A Server Consolidation Solution

Advances in server architecture has enabled corporations the ability to strategically redesign their data centers in order to realign the system infrastructure to business needs. The architectural design of physically and logically consolidating servers into fewer and smaller hardware platforms can reduce data center overhead costs, while adding quality of service. In order for the organization to take advantage of the architectural opportunity a server consolidation project was proposed that utilized blade technology coupled with the virtualization of servers. Physical consolidation reduced the data center facility requirements, while server virtualization reduced the number of required hardware platforms. With the constant threat of outsourcing, coupled with the explosive growth of the organization, the IT managers were challenged to provide increased system services and functionality to a larger user community, while maintaining the same head count. A means of reducing overhead costs associated with the in-house data center was to reduce the required facility and hardware resources. The reduction in the data center footprint required less real estate, electricity, fire suppression infrastructure, and HVAC utilities. In addition, since the numerous stand alone servers were consolidated onto a standard platform system administration became more agile to business opportunities.

PAI: A lightweight mechanism for single-node memory recovery in DSM servers

Several recent studies identify the memory system as the most frequent source of hardware failures in commercial servers. Techniques to protect the memory system from failures must continue to service memory requests, despite hardware failures. Furthermore, to support existing OS's, the physical address space must be retained following reconfiguration. Existing techniques either suffer from a high performance overhead or require pervasive hardware changes to support transparent recovery. In this paper, we propose Physical Address Indirection (PAI), a lightweight, hardware-based mechanism for memory system failure recovery. PAI provides a simple hardware mapping to transparently reconstruct affected data in alternate locations, while maintaining high performance and avoiding physical address changes. With full-system simulation of commercial and scientific workloads on a 16-node distributed shared memory server, we show that prior techniques have an average degraded mode performance loss of 14% and 51% for commercial and scientific workloads, respectively. Using PAI's dataswap reconstruction, the same workloads have 1% and 32% average performance losses. © 2007 IEEE

Improving System Reliability for Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are systems featuring a tight combination of, and coordination between, the system's computational and physical elements. Cyber-physical systems include systems ranging from critical infrastructure such as a power grid and transportation system to health and biomedical devices. System reliability, i.e., the ability of a system to perform its intended function under a given set of environmental and operational conditions for a given period of time, is a fundamental requirement of cyber-physical systems. An unreliable system often leads to disruption of service, financial cost and even loss of human life. An important and prevalent type of cyber-physical system meets the following criteria: processing large amounts of data; employing software as a system component; running online continuously; having operator-in-the-loop because of human judgment and an accountability requirement for safety critical systems. This thesis aims to improve system reliability for this type of cyber-physical system. To improve system reliability for this type of cyber-physical system, I present a system evaluation approach entitled automated online evaluation (AOE), which is a data-centric runtime monitoring and reliability evaluation approach that works in parallel with the cyber-physical system to conduct automated evaluation along the workflow of the system continuously using computational intelligence and self-tuning techniques and provide operator-in-the-loop feedback on reliability improvement. For example, abnormal input and output data at or between the multiple stages of the system can be detected and flagged through data quality analysis. As a result, alerts can be sent to the operator-in-the-loop. The operator can then take actions and make changes to the system based on the alerts in order to achieve minimal system downtime and increased system reliability. One technique used by the approach is data quality analysis using computational intelligence, which applies computational intelligence in evaluating data quality in an automated and efficient way in order to make sure the running system perform reliably as expected. Another technique used by the approach is self-tuning which automatically self-manages and self-configures the evaluation system to ensure that it adapts itself based on the changes in the system and feedback from the operator. To implement the proposed approach, I further present a system architecture called autonomic reliability improvement system (ARIS). This thesis investigates three hypotheses. First, I claim that the automated online evaluation empowered by data quality analysis using computational intelligence can effectively improve system reliability for cyber-physical systems in the domain of interest as indicated above. In order to prove this hypothesis, a prototype system needs to be developed and deployed in various cyber-physical systems while certain reliability metrics are required to measure the system reliability improvement quantitatively. Second, I claim that the self-tuning can effectively self-manage and self-configure the evaluation system based on the changes in the system and feedback from the operator-in-the-loop to improve system reliability. Third, I claim that the approach is efficient. It should not have a large impact on the overall system performance and introduce only minimal extra overhead to the cyberphysical system. Some performance metrics should be used to measure the efficiency and added overhead quantitatively. Additionally, in order to conduct efficient and cost-effective automated online evaluation for data-intensive CPS, which requires large volumes of data and devotes much of its processing time to I/O and data manipulation, this thesis presents COBRA, a cloud-based reliability assurance framework. COBRA provides automated multi-stage runtime reliability evaluation along the CPS workflow using data relocation services, a cloud data store, data quality analysis and process scheduling with self-tuning to achieve scalability, elasticity and efficiency. Finally, in order to provide a generic way to compare and benchmark system reliability for CPS and to extend the approach described above, this thesis presents FARE, a reliability benchmark framework that employs a CPS reliability model, a set of methods and metrics on evaluation environment selection, failure analysis, and reliability estimation. The main contributions of this thesis include validation of the above hypotheses and empirical studies of ARIS automated online evaluation system, COBRA cloud-based reliability assurance framework for data-intensive CPS, and FARE framework for benchmarking reliability of cyber-physical systems. This work has advanced the state of the art in the CPS reliability research, expanded the body of knowledge in this field, and provided some useful studies for further research

