Peak power modeling for data center servers with switched-mode power supplies

Accurately modeling server power consumption is critical in designing data center power provisioning infrastructure. However, to date, most research proposals have used average CPU utilization to infer the power consumption of clusters, typically averaging over tens of minutes per observation. We demonstrate that average CPU utilization is not sufficient to predict peak power consumption accurately. By characterizing the relationship between server utilization and power supply behavior, we can more accurately model the actual peak power consumption. Finally, we introduce a new operating system metric that can capture the needed information to design for peak power with low overhead. Categories and Subject Descriptors C.5.5 [Computer System Implementation]: Servers General Terms Measurement

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: ISLPED
• Authors: David Meisner, Thomas F. Wenisch
• Keywords: Average Cpu Utilization, Hardware, ISLPED 2010, Peak Power Consumption, Power Consumption