SmoothOperator: reducing power fragmentation and improving power utilization in large-scale datacenters

SmoothOperator: reducing power fragmentation and improving power utilization in large-scale datacenters Hsu et al., ASPLOS’18

What do you do when your theory of constraints analysis reveals that power has become your major limiting factor? That is, you can’t add more servers to your existing datacenter(s) without blowing your power budget, and you don’t want to build a new datacenter just for that? In this paper, Hsu et al. analyse power utilisation in Facebook datacenters and find that overall power budget utilisation can be comparatively low, even while peak requirements are at capacity. We can’t easily smooth the workload (that’s driven by business and end-user requirements), but maybe we can do something to smooth the power usage.

Our experiments based on real production workload and power traces show that we are able to host up to 13% more machines in production, without changing the underlying power infrastructure. Utilizing the unleashed power headroom with dynamic reshaping, we achieve up to an estimated total of 15% and 11% throughput improvement for latency-critical service and batch service respectively at the same time, with up to 44% of energy slack reduction.

No more headroom and low utilisation…

There’s a maximum safe amount of power Continue reading

The Slow But Sure Return Of AMD In The Datacenter

It has been more than a decade since AMD was a force in computing in the datacenter. For that reason, we have not wasted a lot of time going over the ins and outs of its quarterly financials. But now that the Epyc CPUs and Radeon Instinct GPU accelerators are getting traction among hyperscalers, cloud builders, and selected enterprises, it is time to start keeping an eye on how AMD is doing financially.

With most of the financial analysis that we do here at The Next Platform, we use the middle of the Great Recession, in the first quarter …

The Slow But Sure Return Of AMD In The Datacenter was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

IDG Contributor Network: How to achieve and sustain peak performance in your data center

As Tom Brady once said, “if you don’t play to win, don’t play at all.” This mantra is reflected in Brady’s TB12 Method, a holistic lifecycle based on 12 principles that make up the optimal approach to exercise, training and living a life of vitality. It’s built on the premise of stopping an accident prior to it happening through pre-habitation and taking intelligent, strategic preventative measures. And while implementing all 12 principles is not required, their effect is cumulative: the more you can incorporate, the better your results will be.While this methodology applies to training superior athletes, data center managers have their own set of principles to ensure optimal data center performance. What we’ve dubbed the DCM10 Method, there are 10 fundamental steps every data center manager should use to evaluate their current data center and help transform its functionality. Similar to the TB12 Method, while not all of these steps are required to create a successful strategy, the more best practices applied will result in higher performance across the board.To read this article in full, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: How to achieve and sustain peak performance in your data center

As Tom Brady once said, “if you don’t play to win, don’t play at all.” This mantra is reflected in Brady’s TB12 Method, a holistic lifecycle based on 12 principles that make up the optimal approach to exercise, training and living a life of vitality. It’s built on the premise of stopping an accident prior to it happening through pre-habitation and taking intelligent, strategic preventative measures. And while implementing all 12 principles is not required, their effect is cumulative: the more you can incorporate, the better your results will be.While this methodology applies to training superior athletes, data center managers have their own set of principles to ensure optimal data center performance. What we’ve dubbed the DCM10 Method, there are 10 fundamental steps every data center manager should use to evaluate their current data center and help transform its functionality. Similar to the TB12 Method, while not all of these steps are required to create a successful strategy, the more best practices applied will result in higher performance across the board.To read this article in full, please click here

Worth Reading: Validating Internet Congestion

The rapid growth of high bandwidth demanding Internet traffic — video, online gaming and emerging applications such as virtual reality — and the growing concentration of content across a small number of providers and distribution networks, is leading to capacity issues. —Xiaohong Deng @APNIC

Jazmin Fallas Kerr: Creating Opportunities for Women in Costa Rica

The age-old tradition of the physical marketplace may be crumbling, and many women-led families in Costa Rica are feeling the pinch. In fact, in Jazmin Fallas Kerr’s hometown, Desamparados, nearly half of all families with women as head of household are in poverty.

To combat that, Kerr made a digital bridge between creation and commerce. Hyena is an Internet-based marketplace which allows women artisans to sell their handiwork online for a fair price. The site now has more than 50 local women courting customers for their crafts. Kerr’s upbringing helped her develop the idea.

“I was inspired by my mother; she is a family leader and artisan,” Kerr said. “We are from an area of social vulnerability, and I know the difficulties these families face.”

The site helps solve a more universal problem. It gives women the flexibility and time to work outside of homemaking responsibilities.

“[I want to] empower women to create better opportunities for their families,” Kerr said. “It is being achieved through a platform involving different actors in society that involves from fair trade to online education.”

Winner of the “Creator of Digital Change” contest, Hyena exists thanks to that $3,000 prize money from the Continue reading

How Telco Service Providers Can Keep Pace With OpenStack

Telecom providers are increasingly using OpenStack for NFV, 5G, and IoT. The open source platform offers providers options to alleviate the burdens of migrating to the cloud.

