Introduction

In this technology brief, we describe a broad range of HP products and technologies that raise energy efficiency, maximize use of the power capacity, and simplify management of your data center’s power and cooling infrastructure. We begin in the ―IT processing‖ section by describing the technologies and tools that help you measure, monitor, and control the power usage of HP ProLiant servers to get the maximum performance per watt. Then we go outside the server in ―Power Distribution‖ to describe HP products and technologies that improve data center power distribution efficiency, monitoring, and provisioning.

High-density heat loads and unforeseen airflow anomalies in data centers can disrupt some of the best power and cooling strategies. In ―Cooling‖ we describe HP products that improve cooling efficiency and eliminate issues caused by air mixing and hot spots.

One undisputable fact in all data centers is that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. In "Data center power management with HP Insight Control", we describe the features that allow you to monitor and control the power consumption and thermal output of hundreds of systems using HP Insight Control power management.

When your data center can’t keep pace with IT demand, the budget pressure to do more with less precludes the option to build a new facility or expand your existing facility. Therefore, it’s time to consider alternatives to the traditional brick-and-mortar data center. In ―HP Performance Optimized Datacenters (PODs)‖, we describe our family of modular PODs that can help you do more with less— less capital, power, and footprint.

We develop HP power and cooling products and technologies around three strategies to help you manage the total costs of owning and operating a data center:

Consume less power by increasing the efficiency of IT, power distribution, and cooling equipment.

Fit more IT equipment into the available data center capacity by adjusting the power and cooling infrastructure for the real IT load.

Work smarter by measuring every watt and degree and automating energy management decisions wherever possible.

ProLiant server efficiency

Servers are often the largest consumers of power and IT labor in the data center. Therefore, we focus on improving server efficiency to help reduce operating expenses and help facilities cope with the complexities of higher compute densities. This section summaries the high-efficiency features, power control tools, and provisioning technologies we build into ProLiant servers to address data center challenges.

High-efficiency features

We design and develop ProLiant servers to be as energy efficient as possible so they give you the highest possible performance per watt. We accomplish this by examining every key element, including power supplies, processors, thermal sensors, and internal fans.

HP Common Slot Power Supplies

ProLiant rack-mount servers and the HP BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure (G6 and above) have power supply slots that accommodate HP Common Slot Power Supplies. HP Common Slot Power Supplies have a common form factor and are available in three AC capacities—460 W, 750 W, and 1200 W—and a 1200 W 48 V DC version. These capacities let you match the power supply wattage with the server’s power requirements, thereby operating closer to the power supply’s peak efficiency and

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