[WEB4LIB] Re: Powering down PCs

[Debra Lords]

One question, Robert, that you don't address is the issue of the
amount of power it takes to turn on the machine.  I've heard the
power drawn to turn on a PC is greater than the amount of power
needed to run it through the night.  If this is true -- and you
don't offer evidence to the contrary, turning PCs off at night
may actually harm the environment.  I don't know, it just an
argument I've heard and is the primary reason we do not shut off
our computers.  What is the cross-over point at which it is
better to have the PC off.  Across a weekend, most certainly, but
daily?  Dunno.  Monitors?  Turn them off, no questions asked.

In my work area, "through the night" comprises 4 to 10 hours of
non-availability, depending on which lab is in question.  I am in
charge of PCs in open-access student labs at my University. 
Absolutely we turn off monitors because the warming of the local
environment in our small labs is very evident, but we extend the
practice to larger labs for the greater environmental concern.

Also, for your assertion that the technology exists to do remote
start-ups of the machines, this is true, but it does not mean
that all areas have this technology in place.  I do not have it
on about 1/3 of the machines I support.  This will be eliminated
in 2-3 years as we replace these older machines.  But we have a
very aggressive machine replacement program that is funded by the
students for the labs.  In our library, the story is very
different.  Staff machines may be used for 7-10 years before they
are replaced.  Our 5 year old machines from the labs are being
re-distributed in the library so staff without computers can get
some and others get even older machines replaced.  The support
folks there don't really have the staff to go around and change
out all of the network cards *and* motherboards to ensure this
feature.  Doing this is not a trivial process, as I am sure you
are aware.  And this is separate from the question of the money
to get the newer motherboards and network cards.

I guess what this boils down to is folks have to figure out what
works for your setting.  For those fortunate enough to have both
the money and the staff to upgrade machines to the newer
technology, congradulations.  Sympathy to those who do not. 
However, don't let the IT folks fool you into leaving them on
unless its necessary.  Find out if the machines have Wake-On-Lan.

Me?  I leave my personal PC on all of the time, even when I'm on
vacation.  My development guy uses my extra hard drive space for
his backup working copies because his own hard drive is so full. 
I back up my machine to the network every night.  My other staff
use applications only on my machine that requires some special
formatting software that is not justified to put on their
machines.  From home I attach to my work machine to move files
back and forth so I can work at home sometimes.  But the monitor
is off.

So I guess I'm seconding what Dan Marmion says.  Each institution
has to determine, based on the utilization levels of their
machines and the technology available there, what is best for
them and for the environment.

But I am a bear about turning off monitors -- even if they have
sleep mode.  It still takes power to run that little light on the
front and monitors create tremendous heat.  And the IT folks
DON'T need those on to do upgrades.  So turn off the monitors.

-- 

Debbie

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Debra Lords			Experience is what you
dlords at library.utah.edu		have just right after 
ACLIS Labs			you need it.
585-9810

"Robert J. Tiess" wrote:
> 
> HTheyer wrote:
> > At all of our libraries we no longer power down and shut off the computers
> > at night because our IT department can do remote upgrades and testing when
> > we don't need the terminals.  We exit from all running programs and "logoff"
> > from the system, but leave the PCs running.  Having them work remotely early
> > in the morning before anyone is at the branch sure beats them coming in
> > while the public is there and doing maintenance when the terminals are in
> > high demand.
> 
> I doubt they are running tests and upgrades all the time
> during the off hours.  While people may argue the toll this
> takes on computers, let's think a little more broadly here,
> past the walls of one's institution, to the environment.
> Energy consumption ranks among our top environmental
> concerns in areas where energy does not come from renewable
> sources (e.g. solar, hydropower), and then everywhere (i.e.
> globally) where the environment is collectively affected
> by such senseless power use.  Unlike opinions of what sort
> of toll power use takes on computers, this is not a theory;
> it's a fact of energy consumption.  Energy use pollutes.
> Energy pollution in the name of convenience to IT staff?
> No, personally, I could never justify that, and on the
> professional level (as I am a "tech" person), I know this
> does not need to be the case.  The technology is out there
> to conduct remote power control for IT/tech staff access
> in the off hours.  Perhaps minor adjustments in policy
> are in order as well.
> 
> Awareness is the key.  Most people do not know how big the
> energy problem is beyond the gas pump or home heating oil,
> so here are some links to facts on the issue:
> 
>  * From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [if
>    anything, just read the first sentence in the article]
>    http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/actions/cleanenergy/index.html
>  * From the U.S. Department of Energy
>    http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/savenrgy.html
>  * Energy pollution facts from the Alliance to Save Energy
>    http://www.ase.org/earthday/contest/question2.htm
>  * Earth Day 2000: http://www.earthday.net
>  * A report released *yesterday* on global warming:
>    http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000830/wl/global_warming_1.html
>  * How Green is My Library?
>    http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/stoss/nyla99.html
> 
> I found this power down policy from a UCSD library site
> while searching the web.  Note the reference to the power
> crisis:
> 
>  * http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/systems/policy/off.htm
> 
> Another library site references computer powering down
> in an emergency management manual:
> 
>  * http://www.millersv.edu/~library/Policies/EmergencyManual.html
> 
> The equipment may be "green," but even at minimal energy
> consumption levels that equipment, over a year, adds up:
> 
>  * Pollution Calculator: http://www.elpc.org/polCalc/
> 
> Multiply that by all the institutions and businesses out
> there doing this, and the environmental impact should be
> all too apparent.  So I would urge my colleagues on this
> list to consider the environment, unless they don't mind
> the possibility of libraries one day being listed among
> the top domestic polluters.  This is Y2K, and more than
> ever we should demonstrate environmental consciousness.
> Our environment is in bad shape as it is.  If this is
> considered unimportant, if it is believed no difference
> is to be made on a grand scale by broadly conducting more
> ecologically friendly activities, and if libraries, the
> primary centers of knowledge for communities around the
> world, cannot lead by example, then our species has
> reached a new low in environmental responsibility.
> 
> Robert J. Tiess
> rjtiess at warwick.net
> http://rtiess.tripod.com