L'informatique durable vue par quelques passionnés de Microsoft France : 2) English / Anglais

Au revoir…

patricg — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:04:37 GMT

Voilà un message que l’on pense ne jamais écrire mais tout a une fin !

Il se trouve qu’après avoir activement participé à la prise de conscience éco-durable chez Microsoft France et alimenté ce blog (et d’autres) depuis plus d’un 1 an, je vais quitter Microsoft dans les prochains jours.

Vous ne me retrouverez donc plus sur ce site mais pour ceux qui souhaite ne pas perdre la trace, vous pourrez me retrouver via les multiples réseaux sociaux, notamment les suivants :

Ce n’est donc qu’un au revoir, j’en suis sûr !

Et comme j’aime tout particulièrement les citations, je voudrais finir avec une que j’apprécie :

“Il est trop tard pour être pessimiste” Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Merci pour votre fidélité.

Improving Energy Efficiency with Windows 7 power Management…

patricg — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:57:59 GMT

C’est le sujet d’un webcast Technet que je vous recommande.

Il est accessible ici : http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032414346&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

Energy efficiency and green IT are two of the most active current topics in computing. In this webcast, we detail how the Windows 7 operating system helps improve energy efficiency through new power management innovations. We illustrate how IT professionals can improve battery life and power consumption using new Windows diagnostics utilities. We also show how applications can have a dramatic impact on power consumption, and we discuss how developers can optimize applications for energy efficiency.

Presenter: Stephen Berard, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation, and Pat Stemen, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Pat Stemen is a Senior Program Manager on the Windows Kernel team, focusing on Windows power management infrastructure. Pat joined Microsoft in 2003 and has been focusing on sleep transition reliability and energy efficiency diagnostics.

On y voit notamment en démonstration comment débugger les problèmes de mise en veille à l’aide de la commande :

powercfg /requests

Green: A System for Supporting Energy-Conscious Programming using Principled Approximation

patricg — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:55:59 GMT

Energy-efficient computing is important in several systems ranging from embedded devices to large scale data centers. Several application domains offer the opportunity to tradeoff quality of service/solution (QoS) for improvements in performance and reduction in energy consumption. Programmers sometimes take advantage of such opportunities, albeit in an ad-hoc manner and often without providing any QoS guarantees.

We propose a system called Green that provides a simple and flexible framework that allows programmers to take advantage of such approximation opportunities in a systematic manner while providing statistical QoS guarantees. Green enables programmers to approximate expensive functions and loops and operates in two phases. In the calibration phase, it builds a model of the QoS loss produced by the approximation. This model is used in the operational phase to make approximation decisions based on the QoS constraints specified by the programmer. The operational phase also includes an adaptation function

that occasionally monitors the runtime behavior and changes the approximation decisions and QoS model to provide strong QoS guarantees.

To evaluate the effectiveness of Green, we implemented our system and language extensions using the Phoenix compiler framework. Our experiments using benchmarks from domains such as graphics, machine learning, and signal processing, and a real-world web search application, indicate that Green can produce significant improvements in performance and energy consumption with small and statistically guaranteed QoS degradation.

http://research.microsoft.com/apps/pubs/default.aspx?id=101217

Windows Server 2008 R2, a new step forward in power management

patricg — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:13:39 GMT

In this day and age, power use is on everyone's mind. Windows Server 2008 R2 helps reduce and optimize power usage in most, if not all, situations; in all cases, savings can be achieved and realized simply by installing the operating system.

Perhaps the easiest savings to point to when upgrading to Windows Server 2008 R2 is in power management. In essence, on the same hardware with the same load factors, Microsoft claims R2 will present anywhere from 10% to 15% -- and sometimes even 18% -- power savings over Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2, without requiring any additional configuration.

