient and longer-lasting. Replacingfamiliar rackmount servers with bladeservers is one common approach. Bladeservers are bare-bones computers, just afew vital components on a circuit board. Ablade enclosure provides a single powersupply and cooling system for a collectionof blades.IBM Corp.'s BladeCenter integratesservers, storage, networking and applicationsinto one system. The system reducesthe need for server farms and requiresfewer employees to manage them, said TimDougherty, BladeCenter planning andstrategy manager at IBM."IBM BladeCenter is much more integratedand energy efficient than traditionalrack-based systems," Dougherty said.BladeCenter uses 30 percent less powerthan rack-based systems, he said.IBM isn't alone in pushing blade servers.Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and SunMicrosystems Inc. each have their ownproducts.Government agencies considering usingblades should have a good idea of whereand how they will use the systems. Systemscan be specifically designed for high-performancedata centers or ruggedizeddeployment.Systems integrators should considerwhat the application requirements will bebefore selecting a specific kind of blade. Avariety of processor technology serverchoices are available in IBM blades includingIntel, Advance Micro Devices, IBMPower and IBM Cell BE-based. Sun Bladesystems also support several architectures:Sun UltraSPARC, AMD Opteron and IntelXeon, Solaris 10 OS, Linux, Windows andVMware in a single common chassis.There is also a selection of input/outputmethods including Ethernet, FibreChannel, Internet SCSI, InfiniBand andSAS fabrics."This allows systems integrators to workwith the [input/output] they are alreadycomfortable with and best fits the deploymentenvironment," Dougherty said.Storage is another key area where environmentalimpact can be reduced. Thegeneral rule of thumb is that organizationsuse about 20 percent of their storage on aregular basis.Using environmentally smart storage forthe remaining 80 percent of the data helpsdramatically reduce a customer's costs,said Bill Vass, president at SunMicrosystems Federal Inc.Robotic tape storage can also cut energycosts. Unlike disk architecture, where thestorage device and media are one unit, themedia is separate from the device in tapesystems."This means that data that is written to atape cartridge that is stored within a roboticlibrary is consuming zero amount ofelectricity," Vass said. "While the libraryitself is consuming electricity, it is extremelyminimal when compared to disk storagesystems."Reducing how often an organizationreplaces desktop PCs is another greenstrategy. And when PCs need to bereplaced, using thin clients instead of desktopshas big environmental benefits.Pano Logic, of Menlo Park, Calif., producesa virtualized desktop computingarchitecture that uses server-based virtualizationand relies on no software ? operatingsystem, firmware or applications software? on the desktop.Each Pano installation consists of a Panodevice on the desktop with Pano managementsoftware and existing virtualizationtechnology, such as VMware ESX, installedon a central server."By moving all desktop software to theserver, the Pano solution delivers a numberof benefits, including a dramatic reductionin power consumption, a reduction in ITcomplexity and cost, a superior Windowsdesktop experience and the elimination ofthe PC as a security risk," said BenjaminBaer, vice president of marketing at PanoLogic.The diminutive Pano device is designedto have a useful life double that of a traditionalPC."Pano devices not only becomeobsolete at a much slower rate, they arealso produced using a fraction of thematerials needed to produce a traditionalPC, Baer said. "The Pano is only 3.5inches by 3.5 inches by 2 inches ? comparedto a traditional PC tower, whichcould be made of well more than 20times the amount of plastic and othermaterials."Sun Microsystems' thin client, the SunRay Thin Client, is another example. TheSun Ray looks and acts like a desktop. Ithas a 12-year life cycle in the enterprisesversus two to three years for a PC.The system also enables hoteling, atrend in which mobile workers who visitoffices sporadically share offices or cubicles.Using this approach, organizationscan substantially reduce requirements foroffice space."Any place you go and put in your smartcard, your whole environment followsyou," Vass said. "And it only uses 4 wattsvs. 120-220 watts for a PC."Compact hardware other than desktopsalso has environmental benefits.The HP LaserJet P1006 is thecompany's smallest and most compactlaser printing system for the small office.The printer has a new spherical toner ina smaller toner cartridge and uses lessenergy. And with HP Instant-onTechnology, a fuser technology, users canprint a first page in less than 8.5 secondsfrom Powersave mode, saving as much as50 percent in power consumption."The ultra-compact HP LaserJetP1006 ships with less packaging thanprevious products and is engineered touse less energy over an extended periodof time," said Dave Lobato, environmentalprogram manager at HP LaserJetBusiness. "This product is Energy Starqualifiedand can also handle recycledpaper."Before launching into an energy savingproject, Vass recommends systems integratorscarefully evaluate current ITinfrastructures.Eco-friendly isabout saving and usingassets more effectively, Vass said."In the near future, the CIOs will 'own'the power budget for the IT they deployat the desktop and the data center," hesaid. "It has to happen to drive savingsfor the CFO because power is becomingsuch a large part of the budget. And computerlabs, desktops, and data centers arethe biggest consumers of power persquare foot of any space in the federalbuildings."