KR20160073187A - Apparatus and method for controlling temperature of data centers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling the temperature of a data center, which are capable of reducing power consumption. The apparatus for controlling the temperature of a data center according to an embodiment of the present invention, as an apparatus for controlling the temperature of a data center including a plurality of server rows, i.e., groups of server racks, and may comprise: a monitoring unit which measures the temperatures of a high-temperature path and a low-temperature path formed at intervals between the server rows; a cooling unit which cools an interior of the data center in response to an input control signal; and a control unit which applies the control signal to the cooling unit based on the measured temperature of the low-temperature path.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a temperature control apparatus and a temperature control method for a data center,

The present invention relates to a temperature control device and a temperature control method of a data center, and more particularly, to a temperature control device and a temperature control method of a data center capable of reducing power consumption.

In the past, interest in energy costs used in data centers (IDC: Internet Data Centers) was not so great, but as energy consumption and electricity charges consumed in data centers increased, It has become one of the important factors when making decisions. In particular, analyzing data center energy usage shows that the amount of power consumed by the servers included in the data center accounts for 50% of the total electricity consumption, and the amount of power consumed by the cooling system for cooling the data center And 37%, respectively.

As the amount of computer usage increases, the scale of data centers and so on is becoming larger and the electricity consumption of data center is also similar to the energy consumption of small and medium cities according to the scale. Since 2000, data center design has been designed for low-power data centers through efficient server room cooling and air conditioning design.

The present application aims to provide a data center temperature control device and a temperature control method capable of reducing power consumption.

A data center temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a data center temperature control device including a plurality of server columns which are a set of server racks, A monitoring unit for measuring a temperature of the high temperature passage portion and the low temperature passage portion; A cooling unit for cooling the inside of the data center according to an input control signal; And a control unit for applying the control signal to the cooling unit according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway.

Here, the high-temperature passageway is an area in which the server racks included in two different server rows face each other on the rear side, and the low-temperature passageway is a region facing the front side of a server rack included in two different server rows, The server rack may be configured to emit heat generated by a server included in the server rack to the rear surface.

Here, the temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a shielding member for shielding airflow between the high-temperature path portion and the low-temperature path portion.

The cooling unit may include a thermostat for providing cooled air to the inside of the data center using the supplied cooling water; A refrigerator for cooling the high temperature cooling water discharged from the thermostat to a preset temperature; A cold water tank for storing cooling water cooled by the refrigerator; And a cold water pump for supplying high temperature cooling water discharged from the thermostat to the refrigerator.

Here, the cooling unit may supply power to the thermostat and the cold water pump using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) power source.

Here, the controller may operate the cooling unit if the measured temperature of the low-temperature path portion is equal to or higher than a predetermined limit temperature.

Here, the control unit may apply to the cooling unit a control signal that sets the air flow rate of the thermostat or the flow rate of the cooling water to be supplied to the thermostat, according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway.

Here, the controller may set an alarm class according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway, and may apply a predetermined control signal to the cooling unit according to the set alarm class.

Here, the monitoring unit may collect status information about each server from an IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) provided in each server included in the server rack.

Here, the status information may include at least one of a temperature of a CPU and a memory included in the server, an operation state of a cooling fan included in the server, and information on power consumption of the server.

Here, the controller may determine whether a hot spot is generated in the data center using the status information, generate a control signal for removing the hot spot, and apply the control signal to the cooling unit.

Here, the control unit may generate a control signal for controlling only the thermostat corresponding to the position where the hot spot is generated.

A method of controlling a temperature of a data center according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a method of controlling a temperature of a data center including a plurality of server rows as a set of server racks, A shielding step for shielding air flow between the high-temperature passage part and the low-temperature passage part with respect to the high-temperature passage part and the low-temperature passage part; A monitoring step of measuring the temperatures of the hot passage part and the cold passage part, respectively; And a cooling step of cooling the inside of the data center by controlling the operation of the cooling part according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway part.

A data center according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of server columns arranged in a predetermined direction; A shielding member for shielding the air flow between the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion formed at intervals between the plurality of server rows; A monitoring unit for measuring a temperature of the high temperature passage portion and the low temperature passage portion; A plurality of cooling units for cooling the server row according to input control signals; And a control unit for controlling the operation of each cooling unit according to the temperature measured by the monitoring unit.

In addition, the means for solving the above-mentioned problems are not all enumerating the features of the present invention. The various features of the present invention and the advantages and effects thereof will be more fully understood by reference to the following specific embodiments.

According to the data center temperature control device and the temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the data center can be operated at a relatively high temperature, cooling energy consumption can be minimized and power consumption can be reduced.

According to the data center temperature control device and the temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, hot spots that may occur when a data center is operated at a high temperature can be detected and blocked in advance, .

