Server Farm Energy Efficiency via Effective Energy Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Server farms with heterogeneous servers face challenges in optimizing energy utilization due to varying energy consumption rates and server speeds, leading to increased operational costs and environmental concerns, as existing methods fail to effectively account for idle power consumption in job assignment strategies.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for operating a server farm that assigns computational tasks to servers based on their effective energy efficiency, defined as the service rate divided by the difference between busy and idle energy consumption rates, ensuring tasks are assigned to servers with the highest efficiency without powering off servers during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If servers are assigned based on traditional methods without considering idle power consumption, then job throughput is maintained, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to unaccounted idle power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter used for server selection from traditional metrics (service rate alone) to a new effective energy efficiency parameter that incorporates both service rate and the difference between busy and idle energy consumption rates. This parameter transformation enables simultaneous optimization of energy efficiency and job throughput by selecting servers that maximize the ratio of service rate to effective energy consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If heterogeneous servers are deployed to improve service capability, then server functionality is enhanced, but energy utilization optimization becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the energy efficiency evaluation to individual server characteristics. Each heterogeneous server is assessed using its specific service rate and energy consumption rates (busy and idle), allowing the system to optimize energy utilization across diverse server types while maintaining their individual functional advantages.
3Reliability
If servers are kept running during operation to maintain service availability, then service reliability is maintained, but energy consumption increases due to idle power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful idle power consumption into a beneficial selection criterion. By incorporating idle energy consumption rates into the effective energy efficiency calculation, the system uses this previously wasted information to identify the most energy-efficient servers for job assignment, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining service availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a server farm with a plurality of servers operably connected with each other includes: receiving a job request of a computational task to be handled by the server farm; determining, from the plurality of servers, one or more servers operable to accept the job request; determining a respective effective energy efficiency value associated with at least the one or more servers; and assigning the computational task to a server with the highest effective energy efficiency value. The effective energy efficiency value is defined by a service rate of the respective server divided by a difference between an energy consumption rate value when the respective server is busy and an energy consumption rate value when the respective server is idle. The present invention also relates to a server farm operated by the method.