Optimizing computing resources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9477287-B1
Application number	US-201213536761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 28, 2012
Priority date	Jun 28, 2012
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A method of optimizing a configuration of computing resources includes coupling computing devices to a test system. With the test system, a test is performed on one or more of the computing devices. The test includes operating the computing devices in two or more configurations. In each configuration, power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the computing devices associated with the configurations are measured. Based on the measurements of power consumption characteristics, thermal characteristics, or both, a desired configuration for at least one computing device to be operated is determined.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of optimizing a configuration of computing resources in a data center, comprising:
coupling one or more computing devices to a test fixture;
performing, in an enclosure of the test fixture, a test on at least one of the computing devices, wherein performing the test comprises:
controlling environmental conditions within the enclosure according to a particular set of environmental test conditions;
operating the at least one computing device in a first configuration under the particular set of environmental test conditions;
changing out one or more physical components of the at least one computing device such that a configuration of the at least one computing device is changed from the first configuration to one or more other configurations;
operating the at least one computing device in the one or more other configurations under the particular set of environment test conditions;
controlling environmental conditions within the enclosure according to another set of environmental test conditions;
operating the at least one computing device in the first configuration and the one or more other configurations under the other set of environmental test conditions; and
measuring power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the at least one computing device associated with each of at least two of the configurations under the particular set of environmental test conditions and with each of at least two of the configurations at the other set of environmental test conditions;

performing at least one optimization calculation based, at least in part, on the measurements; and
determining, by a computer system, based at least in part on the optimization calculation, a desired configuration for a set of computing devices to be operated in the data center,
wherein the optimization calculation is based, at least in part, on measurements of the at least one computing device in the at least two configurations under the particular set of environmental test conditions and is based, at least in part, on measurements of the at least one computing device in the at least two configurations under the other set of environmental test conditions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the set of computing devices to be operated in the data center comprises modeling one or more characteristics of the at least one of the tested computing devices based at least in part on the measurements.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein, for at least one of the computing devices, measuring the power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the computing devices comprises measuring a power draw for at least one configuration of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the set of computing devices to be operated in the data center comprises:
modeling, based at least in part on the measurements, a relationship between temperature and power draw, and
wherein the optimization is performed based in part on the relationship between power draw and temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the set of computing devices to be operated in the data center comprises:
modeling, based at least in part on the measurements, a relationship between reliability and cost, and
wherein the optimization is performed based in part on the relationship between reliability and cost.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of computing devices comprises servers to be operated in a rack.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the set of computing devices to be operated in the data center comprises determining a rack density for one or more racks in the data center.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, for at least one of the computing devices, operating the computing device in the first configuration and the one or more other configurations further comprises changing a software configuration in the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optimization computation is based at least in part on a service that is to be provided with the set of computing devices.

10. A method of optimizing a configuration of computing resources, comprising:
coupling one or more computing devices to a test system;
performing, within an enclosure of the test system, a test on at least one of the computing devices, wherein performing the test comprises:
controlling environmental conditions within the enclosure according to a particular set of environmental test conditions;
operating the at least one computing device in a first configuration under the particular set of environmental test conditions;
changing out one or more physical components of the at least one computing device such that a configuration of the at least one computing device is changed from the first configuration to one or more other configurations;
operating the at least one computing device in the one or more other configurations under the particular set of environment test conditions;
controlling environmental conditions within the enclosure according to an other set of environmental test conditions;
operating the at least one computing device in the first configuration and the one or more other configurations under the other set of environmental test conditions; and
measuring power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the at least one computing device associated with each of at least two of the configurations under the particular set of environmental test conditions and with each of at least two of the configurations under the other set of environmental test conditions;

determining, by a computer system, based, at least in part, on the measurements of power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the at least one computing device a desired configuration for the at least one computing device to be operated,
wherein the measurements on which said determining is based comprise measurements in the at least two configurations under the particular set of environmental conditions and measurements in the at least two configurations under the other set of environmental conditions.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising operating the at least one computing device in the desired configuration to perform one or more services.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the desired configuration of the at least one computing device comprises performing at least one optimization calculation based at least in part on the measurements.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the at least one computing device to be operated comprises modeling one or more characteristics of the at least one computing device based at least in part on the measurements.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein, for the at least one computing device, measuring the power consumption characteristics or thermal characteristics of the at least one computing device comprises measuring a power draw for at least one configuration of the at least one computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the desired configuration for the at least one computing device to be operated comprises:
modeling, based at least in part on the measurements, a relationship between temperature and power draw; and
performing an optimization based on the relationship between power draw and temperature.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein performing the optimization based on the relationship betw

Assignees

• Schow Kenneth M
• Ross Peter G
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Schow Kenneth M
• Ross Peter G

Classifications

• G06F1/32

  Means for saving power · CPC title

• G06F1/3206 Primary

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title