The data center temperature control method and the temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present invention further include a UPS power supply and a cold water tank so that the data center can be stably operated even in emergency situations such as shutdown of a commercial power source.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data center according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic views showing a data center temperature control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a temperature of a data center according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements, not excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms "part," "unit," "module," "block," and the like in the specification mean units for processing at least one function or operation, Hardware, and software.

In addition, in the entire specification, when a part is referred to as being 'connected' to another part, it may be referred to as 'indirectly connected' not only with 'directly connected' .

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data center according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of server rows L1, L2, L3, and L4 may be included in the data center, and a plurality of server racks s may be included in each server row. Also, a plurality of servers may be provided in the server rack s, and the server may perform a function of providing services to terminals, servers, other systems, etc. connected to the data center. Here, each of the servers may be operated by a supplied power source, and some of the power supplied to the server may be consumed as heat. As shown in Fig. 1, since the server columns L1, L2, L3 and L4 including a plurality of server racks s are included in the data center, by the heat generated by each server, The internal temperature can be increased. However, at too high a temperature, problems such as failure of a server or the like to operate normally may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to control the temperature inside the data center by using a cooling device or the like. However, since a large amount of electric power may be consumed during operation of the cooling device, efficient operation of the cooling device is required.

On the other hand, depending on the arrangement of the server columns L1, L2, L3 and L4 in the data center, the high temperature passage portion A and the low temperature passage portion B can be formed. Servers included in each of the server racks (s) may emit heat generated during operation of the server to the rear surface of the server rack (s). Therefore, when two different server rows L1 and L2 are arranged so that the rear surfaces of the respective server racks s face each other, the space between the server rows L1 and L2 The high-temperature passage portion A having a relatively high temperature can be formed. On the other hand, when the respective server racks are arranged so as to face each other, the low-temperature passage portion B having a relatively low temperature can be formed.

Here, the internal temperature of the data center can be adjusted based on the temperature measured in the low-temperature passageway (B). In this case, the internal temperature of the data center can be maintained relatively high, and the amount of power . ≪ / RTI >

2 and 3, the data center temperature control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a monitoring unit 10, a cooling unit A shield 20, a shielding member 30, and a control unit 40.

Hereinafter, a data center temperature control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

The monitoring unit 10 can measure the temperatures of the respective high temperature passage portions A and the low temperature passage portions B formed in the interval between the plurality of server rows L1, L2, L3 and L4. The monitoring unit 10 may include a plurality of temperature sensors, and the temperature sensor may be located in the high-temperature passage A and the low-temperature passage B, for example. Here, the temperature sensor can measure the temperature of the high-temperature passage portion A and the low-temperature passage portion B to generate a corresponding temperature signal. Thereafter, the monitoring unit 10 may collect temperature signals from the temperature sensors and transmit them to the control unit 40, and each of the temperature sensors may transmit the measured temperature signals through wired or wireless communication. Here, the temperature sensor can be any type of sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the outside, and in addition to the temperature sensor, a variety of sensors such as a flame detection sensor, a humidity sensor, Devices, and the like.

The cooling unit 20 may cool the inside of the data center according to an input control signal. The cooling unit 20 may supply cold air to the inside of the data center or to exhaust air inside the data center to cool the inside of the data center. For example, the cooling unit 20 may operate the exhaust blower according to the control signal to discharge hot air inside the data center to the outside, or may operate the air supply blower to introduce the external cold air into the data center .

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the cooling section 20 may further include a thermostat 21, a freezer 22, a cold water tank 23, a cold water pump 24, and the like.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the thermostat 21 can perform the function of providing the cooled air to the inside of the data center by using the supplied cooling water, and a plurality of . Here, a corresponding cooling zone may be preset in each thermostat 21, and after the data center is cooled, the generated high temperature cooling water can be discharged to the outside.

Thereafter, the high temperature cooling water discharged from the thermostat 21 can be supplied to the refrigerator 22 through the cold water pump 24, and the refrigerator 22 can cool the high temperature cooling water to a predetermined temperature. A thermoelectric element or the like may be included in the interior of the refrigerator 22, and the refrigerator 22 may cool the cooling water using the heat absorbing effect of the thermoelectric element. At this time, the temperature of the cooling water cooled by the freezer 22 can be set by the control unit 40.

Meanwhile, the cooling unit 20 may be operated by a commercial power source, but as shown in FIG. 3, it may be connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) power source in case of an emergency. In particular, since the thermostat 21 and the cold water pump 22 can be connected to the UPS power source, the temperature inside the data center can be continuously maintained even when the supply of commercial power is stopped in an emergency. Furthermore, since the temperature control device according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes the cold water tank 23 for storing the cooling water, it is possible to supply the cooling water quickly in an emergency.

