The Hidden Challenges of Virtualization – Part 2 – Virtualization.info

Make sure there is a standard and consistent model for how these metrics are obtained. For example, if metrics are captured 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, then the averages will tend be lower due to capturing both peak and non-peak metrics. Therefore a server running at 30% utilization for CPU on average maybe at 80% during peak hours and may not be a good candidate for virtualization, even though 30% seems like a low number. The key here is to be consistent in how data is obtained and assessed.

Part 1 here.

They Might Be Profitable: AMD’s six-core “Istanbul” reviewed – Ars Technica

But there are a few places where Istanbul holds its own against Xeon. In particular, Johan’s tests indicate that the processor is a good buy for lower VM-count servers that are focused on consolidating existing workloads onto a single physical box. And Scott’s detailed platform-level power measurements give Istanbul the edge in performance per watt, especially on highly multithreaded, scalable workloads. In such cases, the Xeon’s faster memory boosts the Intel platform’s power consumption, so Istanbul is able to match it with slower memory and a higher physical core count per socket. These results indicate that Istanbul is still a good fit for HPC clusters.

Dell Gets 26% of Global Energy From Renewables – Environmental Leader

The bulk of the increase results from renewable energy partnerships in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Norway, with deals struck with utilities Swalec, Scottish Power Energy Retail, EVH, Mainova, Telge Energi and Hafslund, according to a press release.

HP Tees Up AMD Servers In Show Of Green Spirit – ChannelWeb

But for data center operators and their channel suppliers, the big news from HP is likely to be Tuesday’s introduction of 11 servers in the company’s young ProLiant G6 lineup of server products, seven of which are based on AMD’s new six-core processors, code-named Istanbul. HP initiated its G6 series with 11 servers on March 30, in concert with Intel’s release of its Xeon 5500 series of server chips, code-named Gainestown, which are based on the chip maker’s next-generation Nehalem microarchitecture.

Shaving Millions Off Data Center Costs – Forbes

Fifty watts may not seem like much, but for a company buying 10,000 servers annually over four years, the lifecycle savings, including facility total cost of ownership in the product selection process, amounted to almost $10 million for electric utility OpEx savings. More importantly, $56 million in data center construction was deferred.