WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN DATA CENTERS

Data center (DC) environments play a critical role in maintaining the reliability of computer systems. This chapter presents two strategies to reduce energy consumption in DCs: dynamic control of computer room air conditioning (CRACs) in response to DC environment, and utilization of outside air for cooling. It discusses the basics of sensor network architecture and the implemented control loops to reduce energy usage in DCs and maintain reliable operations. Wireless sensor networks are ubiquitous monitoring systems, used to measure environmental conditions in DCs, as different sensors can be connected to microcontroller/radios and simultaneously acquire multiple environmental parameters. The main CRAC control systems are implemented using actuators that can change the operating state of the CRAC units. The wireless sensor networks enable dynamic assessment of DC's environments and are essential part of real-time sensor analytics that are integrated in control loops that can turn on/off CRACs.