The shielding member 30 can block the air flow between the high temperature passage portion A and the low temperature passage portion B. [ In order to operate the data center at high temperatures, it is necessary to prevent the mixing of hot air and cold air in the data center as much as possible. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, it further includes a shielding member 30 for shutting off the air flow between the server rows L1, L2, L3, and L4, so that the high temperature passage A and the low- (B). Here, the shielding member 30 may utilize anything that can block the air flow between the high-temperature path portion A and the low-temperature path portion B, and the shielding member 30 may be implemented with various materials or the like .

The control unit 40 can generate a control signal according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway B and can control the temperature inside the data center by applying a control signal to the cooling unit 20. [ For example, when the measured temperature of the low-temperature path portion B is equal to or higher than a predetermined limit temperature, the temperature inside the data center can be lowered by operating the cooling portion 20. Here, the critical temperature may be 30 ° C ± 2 ° C. According to the embodiment, a control signal for specifically setting the air volume of the thermostat 21 or the flow rate of the cooling water to be supplied to the thermostat 21 may be supplied to the cooling section (20).

Further, the control unit 40 may set an alarm class in advance according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway B, and may apply a predetermined control signal to the cooling unit 20 according to the alarm class have. For example, the warning level can be classified into "Warning", "Minor" and "Critical". If the temperature of the low-temperature path portion B is 32 ° C or higher, If the temperature of the low-temperature passageway (B) is 33 ° C or more, "Critical" is displayed and the alarm can be sounded. In addition, a control signal can be generated by presetting the air volume of the thermostat 21, the flow rate of the cooling water to be supplied to the thermostat 21, and the like in accordance with the respective alarm classes.

In addition, the monitoring unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may collect status information about each server from IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) provided in each server included in the server rack. That is, status information such as the temperature of the CPU and the memory included in the server, the operation status of the cooling fan included in the server, and information on the power consumption of the server can be collected through the IPMI.

The collected status information may be provided to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 may check whether hot spots in the data center are generated using the status information. That is, since the temperature of the CPU and the memory for each server can be provided from the monitoring unit 10, it is possible to identify a hot spot whose temperature rises only in a specific area in the data center. Thereafter, when it is determined that a hot spot has occurred, the control unit 40 may generate a control signal for removing the hot spot. For example, the hot spot can be removed by controlling only the thermostat 21 corresponding to the position where the hot spot is generated, and power-efficient cooling can be performed.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a temperature of a data center according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the data center temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a shielding step S10, a monitoring step S20, and a cooling step S31, S32, S33, and S34.

4, a method of controlling a temperature of a data center according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the shielding step S10, the air flow between each of the high-temperature passages and the low-temperature passages formed in the interval between the plurality of server rows can be blocked. In the data center, a plurality of server rows including server racks may be disposed. When the rear rows of the server rows are arranged so as to face each other, a high temperature passageway portion of a high temperature is formed by the heat generated by the server, When the heat is arranged so as to face the front surfaces, low temperature passages of low temperature can be formed. Here, in order to operate the data center at a high temperature, it is necessary to prevent the mixing of the hot air and the cold air in the data center as much as possible. Therefore, in the shielding step S10, the air flow between the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion can be blocked in a manner that the shielding member is provided between the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion. Any shielding member may be used as long as it can block air flow between the hot passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion. In the blocking step S10, the air flow may be blocked in various ways.

In the monitoring step S20, the temperatures of the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion can be respectively measured. For example, a temperature sensor may be located in the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion, and the temperature sensor may measure the temperature of the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion, respectively, to generate a corresponding temperature signal. Therefore, in the monitoring step S20, the temperature of each of the high-temperature path portion and the low-temperature path portion can be measured using a temperature sensor or the like, and a temperature signal can be generated as a result of the measurement. In addition, in the monitoring step S20, status information on each server may be collected from IPMIs provided in the respective servers included in the server rack. The status information may include information on the temperature of the CPU I and the memory included in the server, the operation status of the cooling fan included in the server, the rotation speed, the power consumption of the server, and the like. That is, in the monitoring step S20, in addition to the temperature of the high-temperature passageway and the low-temperature passageway, information on the status of each server that can be collected using the IPMI can be collected.

In the cooling steps (S31, S32, S33, S34), the operation of the cooling section can be controlled according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway section to cool the inside of the data center. For example, it is possible to operate the exhaust blower to discharge the hot air inside the data center to the outside, or to operate the air supply blower so as to cool the external cold air into the data center. Accordingly, it is also possible to cool by using a thermostat, a freezer, a cold water tank, and a cold water pump.

