Cisco announced Cisco EnergyWise at Networkers Barcelona; a software upgrade that allows users of Cisco Catalyst routers to control the energy consumption of pretty much anything that has an IP address. According to the promotional literature and video, you can limit power based on schedules, while allowing exceptions – for example, if a particular employee swipes an ID card to gain access to the building on a weekend, you can turn on the power only in his office until he signs out.
“Why does my toaster need an IP address?” is no longer a joke.
Rob Aldrich at Cisco’s datacenter blog wrote about it, and much of what he has to say is worth a look. If nothing else, the video is kind of cool.
One of the main benefits to data center consolidation and server virtualization is to decrease the power draw of the company overall – and it’s been argued that IT will have to handle electrical facilities in order to limit power consumption without creating problems with network performance. If facilities and IT do not communicate, you could end up with a real disaster, like, in a worst case scenario, someone trying to be too eco friendly and turning off the air conditioners in the server room over a long weekend.
While energy management via IP may seem like yet another thing – in addition to security, VoIP, and of course, network performance – that the network engineer will have to manage, the cost savings can be substantial over time. The trick is that energy management only occurs on things that have an IP address. Since it’s a pain in the butt to try to subnet every single light bulb, this may be an incentive for IPv6 adoption.
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