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
Read the full Cloud Data Center
Sohu Internet Company
Automating Server Efficiency
for High-Capacity Data Center
Case Study.