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| The aim of this section of the Low Carbon ICT wiki is to provide information that helps IT managers and end-users to minimise the electricity consumption by PCs and laptops when they are not doing useful work. Desktop computers are left on to: | Desktop computers will consume approximately £75 of electricity per year if they are left on all the time. If they are put in a low power state when not in use this cost is likely to fall to £15 (insert ref.) for the majority of users. Computers are often left on all the time for the following reasons: |
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| 1. Allow ICT manager to install software patches 1. Save the time required to start up a computer from off |
* So that a backup copy of files on the computer can be made overnight * So that the software on computers can be updated with for instance security patches * To allow individuals to access their computer when away from their desk e.g. to retrieve a file while at a conference * To avoid waiting for a computer to start up from off * Where a personal computer is also acting as a web server * A personal computer is used to keep another computer on * A computer is used to constantly filter emails * To allow spare computing capacity to be used by computer modelling projects e.g. SETI, climateprediction.net and GRID experiments in general Many of these reasons mean that computers are being left on 'just in case' they are needed which means inevitably that there is likely to be extensive periods of time that computers are consuming electricity without doing useful work. Tools can be provided for IT managers and end-users that support the objective of minimising this wasted energy but as organisations will also have to make decisions on whether any practices need to change because they are simply too costly. |
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| 1. Allow remote backup services to access computers 1. Allow end-users to have remote access to their computer (e.g. to retrieve files) 1. To run email filtering processes 1. To run 'keep-alive' processes e.g. using SSH clients Unfortunately, since these events are typically short-lived, keeping computers on for these reasons means that they are still likely to consume large amounts of electricity without doing useful work. It is possible to provide a tools to for end-users and ICT managers to reduce this wasted energy. However, the provision of new tools will need to be accompanied by people adopting more energy efficient ways of working.[[TableOfContents([2])]] |
[[TableOfContents([2])]] |
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| = Overview = | |
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| = Support = == Local power management == * Automatically putting a computer into S3, S4 or S5 power states * Issues * when in standby computers cannot easily be switched off automatically * computers don't wake from S3 or S4 reliably * don't want to interrupt services that may be running in background === Enable end-users to configure power management === === Distribute power management setting centrally === == Remote power management == === Switching computers on remotely === ==== Wake-on-LAN ==== * Introductory text * ["lcict:wol"] ==== VPro ==== * http://www.intel.com/technology/vpro/index.htm === Switching computers off remotely === 1. How to turn computer off remotely = More efficient working practices = create matrix of: (1) practice/ activity description (2) measure of how much energy will be saved (3) who the practice is relevant to * switching monitor off will prevent it turning on when accessing computer remotely * implement power management * |
== Waking computers up remotely == It is possible to provide the ability for IT managers and end-users to wake computers that they own using another computer. By providing a facility to turn computers on remotely, it becomes possible to ask people to turn their computers to low power states more often. For instance, many organisations will ask their staff to leave their computers on so that the a backup service can access the hard drive and create a copy of files. If computers can be woken up by the backup service then users can switch them off without disrupting this essential activity. This same logic applies to other services that may need access to a computer more regularly e.g. services that install software updates, anti-virus checking and so on. === Case study: University of Oxford === The University of Oxford developed a wake-on-LAN infrastructure that enables IT officers, end-users and 3rd party software to wake computers remotely. ["lcict:wol"] == Switching computers off automatically == == Enabling automatic power management == |
Desktop computers will consume approximately £75 of electricity per year if they are left on all the time. If they are put in a low power state when not in use this cost is likely to fall to £15 (insert ref.) for the majority of users. Computers are often left on all the time for the following reasons:
- So that a backup copy of files on the computer can be made overnight
- So that the software on computers can be updated with for instance security patches
- To allow individuals to access their computer when away from their desk e.g. to retrieve a file while at a conference
- To avoid waiting for a computer to start up from off
- Where a personal computer is also acting as a web server
- A personal computer is used to keep another computer on
- A computer is used to constantly filter emails
- To allow spare computing capacity to be used by computer modelling projects e.g. SETI, climateprediction.net and GRID experiments in general
Many of these reasons mean that computers are being left on 'just in case' they are needed which means inevitably that there is likely to be extensive periods of time that computers are consuming electricity without doing useful work. Tools can be provided for IT managers and end-users that support the objective of minimising this wasted energy but as organisations will also have to make decisions on whether any practices need to change because they are simply too costly.
Tools and techniques
Waking computers up remotely
It is possible to provide the ability for IT managers and end-users to wake computers that they own using another computer. By providing a facility to turn computers on remotely, it becomes possible to ask people to turn their computers to low power states more often. For instance, many organisations will ask their staff to leave their computers on so that the a backup service can access the hard drive and create a copy of files. If computers can be woken up by the backup service then users can switch them off without disrupting this essential activity. This same logic applies to other services that may need access to a computer more regularly e.g. services that install software updates, anti-virus checking and so on.
Case study: University of Oxford
The University of Oxford developed a wake-on-LAN infrastructure that enables IT officers, end-users and 3rd party software to wake computers remotely. ["lcict:wol"]
Switching computers off automatically