5 reasons to buy refurbished Cisco equipment

It’s a pretty common scenario. You’re considering implementing Cisco hardware in your infrastructure, and you talk to a vendor who pushes a shiny, new, cutting-edge solution on you.It’s impressive, this bleeding-edge solution — it has all sorts of bells and whistles (whether your business plan can make smart use of them or not) and it comes with a nice, healthy price tag.So, you’re left with a really difficult question. Should you stretch your already thin budget with a solution that may actually be overkill for your needs? Or do you have options[ Read also: 80/20 rule of network equipment: Stay on budget and innovate. | Get daily insights: Sign up for Network World newsletters. ] 5 things to consider when buying network hardware Keep these five factors in mind as you consider how to proceed with your Cisco hardware solutions because that vendor who thinks you should buy new probably doesn’t want you to know them.To read this article in full, please click here

5 reasons to buy refurbished Cisco equipment

It’s a pretty common scenario. You’re considering implementing Cisco hardware in your infrastructure, and you talk to a vendor who pushes a shiny, new, cutting-edge solution on you.It’s impressive, this bleeding-edge solution — it has all sorts of bells and whistles (whether your business plan can make smart use of them or not) and it comes with a nice, healthy price tag.So, you’re left with a really difficult question. Should you stretch your already thin budget with a solution that may actually be overkill for your needs? Or do you have options[ Read also: 80/20 rule of network equipment: Stay on budget and innovate. | Get daily insights: Sign up for Network World newsletters. ] 5 things to consider when buying network hardware Keep these five factors in mind as you consider how to proceed with your Cisco hardware solutions because that vendor who thinks you should buy new probably doesn’t want you to know them.To read this article in full, please click here

Service Providers Race Toward Network Automation, Incredible Hulk Style

When asked what superhero they want their future network to be associated with, respondents’ No. 1 pick was the Hulk.

Verizon Sees Fixed 5G Opportunity Where AT&T Does Not

Verizon and AT&T have very different viewpoints on offering fixed 5G service. But both operators admit that there are lots of unknowns when it comes to 5G.

History of Networking: Tony P on BIER

Nokia Stumbles Out of the Blocks, But Is Upbeat on 5G, Rival Woes

CEO Rajeev Suri noted that "longer term, there might be opportunities." Nokia could potentially benefit from the woes of its competitors Huawei and ZTE.

Your Data Center Needs a Network Time Machine

Big Switch’s data center monitoring fabric will add support for public cloud environments including AWS and Azure later this year.

Cisco reinforces storage with new switches, mgmt. software

Cisco this week fortified its storage family with two new 32G Fibre Channel switches and software designed to help customers manage and troubleshoot their SANS.The new switches, the 48-Port MDS 9148T and 96-Port MDS 9396T feature a technology called Auto Zone that automatically detects any new  storage servers or devices that log into a SAN and automatically zones them without having to do manual configuration.[Check out REVIEW: VMware’s vSAN 6.6 and see IDC’s top 10 data center predictions . | Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters. ] The idea is to eliminate the cycles spent in provisioning new devices and avert errors that typically occur when manually configuring complex zones. Even when a host or storage hardware is upgraded or a faulty facility is replaced, the switch automatically detects the change and zones them into the SAN, Cisco said.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco reinforces storage with new switches, mgmt. software

Cisco this week fortified its storage family with two new 32G Fibre Channel switches and software designed to help customers manage and troubleshoot their SANS.The new switches, the 48-Port MDS 9148T and 96-Port MDS 9396T feature a technology called Auto Zone that automatically detects any new  storage servers or devices that log into a SAN and automatically zones them without having to do manual configuration.[Check out REVIEW: VMware’s vSAN 6.6 and see IDC’s top 10 data center predictions . | Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters. ] The idea is to eliminate the cycles spent in provisioning new devices and avert errors that typically occur when manually configuring complex zones. Even when a host or storage hardware is upgraded or a faulty facility is replaced, the switch automatically detects the change and zones them into the SAN, Cisco said.To read this article in full, please click here

The Cybersecurity Tech Accord Fits Squarely in the Collaborative Security Approach

Last week at RSA, more than 30 global companies came together to sign the Cybersecurity Tech Accord “to protect and empower civilians online and to improve the security, stability and resilience of cyberspace.”  It is an example of collaboration, which demonstrates the commitment and focus of the signatory companies to take action in order to tackle the significant security threats we are currently facing. It is this type of collective action we have promoted as part of our collaborative security

The Tech Accord is a positive step by large corporations across the globe involved in security to come together in the name of collaboration and make security commitments that resonate with the demands of Internet users everywhere. Per the Accord’s website, there are four main tenets of the Tech Accord:

• Stronger defense
  The companies will mount a stronger defense against cyberattacks. As part of this, recognizing that everyone deserves protection, the companies pledged to protect all customers globally regardless of the motivation for attacks online.
• No offense
  The companies will not help governments launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises, and will protect against tampering or exploitation of their products and services through every stage of technology development, design Continue reading

BrandPost: Analysys Mason Case Study of Windstream: Intelligent Multi-layer/Multi-domain Network Automation with SDN

Windstream made its SDN move by implementing Ciena’s Blue Planet to automate how it delivers wavelength services across its multi-vendor optical network -- setting the stage for the provider to virtualize network functions to enhance service activation and delivery times. Operational efficiency and customer experience are crucial to Windstream's success in the USA, but its heterogeneous network footprint can make network service provisioning and device configuration complex and costly. Building a programmable SDN-based network with Ciena's Blue Planet software is helping Windstream simplify operations, move to DevOps-centric processes, and create an extensible platform for new services.To read this article in full, please click here

PQ 147: Connecting Security And GDPR Compliance (Sponsored)

The post PQ 147: Connecting Security And GDPR Compliance (Sponsored) appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Worth Reading: Monitoring and Observability

So what is observability? Should we accept what many are stating — that it’s basically monitoring, only on steroids? Bigger, better, faster; the new Chuck Norris of DevOps tools. So better buy some observability, right? —Peter Waterhouse @The New Stack