Avocent Adds Power Tracking Module
Avocent Corporation (AVCT) is introducing power management capabilities to its data center management software, the company said today. DSView 3 Power Manager is a "plug-in" software module for Avocent's DSView 3 that allows users to monitor and measure the power consumption and energy usage of IT equipment in their data centers.
"The power management plug-in addresses the three major Cs - consumption, capacity and cost," said Ashish Moondra, product manager for DSView 3. "We gather power consumption information from rack PDUs (power distribution units), so it's available for all different levels of the data center."
DSView 3 Power Manager adds the ability to gather and aggregate power information from a power distribution unit, rack, or row of racks, to help data center managers improve operating efficiencies and reduce energy costs.
"As we broaden our infrastructure management footprint in the data center we aim to bring greater granularity and control over power and cooling problems, allowing more accurate planning of IT infrastructure and budgets," said Dave Perry, executive vice president and general manager of Avocent.
The DSView 3 Power Manager aggregates electrical usage by kilowatt (kW) and converts it into kilowatt hours (kWh) – how companies are charged for electricity. Through the software’s cost calculator, users can enter their utility charges to calculate power costs, making it possible for IT departments to monitor and chargeback power usage costs.
"Customers understand total energy consumption because they receive a utility bill each month," said Perry. "But they express frustration about rising utility costs and the lack of tools to help manage those costs. We now provide a means for our customers to make smarter decisions about their power and cooling challenges."
The DSView 3 Power Manager is compatible with the latest revision of Avocent DSView 3 software and both will be available in July. Pricing on DSView 3 starts at $3,000, with additional charges for modules (the power management add-on is $4,995). There are also fees for integrating non-Avocent PDUs into the monitoring system.
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By Rich Miller 
April 28, 2008 | Permalink | >Get Posts By E-mail
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