Green IT

Green computing or green IT, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. In the article Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, San Murugesan defines the field of green computing as "the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment."[1] The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste. Research continues into key areas such as making the use of computers as energy-efficient as possible, and designing algorithms and systems for efficiency-related computer technologies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_computing

Task – Green IT

Lander Toyota has asked the help desk to investigate and price how it can “Green” its IT and save money on energy, it is suggesting a budget of $250 -$500 per pc for a total of 50 PC’s. Assume the work is done by the HelpDesk staff during normal business hours, no additional labour cost.

Power consumption baseline

Using an online calculator to determine the existing power consumption baseline

See: http://www.csgnetwork.com/energycostcalc.html.

Hardware

Look and price the following:

1. Replacing motherboard and processor with energy efficient components

2. Replacing hard drive with Solid State Drive and re- install operating system

3. Replacing power supply and screen with energy efficient components:

Hardware List

Component / Cost / URL / Notes

Attachment A: Sketch

Try one of the following software programs to create a sketch for the Green PC:

• Microsoft Visio - www.microsoft.com

• DiaCze

• PowerDraw

• Diagram Designer 1.16

• ConceptDraw NetDiagrammer - www.conceptdraw.com

• EDraw Network Diagrammer - www.edrawsoft.com

• SmartDraw - www.smartdraw.com

Software

Sample dashboard for power management software for PC

There are many network based power management software solutions available: Surveyor, Edison, EZ GPO, Night Watchman, BigFix, Faronics Power Save and Apple Remote Desktop. None of these software packages costs more than $20 per license with the exception of Apple Remote Desktop (which is $499 for unlimited licenses), and two are even free (Edison and EZ GPO).

Review power saving software

Software / Cost / Advantages / Notes

Recommend a power saving software and give reasons supporting your choice.

What overall power saving could Lander Toyota expect on their power bill?

Contribution from energy efficient hardware = %

Contribution from power saving software = %

Overall = %