I thought I’d conclude my weekly post by blogging the details of this weeks Toronto Section SMPTE meeting that I organized thitled; ” Green Media Computing – From Data Centre Cooling Through Production Technology Virtualization”. For the record it occured on Tuesday March 11, 2008 in Room RCC-204, Eaton Lecture Theatre, Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University.
The meeting was recorded and is available online at the following links; (Please Use Internet Explorer On A Windows Computer For Best Interactive Results)
Paper: Optimizing Facility Operation In High Density Data Center Environments
Paper: Ryerson University’s Real-World Education In Server Virtualization
Video: Kevin Kettler, Dell Inc.’s Chief Technology Officer, Virtualization…What’s the Big Deal?
Video: Dan Chu, Senior Director of Product, VMware, What Is Virtualization
Video: Multicore and Virtualization, Dell Inc.
Pt. 1 – http://www.ryecast.ryerson.ca/xs/bfortner/SMPTE/SMPTE-03-11-2008-7-01-53-PM/streamulator.asp
Optimizing Facility Operation In High Density Data Center Environments
Pete Deacon – Canadian Portfolio Manager, Hewlett Packard (Canada) Data Center Power and Cooling Services
This paper describes issues of high processor and server density within existing and emerging data center infrastructures. It identifies methods to optimize the effectiveness of power and cooling resources in facilities that are deploying high-density equipment or that are already fully populated with high-density equipment. The intended audience for this paper includes managers, administrators, facility planners, and operations staff.
Ryerson University’s “Real-World Education” in Server Virtualization
Eran Frank – Manager, Technical Support Group, Computer And Communication Services, Ryerson University
Steve Docherty – Advanced Systems Group, Dell Inc.
Brad Fortner – Program Director, Operations and Technology, Ryerson University
In this paper Brad Fortner of Ryerson’s Rogers Communications Centre will provide an overview of what he’s learned about Server Virtualization and how it relates to Media Computing within the University. The presentation will include virtualization videos from Kevin Kettler, Dell Inc.’s Chief Technology Officer, Dan Chu, Senior Director of Product, VMware and an overview video on the impact of multicore processing to server virtualization. The paper will also outline benefits of server virtualization via a case study where Ryerson’s Computer And Communication Services group consolidated 130 servers onto 13 physical hosts. Brads presentation will conclude with a look at how this technology has allowed for Ryerson to Virtualize Desktops and distribute many of its 2D, New Media and Graphics software applications in a virtual desktop environment. An environment from which Ryerson students can access this software using any common operating system, on any University computer and/or via the Internet.
Pt. 2 – http://www.ryecast.ryerson.ca/xs/bfortner/SMPTE/SMPTE-03-11-2008-8-52-48-PM/streamulator.asp
Rendering Animation And Film Effects In A Virtualized Blade Environment
John A. Shaw, Rendering Supervisor, C.O.R.E. Feature Animation.
In May 2006 C.O.R.E. Feature Animation successfully completed its first animated feature film “The Wild” by employing a virtualized Blade based environment. Previous to the Blade approach C.O.R.E. had rendered its films using a mixture of Silicon Graphics and IBM Linux workstations. The Blade technology allowed C.O.R.E. to render the equivalent of a movie and a half every week in the amount of frames generated while allowing C.O.R.E. to save up to 25% in energy costs, by employing advances in power and cooling technology associated with the Blade. With two years of operational knowledge behind him, John will discuss firsthand the benefits that C.O.R.E. derived from the installation from its integrated hardware environment to C.O.R.E.’s efforts to virtualize the 3D production desktop.
Virtualized Media Production Desktops – Looking Into The Future
Dr. Michael Murphy, Principal Investigator and Lead Research, Accessfabrik Lab, Ryerson University
Rod Hardman, Solutions Business Manager, Remote Client Solutions, Hewlett Packard (Canada)
John A. Shaw, Rendering Supervisor, C.O.R.E. Feature Animation
The “Holy Grail” for both cost effectiveness and the “green” implementation of Media production workstations would be to virtualize the hardware in a common area room and employ desktop virtualization to the locations where production personnel do their work. While this environment is very attractive from a green, financial and operational perspective, desktop virtualization has yet to fully prove itself when it comes to advanced distributed 3D production and in non-linear video editing applications. In this session Michael Murphy of Ryerson University will lead the discussion on a panel that will highlight the current “state of the art” in this area and provide some insight how desktop virtualization applications are developing towards potential solutions for the Broadcast, Film and New Media industries. The panel and meeting will conclude with a Q and A on all aspects of “Green Computing” that were presented at the meeting.
In Case Your Interested: Synopsis
The synopsis of the meeting was as follows; “Over the past several years the Media production process, be it for television, film and/or new media, has seen unprecedented change in its use of IT technology. Most Media Production organizations, be they small, medium or large, have experienced explosive growth in their use of servers, centralized storage and in processing intensive services such as rendering. The adoption of IT based technologies has created problems related to cooling, power consumption and server sprawl. Given current industry consolidation, the evolution of “data centric” production technology along with a growing desire to distribute the design and production workflow this trend towards IT technology is expected to grow.
This meeting explores the next five years of IT technology as it relates to Media computing and how new technological developments can be harnessed from a “Green” perspective. The program has been designed to provide a broader operational understanding of how, recent advances in both science and technology, one can obtain significant technological cost savings while minimizing the creation of greenhouse gases that adds to the problem of Global warming. It is expected that attendees at this meeting will discover that “Green Practice” is actually good “Business Practice”.
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