Dell UPS | Power Management in the Virtualized World

1. (UPS) Power Management in
the Virtualized World
October 2011
Andy McDonald & Stéphane Moulin

2. So why the fuss?
On 1st November 2011 Dell changes the game with UPS power management:
A UPS monitoring & control software that:
• Saves work in progress and gracefully shuts servers down
• Provides local & remote monitoring/notification of power status
• Provides a single management interface for monitoring multiple servers & UPSs, plus
group firmware upgrade distributions
• Has a simple, common interface on all operating systems
• Is quick to install, simple to use and easy to update
Unique virtualization differentiators*:
• Manage virtual machine (VM) shutdown without installing s/w on each VM
• Manage VMs start/stop profiles through vCentre plugin (VMware only)
• Manages all VMs across a network from a single management interface (client)
• Uses advanced virtualization functions (e.g. vMotion, LiveMigration) to move VMs to a
recovery site in the event of power failure
• Little or no command line programming required to install & manage
2 * Compared to other offerings for similar applications and price points
(e.g. free or low-cost license fee with no additional hardware required.)

3. Customer Pain Points
Pain Points Traditional Approach* Dell’s New Approach
Every time I change my network You are charged according to how many servers Server monitoring & shutdown s/w is free for an unlimited number
configuration or add more (physical or virtual) you want to monitor/control of servers. Manage 32 or less UPS devices from a central
equipment I need to pay for a new and through which connectivity (USB, Network). management client without license fee. The same software
UPS s/w license! This can mean a high price & complexity in package is used for all operating systems & connectivity types
managing upgrades & deployments. (network, USB, serial).
I’m not very experienced with Lack of integration with the hypervisor makes UPS We can use a simple web interface to synchronize our power
virtualization, why is UPS s/w so power management laborious and time consuming. settings with a virtualized network infrastructure, avoiding
complicated? command line programming and multiple installations.
I have multiple virtual machines, Install an instance of UPS s/w on each VM & Multi Host Sites: Use a centralized management console that
how do I control/manage them all configure each shutdown profile individually. Time integrates with hypervisor management systems (e.g. vCentre) to
in a power failure condition? to install is typically 5-10mins per VM. Maintaining a remotely setup power profiles from a single location. No need to
VM power profile inventory on a growing network is install s/w on each VM. VM power profiles are managed through
difficult and prone to error. Using this method has the hypervisor (e.g. vCentre plugin).
little or no control over the hypervisor or physical
host leading to an uncontrolled power-off. Single host sites: Install one s/w instance on the hypervisor (e.g.
vSphere) and use a web interface to manage single or multiple
hosts.
I have a disaster recovery location No method available. The VMs simply shut down The Dell UPS s/w automatically uses
so I don’t want my VMs to shut when the UPS battery runs low. Service to users is vMotion/LiveMigration/XenMove when the battery reaches a
down if the power fails - I want lost, even though the customer has invested in a defined value and requests the VMs to move to a safe host. Users
them to move to a backup disaster recovery location. do not lose service because the VMs are still functioning. When
machine… how? power comes back, the virtual machine manager rebalances VMs to
original hosts.
I have a number of UPSs installed Typically a user must download a special firmware Simple, upload the firmware package into your existing UPS
and now I want to update their upgrade tool, learn how to use it and upgrade each management s/w & deploy to multiple devices with one ‘click’, all
firmware… device individually. managed through the familiar UPS interface.
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* Other offerings for similar applications and price points (e.g. free or low-cost license fee with no additional hardware required.)

4. Virtualization – quick revision
Yesterday:
• One server, one operating system
• IT services are “static”, fixed to hardware
• Power fails, “shut down server”
• Server functionality is lost
• Simple UPS s/w agent
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5. Virtualization – quick revision
Today:
• One server (host), multiple (virtual) operating systems (VM)
• Higher utilization  more eggs in one basket  greater need for hardware reliability
• Ability to move VM between physical hosts  increased availability through h/w redundancy
• Being freed from hardware leads to many more VMs
• Different IT management skill-sets required (e.g. command line programming)
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6. Challenges with (UPS) Power Management
Reliability
Higher utilization means many VMs connected to one UPS.
Reliance on small UPS today is similar to data centre UPS in the
past.
Control
With so many (mobile) VMs how do you control them in a
power event? How do you keep an inventory of VM
power profiles?
Management
How do you keep track of VM power profiles, update UPS
Agents, UPS firmware(s)? How long do you spend
managing power and not IT?
Complexity
Virtualization is highly complex, UPS software shouldn’t make IT
worse!
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7. Traditional Power Management Approach…
Approach:
• Treat each virtual machine as a traditional ‘server’
• Install & configure UPS agent on each VM (not on hypervisor)
Problems:
• Time consuming, inefficient (multiple instances), not practical for large installations
• No use advanced benefits of virtualization (server migration, power profiling)
• No control over vSphere hypervisor, no ability to safely shut down physical host
• Difficult to track individual settings & configurations across multiple VMs
•
7 Worked example: Time to install UPS s/w on 1 VM = 5mins x 200 VMs = 16hours!

