Green grid metrics in network information system for monitoring ICT sustainability in data centers

Abstract

Data center infrastructure is critical to manage the ever-increasing volume of data of today’s connected world, consuming excessive amounts of energy in the process. This concern is the subject of several research and development projects, which have resulted in energy-aware and cost-effective solutions like routing and load balancing algorithms, energy and cost models, virtualization, and techniques for hardware and software optimization. However, when it comes to implementing monitoring, optimization, and energy management processes, new difficulties arise as a consequence of the difficult cooperation between the electric and the IT networks. This generates an opportunity for Smart Grid technology to provide an interconnection between the two. With the help of “smart” sensors and meters, real-time grid information from the generation plant, transmission lines, energy sources distribution, and end user’s consumption can be provided as metrics into an intelligent system, in order to optimize the energy consumption of a data center facility. The goal is to propose a framework that integrates the information coming from the Smart Grid metrics into an ICT system, in order to improve the overall sustainability of a data center infrastructure and evaluate the impact on a green or cost-effective scenario.