…

Core parking is another interesting feature that intelligently detects loads on a system and prioritizes and optimizes the distribution of that processing workload among all of the cores available to the operating system. For instance, on single quad-core processor, core parking will enable modest workloads to be carried out only on one core and allow the remaining three cores to remain in a power-saving inactive state. When workloads become heavy enough to require the use of other cores, the OS "lights up" the other cores as necessary to handle the duties, and then returns them to the inactive state -- creating, in other words, a "bursting" of processor capacity.

the full article is here : http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135816/Review_Windows_Server_2008_R2_RTM?taxonomyId=154&pageNumber=3

Pratiques environnementales chez Microsoft…

patricg — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:16:28 GMT

Windows 7 et Windows Server 2008 R2 sont RTM !

patricg — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:02:59 GMT

Comme cela a été annoncé ici Windows 7 Has Been Released to Manufacturing et là Windows Server 2008 R2 Reaches the RTM Milestone! ,

Windows 7 et Windows Server 2008 R2 sont prêts !

Le build final sera donc le 7600.

Pas encore disponibles en externe Microsoft mais prêts pour les partenaires notamment pour l’incorporer avec leurs propres produits.

Vous pouvez visualiser la vidéo de l’annonce avec Steven Sinofsky et Steve Balmer sur le blog Windows 7 France.

Comparatif de la consommation électrique entre des environnements Exchange natifs et des environnements virtualisés

patricg — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:38:16 GMT

Résumé :

Reducing or controlling the high cost of the power to run and cool computer hardware is a top priority for many organizations throughout the world. Many organizations are considering server virtualization solutions to reduce their server footprint and the associated power and cooling costs. Because the virtualization of Microsoft Exchange servers rarely results in a reduction of physical processors, there is some question whether there is significant hardware, power, cooling, or space savings from virtualizing correctly sized Exchange Server 2007 server roles. This study compared the power utilization of native and virtual Exchange server environments in a scenario in which the number of physical servers was reduced from eight to two, but the total number of logical processors and the amount of memory remained the same.

When you consider virtualization of an Exchange environment, power savings is only one of many factors to consider. Depending on your requirements, virtualization may not be a good fit for your Exchange environment. For more information, see the Exchange Team Blog article Should You Virtualize Your Exchange 2007 SP1 Environment?

L’article complet est ici : Comparing the Power Utilization of Native and Virtual Exchange Environments

Visual representation of processor utilization over a 24-hour period

Comparison of average watts consumed by native and virtual environments

Data Center Overload

patricg — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:45:44 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/magazine/14search-t.html

Télécharger le fichier OneNote “Green Living Ideas”

patricg — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:07:34 GMT

C’est ici : Download the new “Green Living Ideas” notebook for OneNote

Forte dynamique des Eco-TIC dans les entreprises françaises

patricg — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:51:09 GMT

C’est ce que souligne une étude récente d’IDC.

Selon IDC, le taux d'adoption de stratégies Green ICT dépasse 40% pour les entreprises françaises
employant plus de 1000 personnes. Il sera supérieur à 60% en 2010. Les stratégies Green ICT
commencent à se développer dans les entreprises de taille intermédiaire, mais ce ne sont que les
prémisses.

On notera aussi le passage à une deuxième phase d’investissement tirée par les communications.

Dans une première phase, l'industrie a mis l'accent sur la gestion du cycle de vie et la consommation d'énergie afin de s'assurer que les produits peuvent être recyclés, avec un minimum de déchets tout en répondant aux normes réglementaires. Au cours des dernières années les fabricants de PC, d'imprimantes et de serveurs se sont concentrés sur la réduction de la consommation d'énergie.

De nombreuses entreprises entrent dans une deuxième phase où les stratégies Green ICT est utilisée pour réduire la consommation de ressources dans l'ensemble de l'organisation. Les entreprises utilisent l'informatique et les télécommunications pour optimiser la conception de leurs produits, améliorer leur chaîne d'approvisionnement, réduire les déplacements à l'aide de réunions virtuelles.

Le communiqué de presse complet est accessible ici : http://www.idc.com/france/downloads/about/pr_green_it_fr.pdf

Green ICT ?

patricg — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:39:18 GMT

Après le Green IT voici apparaître le Green ICT qui inclus les télécommunications (ICT pour Information and Communication Technologies).

Voici d’ailleurs un bon pointeur sur le sujet :

En français, Eco-TIC me semble conserver tout sa pertinence !

Windows 7 Power Management …

patricg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:57:51 GMT

This is a new whitepaper, downloadable here : Windows 7 Power Management Whitepaper

How Windows 7 Helps

• Reduced Power Consumption

Microsoft designed Windows 7 with a strong focus on reducing the overall power consumption by investing in key areas of the platform including performance optimizations, idle resource utilization, device power management, and key end-user scenarios.

