Data Center Vision Quest - The Perfectly Efficient Data Center

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

  

 delicious  

  

Generally speaking, our culture favors what’s new. We like new things. How many of us stood in line to get the latest iPhone? Go ahead, raise your hands. And have you given up those high school reunions in favor of a Facebook account? Did you know that Americans typically replace their cars every three years?

 Still, many among us are drawn to traditional, sometimes mystical—and even magical—practices that have served our ancestors for centuries.   

Take acupuncture. No doubt you know someone who has benefited from acupuncture. I even know someone whose dog had great success with it. Personally, I’ve found it useful in the data center. You can release a lot of frustration by jamming a particularly annoying machine with a large acupuncture needle—you know, like, say the size of a knitting needle. Very satisfying. Point being, we need to make sure we don’t overlook tried-and-true customs.

My favorite custom among us IT folks is the data center vision quest. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, no? It’s more of a ritualistic approach to data center efficiency than the one you might be using. I know it sounds a little hokey, but stay with me. This ancient pagan ceremony can be used to expel data center inefficiency and operation mishaps. It starts with a sweat lodge, (or tent—those stake-free tents from REI work well), where you can set up one of the hot aisles in your data center. Ideally, it will have a window right up close to the back of one of your larger blade centers. The hotter the better. Make sure that utilization is high, to drive up the sweat factor.

Next, climb into your sweat lodge and eat between 6 and 24 peyote buttons. These effectively break down the walls of your consciousness and allow you to find your spirit server. And that’s what we’re after. It's this spirit server that will help you with the answers you need to properly manage your data center. The whole ceremony will likely take about 12 hours and is best done at night. Don't worry if you’re on-call. Given your advanced, intellectually enhanced state, diagnosing and solving critical data center problems during your ceremony will be a snap.

Your spirit server is your secret weapon—a guide to help you with all of your decisions. Because your current decision-making process—at least when it comes to energy management—is seriously flawed. First, your CIO asks you about the power ramifications of a server or application. Then you start digging around on the share—or worse, your inbox—for the right spreadsheet. Maybe you log onto a few of the different asset management systems your company runs. You poke. You prod. You look for the answer. Meanwhile, your CIO waits, rolling his eyes, mentally putting a check next to your name on the invisible list he keeps in his head. And of course, once you find the proper information, you can only hope that your (mere mortal) co-workers kept the spreadsheet up to date.

Not with your spirit server, though. When a question arises, you just raise you index finger to pause, close your eyes, and silently ask your spirit server for the true answer. The first thought that comes to your head is the true answer you seek. It's an amazing thing.

Granted, the vision quest is not for everyone. (Hey, you may not have a properly equipped hot aisle at your disposal or maybe you can’t get a tent into your data center.) Consider using Viridity's EnergyCenter as a viable alternative for data center efficiency. This website has a lot of information to help you with that.