Reply to: Green IT

[snaw]

Virtulisation? All the money that companies could save in consolidating their servers not to mention the reduction in carbon footprint. Maybe there would be grants available?

It's not exactly a new idea though is it? My company does exactly that, we host or manage companies servers in 3 DC's, and every one of our clients now consolidates and virtualises. But we're still running out of space and drawing a shedload of power. Not saying it doesn't help, but servers just seem to keep multiplying, even the virtual ones ...

[Paddy]

Or store large read-only data or applications in Flash memory.

Flash drives use more power than hard drives.

The best way for a greener IT environment is to work from home. Strangely enough that suggestion goes down like a lead balloon. After all what will managers do?

[Tingles]

Doing the BCS/ISEB Green IT certification course.....

So many regulations coming - if I were a large business owner (energy usage - not routund!) I'd be scooting out of the EU sharpish.... taking the jobs with me!!!

Anybody read Atlas Shrugged....?

[NoddY]

Of course the whole green agenda and the carbon offset carry-on is nonsense. Point to one item that does not involve fossil fuels during it's manufacture, transit or usage? Make no mistake it's a tax raising scam.

However, possible new carbon trading rules make eco friendly datacentres, recycling etc a lucrative proposition. This is deep pockets territory. So, for the little guy, I'm struggling to think how to cash in on the green agenda other than authoring 'carbon impact assessments' and other verbose tulip.

[Alf W]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/01/bofh_episode_4/

[swamp]

Google have started to build their cloud data centres without air con. When one gets too hot they shift the computations to another one. Global computations follow the moon round the country along with cold temperatures and cheap electricity.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10...hout_chillers/

[BrowneIssue]

ok, through what channels do I obtain/buy/aquire 2 conainers worth of assorted parts?

If you want 2nd hand bits, just buy a load of new Packard Bell PCs from PC World.




Failing that, have you tried the companies that advertise in Computing & Computer Weekly?

[Fishface]

They get re-used?

ok, through what channels do I obtain/buy/aquire 2 conainers worth of assorted parts?

[BrowneIssue]

what happens to the usable parts from recycled computers?

They get re-used?

[Fishface]

what happens to the usable parts from recycled computers?

[AtW]

it makes a lot of sense for an OS to be able to operate completely out of RAM.

The way they designed Windows results in System Cache pushing out real data from memory, and if you switch off swap (like we do on our servers) in heavy memory usage scenarios some Windows failures occur because some of the kernel functions EXPECT memory to be allocated and can't fail nicely...

[VectraMan]

Or store large read-only data or applications in Flash memory.

I did wonder about getting an SSD as a system drive. Shame they're still so expensive.

But it shouldn't really be necessary. I have 4GB RAM in this machine, which I rarely need all of. As good as Windows 7 is, it seems to me Microsoft have missed a trick here. Where you have pleanty of RAM, the computer is left on, and power cuts are extremely rare, it makes a lot of sense for an OS to be able to operate completely out of RAM.

[TimberWolf]

Something on the news the other day on how Iceland is pushing to rebuild its economy by becoming the world's green data centre. It makes some sense: an abundance of "green" geothermic energy to exploit, and the colder climate means less to waste on air con.

There's a lot could be done for green desktops. Like my Windows 7 machine that I can't stop chugging away at the hard disk. Why can't it load the OS into RAM and switch off the hard disks until they're absolutely needed?

Or store large read-only data or applications in Flash memory.

MySpace replaces disks with flash
Social networking site MySpace has replaced traditional server/direct-attach disk combos with flash memory cached servers to save space, energy, cooling and cost.

[VectraMan]

Something on the news the other day on how Iceland is pushing to rebuild its economy by becoming the world's green data centre. It makes some sense: an abundance of "green" geothermic energy to exploit, and the colder climate means less to waste on air con.

There's a lot could be done for green desktops. Like my Windows 7 machine that I can't stop chugging away at the hard disk. Why can't it load the OS into RAM and switch off the hard disks until they're absolutely needed?

[Addanc]

Do you think there's a plan B in spraying vanilla desk tops green?