Cloud Data Center Sohu Internet Company Automating Server Efficiency for High-Capacity Data Center Case Study
Intel® Data Center Manager delivers significant annual savings by reducing man hours, and improving server utilization and rack density Business: Sohu Internet Company and its subsidiaries based in Beijing offering advertising, search, online multiplayer gaming, and other services Figure 1. Sohu.com Internet Plaza (Image: Wikipedia) Challenges • Real-time cross-platform server power and thermal data collection • Server utilization • Automated discovery for underutilized servers • Server-level centralized remote access capability • Cooling analysis and data center environmental health analysis • Remote access control and IT device power tracking Solution • Intel® Data Center Manager Executive Summary Sohu Internet Company installed Intel® Data Center Manager (Intel® DCM) at its Beijing, China data center. The solution was deployed across 40 devices to gain greater insight into the facility’s resource deployment, energy consumption, cooling efficiency, and capacity planning. Through the use of DCM features such as remote access control, automated server discovery, real-time thermal and health monitoring, and cooling analysis, the company sought to improve the overall efficiency of its data center. The IT administrators for Sohu installed Intel® DCM and immediately began to analyze the thermal health of their servers and to access the power and thermal consumption data in real time. The ability to remotely access servers cross- platform from the convenience of the DCM console dashboard eliminated the need for manual processes and significantly reduced the stress on their operation team. The resulting reduction in man hours, if deployed across the full operation of 3,000 servers, would yield every year savings of $150,000 USD. Intel® DCM’s ability to deliver device level power and thermal data also eliminated the need to purchase intelligent Power Distribution Units (PDUs). Based on the customer’s current data center environment of 333 racks, the projected savings would be $53,280 USD. Intel® DCM’s real-time power monitoring capability provided the team with a list of servers that were idle or underutilized. This awareness and the remote management capability allowed the team to power off unneeded devices during off-peak times from the convenience of their computer screens. This reduction in energy consumption over one year would yield an additional savings of $94,608 USD. Case Study | Intel® Data Center Manager Automates Server Efficiency for High-Capacity Data Center Operation Figure 2. Intel® Data Center Manager Console Finally, Intel® DCM’s cooling analysis enabled data center staff to safely increase rack density and monitor server health and air temperatures, while simultaneously eliminating the risk of downtime or performance complications. The ability to continuously monitor devices and correct issues in real time yielded a reduction in cooling costs and improved Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). The resulting energy efficiency and smaller operational footprint would lower monthly space rent and, if deployed over a year period, would save Sohu an additional $528,000 USD. Background Sohu installed Intel® Data Center Manager (Intel® DCM) at its Beijing, China data center. By deploying DCM across 40 devices, it sought to gain greater insight into the facility’s resource management efficiency, energy consumption, cooling efficiency, and capacity planning. There are 3,000 servers that will be managed by Intel® DCM after complete st 1 deployment in Sohu. After the IT staff installed the Intel® DCM console, they immediately began to compile and aggregate data from the servers. Through its ease of use and cross-platform support, Intel® DCM enabled Sohu’s IT staff to visualize trend data with features like a