Advanced information processing system: The Army fault tolerant architecture conceptual study. Volume 2: Army fault tolerant architecture design and analysis

Described here is the Army Fault Tolerant Architecture (AFTA) hardware architecture and components and the operating system. The architectural and operational theory of the AFTA Fault Tolerant Data Bus is discussed. The test and maintenance strategy developed for use in fielded AFTA installations is presented. An approach to be used in reducing the probability of AFTA failure due to common mode faults is described. Analytical models for AFTA performance, reliability, availability, life cycle cost, weight, power, and volume are developed. An approach is presented for using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) to describe and design AFTA's developmental hardware. A plan is described for verifying and validating key AFTA concepts during the Dem/Val phase. Analytical models and partial mission requirements are used to generate AFTA configurations for the TF/TA/NOE and Ground Vehicle missions

Large-Scale Client/Server Migration Methodology

The purpose of this dissertation is to explain how to migrate a medium-sized or large company to client/server computing. It draws heavily on the recent IBM Boca Raton migration experience. The client/server computing model is introduced and related, by a Business Reengineering Model, to the major trends that are affecting most businesses today, including business process reengineering, empowered teams, and quality management. A recommended information technology strategy is presented. A business case development approach, necessary to justify the large expenditures required for a client/server migration, is discussed. A five-phase migration management methodology is presented to explain how a business can be transformed from mid-range or mainframe-centric computing to client/server computing. Requirements definition, selection methodology, and development alternatives for client/server applications are presented. Applications are broadly categorized for use by individuals (personal applications) or teams. Client systems, server systems, and network infrastructures are described along with discussions of requirements definition, selection, installation, and support. The issues of user communication, education, and support with respect to a large client/server infrastructure are explored. Measurements for evaluation of a client/server computing environment are discussed with actual results achieved at the IBM Boca Raton site during the 1994 migration. The dissertation concludes with critical success factors for client/server computing investments and perspectives regarding future technology in each major area

Electricity Access, Decarbonization, and Integration of Renewables

This Open-Access-Book covers different aspects of the low-carbon energy transformation in a unique manner, with a particular focus on two regions, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The first part of the book provides useful insights on changes and reforms in the energy sector of Bangladesh, while the second part illustrates the low-carbon energy transformation in South Asia and the third part covers lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. In all of these regions, the energy sector is undergoing major changes, driven by the four D’s: Decarbonization, decentralization, digitization, and democratization. Major overhauls are taking place at all levels: The country level, where energy mixes are rapidly changing, the corporate level, where large state-owned and private companies are challenged and new actors are emerging, and the local level, where technical and regulatory change has made citizen engagement and community power an option to replace or at least complement centralized supply structures

Campus Communications Systems: Converging Technologies

This book is a rewrite of Campus Telecommunications Systems: Managing Change, a book that was written by ACUTA in 1995. In the past decade, our industry has experienced a thousand-fold increase in data rates as we migrated from 10 megabit links (10 million bits per second) to 10 gigabit links (10 billion bits per second), we have seen the National Telecommunications Policy completely revamped; we have seen the combination of voice, data, and video onto one network; and we have seen many of our service providers merge into larger corporations able to offer more diverse services. When this book was last written, A CUT A meant telecommunications, convergence was a mathematical term, triple play was a baseball term, and terms such as iPod, DoS, and QoS did not exist. This book is designed to be a communications primer to be used by new entrants into the field of communications in higher education and by veteran communications professionals who want additional information in areas other than their field of expertise. There are reference books and text books available on every topic discussed in this book if a more in-depth explanation is desired. Individual chapters were authored by communications professionals from various member campuses. This allowed the authors to share their years of experience (more years than many of us would care to admit to) with the community at large. Foreword Walt Magnussen, Ph.D. Preface Ron Kovac, Ph.D. 1 The Technology Landscape: Historical Overview . Walt Magnussen, Ph.D. 2 Emerging Trends and Technologies . Joanne Kossuth 3 Network Security . Beth Chancellor 4 Security and Disaster Planning and Management Marjorie Windelberg, Ph.D. 5 Student Services in a University Setting . Walt Magnussen, Ph.D. 6 Administrative Services David E. O\u27Neill 7 The Business Side of Information Technology George Denbow 8 The Role of Consultants . David C. Metz Glossary Michelle Narcavag