Specifically, when the refrigerator cools the cooling water, the thermostat can provide the cooled air to the inside of the data center by using the cooling water, and the high temperature cooling water used in the thermostat is supplied to the refrigerator by the cold water pump So that the inside of the data center can be cooled. The plurality of thermostats may be provided in the data center, and each thermostat may have a predetermined cooling zone. Here, the thermostat, the refrigerator, the cold water tank, and the cold water pump may be connected to a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) power source to prepare for emergency situations in which the supply of commercial power is interrupted, and a cold water tank Emergency can be prepared.

On the other hand, the cooling (S33) to the inside of the data center can be performed in the case where the measured temperature of the low-temperature path portion is equal to or higher than the predetermined limit temperature (S31). The limit temperature can be variously set according to the embodiment, It may be generally 30 ° C ± 2 ° C. At this time, depending on the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway, the flow rate of the thermostat or the flow rate of cooling water supplied to the thermostat may be varied.

In addition, the alarm class can be set in advance according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway, and it is possible to set the air volume of the thermostat, the flow rate of the cooling water supplied to the thermostat, etc. For example, the warning level can be classified into "Warning", "Minor" and "Critical". If the temperature of the low-temperature passage portion is 32 ° C or higher, If the temperature of the passage portion B is 33 DEG C or more, it can be determined to be "Critical " (S33).

When the status information is collected in the monitoring step, it is possible to check whether a hot spot is generated in the data center using the status information (S32). If it is determined that the hot spot is generated, (S34). ≪ / RTI > The hot spot refers to a specific area in the data center where the predetermined temperature rises, and it is possible to operate the thermostat corresponding to the position where the hot spot is generated for the hot spot removal (S34).

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

10: Monitoring section 20: Cooling section
21: thermostat 22: freezer
23: cold water tank 24: cold water pump
30: shielding member 40:
S10: shielding step S20: monitoring step
S31, S32, S33, S34: cooling step

Claims (14)

The present invention relates to a temperature control apparatus for a data center including a plurality of server rows which are a set of server racks,
A monitoring unit configured to measure a temperature of each of the high-temperature path portion and the low-temperature path portion formed in the interval between the plurality of server rows;
A cooling unit for cooling the inside of the data center according to an input control signal; And
And a control unit for applying the control signal to the cooling unit according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the high temperature passage portion is an area where the server racks included in two different server rows face each other on the rear surface of the server rack, and the low temperature passage portion is a region facing the front side of the server rack included in two different server rows, A rack is a thermostat that emits heat generated by a server contained therein to the rear surface.
The method according to claim 1,
And a shielding member for blocking air flow between the high-temperature path portion and the low-temperature path portion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling unit
A thermostat for providing cooled air inside the data center using the supplied cooling water;
A refrigerator for cooling the high temperature cooling water discharged from the thermostat to a preset temperature;
A cold water tank for storing cooling water cooled by the refrigerator; And
And a cold water pump for supplying high temperature cooling water discharged from the thermostat to the refrigerator.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling unit
And a temperature controller for supplying power to the thermostat and the cold water pump using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) power source.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit
And when the measured temperature of the low-temperature path portion is equal to or higher than a predetermined limit temperature, operates the cooling unit.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control unit
And a control signal for setting the flow rate of the thermostat or the flow rate of the cooling water to be supplied to the thermostat is applied to the cooling section in accordance with the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway section.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit
And sets an alarm class according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway, and applies a predetermined control signal to the cooling unit according to the set alarm class.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit
And collects status information about each server from an IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) provided in each server included in the server rack.
10. The method of claim 9,
A temperature of a CPU and a memory included in the server, an operating state of a cooling fan included in the server, and information on power consumption of the server.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit
And a control unit for generating a control signal for removing the hot spot and for applying the control signal to the cooling unit.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit
And generates a control signal for controlling operation of the thermostat corresponding to the position where the hot spot is generated.
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a temperature of a data center including a plurality of server rows, which is a collection of server racks,
A shielding step for shielding the air flow between the hot passage part and the cold passage part with respect to each of the hot passage part and the cold passage part formed at intervals between the plurality of server rows;
A monitoring step of measuring the temperatures of the hot passage part and the cold passage part, respectively; And
And cooling the inside of the data center by controlling the operation of the cooling unit according to the measured temperature of the low-temperature passageway.
A plurality of server columns each of which is arranged in a predetermined direction;
A shielding member for shielding the air flow between the high-temperature passage portion and the low-temperature passage portion formed at intervals between the plurality of server rows;
A monitoring unit for measuring a temperature of the high temperature passage portion and the low temperature passage portion;
A plurality of cooling units for cooling the server row according to input control signals; And
And a control unit for controlling the operation of each cooling unit according to the temperature measured by the monitoring unit.

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