PoliSave: Efficient Power Management of Campus PCs

In this paper we study the power consumption of networked devices in a large Campus network, focusing mainly on PC usage. We first define a methodology to monitor host power state, which we then apply to our Campus network. Results show that typically people refrain from turning off their PC during non-working hours so that more than 1500 PCs are always powered on, causing a large energy waste. We then design PoliSave, a simple web-based architecture which allows users to schedule power state of their PCs, avoiding the frustration of wasting long power-down and bootstrap times of today PCs. By exploiting already available technologies like Wake-On-Lan, Hibernation and Web services, PoliSave reduces the average PC uptime from 15.9h to 9.7h during working days, generating an energy saving of 0.6kW/h per PC per day, or a saving of more than 250,000 Euros per year considering our Campus Universit

A Survey of Green Networking Research

Reduction of unnecessary energy consumption is becoming a major concern in wired networking, because of the potential economical benefits and of its expected environmental impact. These issues, usually referred to as "green networking", relate to embedding energy-awareness in the design, in the devices and in the protocols of networks. In this work, we first formulate a more precise definition of the "green" attribute. We furthermore identify a few paradigms that are the key enablers of energy-aware networking research. We then overview the current state of the art and provide a taxonomy of the relevant work, with a special focus on wired networking. At a high level, we identify four branches of green networking research that stem from different observations on the root causes of energy waste, namely (i) Adaptive Link Rate, (ii) Interface proxying, (iii) Energy-aware infrastructures and (iv) Energy-aware applications. In this work, we do not only explore specific proposals pertaining to each of the above branches, but also offer a perspective for research.Comment: Index Terms: Green Networking; Wired Networks; Adaptive Link Rate; Interface Proxying; Energy-aware Infrastructures; Energy-aware Applications. 18 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Achieving Energy Saving through Proxying Applications on behalf of Idle Devices

AbstractSeveral studies in the past have revealed that network end user devices are left powered up 24/7 even when idle just for the sake of maintaining Internet connectivity. Network devices normally support low power states but are kept inactive due to their inability to maintain network connectivity. The Network Connectivity Proxy (NCP) has recently been proposed as an effective mechanism to impersonate network connectivity on behalf of high power devices and enable them to sleep when idle without losing network presence. The NCP can efficiently proxy basic networking protocol, however, proxying of Internet based applications have no absolute solution due to dynamic and non-predictable nature of the packets they are sending and receiving periodically. This paper proposes an approach for proxying Internet based applications and presents the basic software architectures and capabilities. Further, this paper also practically evaluates the proposed framework and analyzes expected energy savings achievable under- different realistic conditions

Development and testing of a networked PC power management tool

[Abstract]: One of the major themes of this project is Personal Computer (PC) power usage, which is a significant issue as many PCs run 24 hours per day and therefore potentially waste large amounts of power. This power wastage is unfortunate given that most operating systems support hibernation. As issues such as fossil fuels, carbon footprint, global warming etc., are highly topical and politicized, energy efficiency in electrical devices is a significant issue. Additionally, through capability developments such as ‘green’ computing, virtualization, and even edge computing, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry is one of the few industries that seem to be taking ecological issues seriously. The main objectives of the project are: • The research and evaluation of a number statistics that relate to PC energy consumption. • Investigation of power spikes and network traffic floods which may be caused by simultaneous PC start-up. • Development of a software tool to control the start-up and shutdown of a PC either via scheduling or manual control. • Development of a software tool that remotely controls the start-up and shutdown of either singular or grouped PCs. In addition to the aim of reducing wasted power, this project aims to improve network traffic efficiency by minimizing network traffic congestion through controlling the sequence of PC start-up in a networked environment. This controlled start-up has a secondary benefit in potentially reducing the severity of power spikes due to a simultaneous PC start-up. It is hoped that further development and testing of the ‘PowerMan’ application will provide greater program functionality. Additionally, it is envisaged that this tool could be used in conjunction with more energy efficient PCs and peripherals and therefore provide an overall package that is power efficient whatever its state of operation, with little control or interaction from the user

UNO Website: UNO Technology Guidelines for Going Green

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is committed to supporting the sustainability of the planet. Toward that goal, there have been great strides in UNO‟s technology practices/use that moves the campus to a Greener organization. Every UNO employee can take part in reducing energy consumption by using the power savings options on their desktops, laptops, printers, and copiers at the office as well as in their home. Simple Green configuration of equipment can save energy. Turning off equipment every night, weekend and holiday makes a big impact. These guidelines outline a few of the steps to Go Green with technology in your office/home. See Appendix A for power management instructions on desktops, laptops, and printers. See Appendix B for Green Facts related to technology