FYI... ________________________________ From: Bozak, Erol Sent: Mittwoch, 16. Juli 2008 13:51 To: 'lee@aero.org'; ftravostino@ebay.com; Hughes-Jones@man.ac.uk; csmith@platform.com; werstiuk@platform.com; stokese@us.ibm.com Cc: Reichert, Wolfgang (external); Wusthoff, Mark; craig@mhbackup.aero.org Subject: RE: Protocol: Open discussion on GridVirt-WG in OGF23 Hello Lee, sounds interesting. The agenda for today is to agree on the work packages on which we will focus on in the specification document. So I think this will consume most of the time in the session. I propose that we have a follow-up on this in the next call discussing your proposal explicitly. Let me give you a quick answer to your proposal: One requirement of the interface(s) the working group is looking into is dealing with policies (such as proposed below). In the course of this work package I think we can explore this topic. However, I do not think it is the main scope of this working group to define / specify the architecture & algorithm to enforce this policy. Additionally, the interaction among a virtualization manager and the sensors to measure power consumption metrics is, I think, also not scope. Basically, policy enforcement is a platform specific detail that is hidden by the management layer and thus not explicitly exposed. However, we can have a detailed discussion in a dedicated concall. Regards, Erol ________________________________ From: lee@aero.org [mailto:lee@aero.org] Sent: Dienstag, 15. Juli 2008 16:51 To: Bozak, Erol; ftravostino@ebay.com; Hughes-Jones@man.ac.uk; csmith@platform.com; werstiuk@platform.com; stokese@us.ibm.com Cc: Reichert, Wolfgang (external); craig@mhbackup.aero.org Subject: Re: Protocol: Open discussion on GridVirt-WG in OGF23 Importance: High Erol, et al., I will be attending tomorrow's telecon and would like to see if there is any interest in pursuing a project along the lines of what's proposed below. This is part of an effort to use "targeted projects" as a way to produce "value" for members. I've attached a short slide deck that describes the overall process and how it might work. It also occurs to me that perhaps we can get the RESERVOIR project interested. Kate Keahey from Argonne is already interested. Let's talk tomorrow, if we can fit this into the agenda... Best regards, --Craig ================================================== Project Proposal: Using Virtual Machines to Enact Energy Policy Goal: The goal of this proposed project is to study and demonstrate the realization and enforcement of energy policy, i.e., Green IT, through the initial placement and migration of virtual machines (VMs). Why it it important: The management of energy utilization has rapidly become a critical issue for industry, government, and academia, since many computing installations are exceeding the available electrical supply, cooling and floor space. The use of VMs to dynamically manage workload location and distribution is considered to be a highly promising method for managing energy efficiency and meeting corporate requirements. To Whom This is Important: This project would benefit all members that are concerned about maximizing the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of data center operation. Since this approach is inherently distributed, it may incorporate and rely upon many traditional grid computing concepts. Technical Description: Managing energy efficiency to achieve an energy policy would be a matter of: (1) Integration of appropriate monitoring capabilities to monitor current energy consumption at a given site, e.g., cooling, processors, storage, etc., (2) The definition of semantically complete and consistent representations of energy policy, possibly using XML, (3) The use of (a) policy representations and (b) current (monitored) system state, to direct (c) VM placement and migration to achieve and enforce energy policy. This may be done through a set of energy management peers that monitor the energy usage at their own site, gossip among themselves about how workload should be distributed, and act accordingly. This project could possibly leverage capabilities already developed by personnel at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). ANL has worked on the concept of virtual workspaces and virtual clusters where sets of VMs are managed together and yet may be distributed across remote physical resources. This is very attractive since exploiting existing capabilities always makes it easier to quickly demonstrate new capabilities. Required Resources: This project would require at least two sites where VMs could be dynamically managed. More sites would be preferable, but not to the point where it becomes unmanageable for a targeted demonstration. A user workload would have to be generated, either synthetically or through the use of real applications, that would provide VMs that need to be allocated. Personnel would have to be available and supported to: 1) Build and integrate (or possibly simulate) the monitoring subsystem, 2) Devise an energy policy representation, 3) Build the p2p control subsystem that would use the monitored information and the energy policy to determine VM initial placement and migration, and 4) perform experiments to verify the effectiveness of this approach of enforcing energy policy. Time Frame: It is expected that with the right provisioning, this project could be completed within six months. Each of the subtask identified above could be done is the simplest manner possible to demonstrate a proof of concept implementation that leverages existing capabilities for VM placement, etc.