• Enhanced User Experience

Windows 7 can provide users with a richer experience when they are travelling by offering greater responsiveness and energy efficiency. Windows 7 provides enhanced processor power management to deliver energy savings and performance on portable computers, which can provide longer battery life.

• Provide IT with Better Tools to Manage Power Consumption

Windows 7 provides IT pros the tools they need to configure and resolve issues with power management, including power-management diagnostics. IT pros can configure Windows 7 power management by using PowerCfg.exe (a command-line power-management utility), Group Policy, and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). With Windows 7, IT pros are able to centrally manage more power management settings on a more granular level.

Microsoft’s Top 10 Business Practices for Environmentally Sustainable Data Centers

patricg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:55:11 GMT

Microsoft recognizes the tough challenges that data center managers, industry operators, and IT businesses face today as they struggle to support their businesses in the face of budget cuts and uncertainty about the future. It’s natural that environmental sustainability is taking a back seat in many companies at this time. But the fact is, being “lean and green” is good for both the business and the environment, and organizations that focus their attentions accordingly will see clear benefits. Reducing energy use and waste improves a company’s bottom line, and increasing the use of recycled materials is a proven way to demonstrate good corporate citizenship to your customers, employees, and the communities you do business in.

1. Provide incentives that support your primary goals

2. Focus on effective resource utilization

3. Use virtualization to improve server utilization and increase operational efficiency

4. Drive quality up through compliance

5. Embrace change management

6. Invest in understanding your application workload and behavior

7. Right-size your server platforms to meet your application requirements

8. Evaluate and test servers for performance, power, and total cost of ownership

9. Converge on as small a number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) as you can

10. Take advantage of competitive bids from multiple manufacturers to foster innovation and reduce costs

The full article is here : http://www.globalfoundationservices.com/documents/MSFTTop10BusinessPracticesforESDataCentersApril09.pdf

Why Earth Day Matters to Microsoft ?

patricg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:33:20 GMT

Earth Day and every day, we face significant environmental challenges tied to the way we live and use resources. Effectively managing our scarce energy resources while addressing climate change – even as the world’s population steadily rises – will be one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Microsoft is working hard with our partners, customers and suppliers, as well as with governments and leading environmental organizations, to help address this critical environmental challenge. This Earth Day, I want to share the latest information on our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which focuses on three core areas:

Using information technology to dramatically improve energy efficiency.

…

Accelerating research breakthroughs.

…

Demonstrating responsible environmental leadership at home.

…

The full article is here : http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2009/04/21/why-earth-day-matters-to-microsoft.aspx

Going Green 2009…

patricg — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:03:53 GMT

C’est le titre du dernier numéro de Technet Magazine. Il est accessible ici : http://technet.microsoft.com/fr-fr/magazine/dd767316(en-us).aspx

Au programme :

Green IT: Framework for Building a “Hyper-Green” Virtual Server System

A Hyper-Green virtualization system is designed to fully optimize your reduction in enegy consumption. Here are seven steps you must follow to build a Hyper-Green system. Adam Bogobowicz and Dave Ohara

Green IT: Planning Your Power Management and Virtualization Strategies

Implementing power management and virtualization strategies are ideal first steps in moving towards a greener IT environment. Learn how you can simplify planning these strategies with the free Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit. Baldwin Ng

Green IT: Essential Tools for Planning Your Virtual Infrastructure

Is your infrastructure ready for virtualization? The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, a network-wide infrastructure assessment tool, can help you better understand your IT infrastructure and determine whether your systems are ready for upgrade or migration to a variety of technologies, including virtualization. Jay Sauls and Baldwin Ng

Green IT: Build a Green Datacenter

Companies around the world are beginning to think of ways to save energy and reduce costs, yet there is little guidance on how you can take action. Get started with our introduction to planning, designing, and implementing a green datacenter in your organization. Dave Ohara

et aussi :

· Enforce Power Management Settings in your Organization with Group Policy

· Sleep or Hibernate?

· Is It Time to Turn Off Your Servers?

· Conserving Energy with Group Policy

· Plan and Optimize Your Infrastructure to be Energy Efficient with System Center