8. Modern Power Management Approach…
Multi-host site Single-host site
Approach:
• Integrate UPS agent with Hypervisor (single host) or central management server (multi-host)
• Report power conditions to single location. Hypervisor/system manager controls VMs
• No UPS s/w agent installed on VMs
Benefits:
• One-time installation, very quick & simple
• Centralized management for VM shut down & start up profiles - all settings in one place
• Ability to use advanced virtualization technologies (e.g. vMotion/ LiveMigration)
•
8 Safe shutdown of hypervisor & host following complete VM move / shut down

9. Dell UPS Agent, VMware Example
Power fail on physical server
• UPS runs on battery
• When “battery low” Dell UPS agent issues command
• vMotion moves VMs to safe hosts ‘under
maintenance mode’
Safe Shutdown
• UPS safely shuts down vSphere once VMs moved
• UPS safely shuts down physical server
• Service still “live” from users’ perspective
System Restart
• When mains power returns, physical server turns on
• DRS & vMotion move VMs back to available host
• System is restored to full capacity
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10. The New Software Solution…
• Dell UPS Local Node Manager (ULNM)
• Primary function - is shutdown of device(s) after power failure
• Extended function – visibility of power status & shutdown configuration
• Dell UPS Multi-UPS Management Console (MUMC)
• Primary function – visibility & configuration of multiple UPS & LNMs
• Primary function – management of multi-host virtualized installations
• Extended function – shutdown of device after power failure
ULNM
Servers: Typical single OS
MUMC
installations (not ULNM
virtualized), ULNM is
installed on each physical
ULNM
server
ULNM
UPS: Dell UPS connected
to servers by either
Network Management Card
(preferred) or USB
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11. ULNM (UPS Local Node Manager) Info & Status: UPS
information, power
Measures: Power
information
status, battery runtime
Views: Access to
configurations,
parameters, setup,
events & logs
Auto Discovery: Add Graph: plot of power
UPSs through quick metrics over time
scan (USB & IP local (hover for detail)
subnet) or address
scan (IP local &
different subnet)
Synoptic: visual representation
of power status
11 Info windows, drag and drop to rearrange

12. ULNM (Configuring Server Shutdown Parameters)
2: Edit Shutdown
Configurations
1: Shutdown Menu
3: Enter power source &
shutdown profile. Option to run
script before shutdown. E.g.
Close SQL server database
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13. ULNM (Managing Alerts) 3: (Optional) Create
custom alarm (any
metric)
1: Actions Menu
2: Edit default alarms, enter SMTP
email server info, alarm frequency &
severity info
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14. MUMC (Multi UPS Management Console)
Background: Customise background
Node Map: View all
with any Jpeg file. e.g. network map,
UPSs & servers
building plan, regional office map
running ULNM. Drag
locations.
& drop to locate
geographically
Drill-down: Hover over
any device to see
status and ID
Events Summary: See
summary of all events on
all UPSs & servers. Also
see server shutdown
profiles.
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15. MUMC (Multi UPS Management Console)
Nodes Settings: Manage any node
through MUMC. UPS – change IP,
Nodes Upgrade: Mass firmware & performance settings. Server –
configuration upload options. change shutdown profiles through
ULNM.
Edit Panel: Edit properties
of device (e.g. UPS
Network Management
Card)
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16. License Upgrades
• Dell UPS Local Node Manager (ULNM)
• Always free, no cost to manage any number of servers and any number of UPSs.
• Dell UPS Multi-UPS Management Console (MUMC)
• Free for any number of servers (ULNM installations) and <33 UPSs.
• License upgrade required to manage >32 UPSs.
• Example 1:
• 7 * UPSs each with 5 * servers. Each server is running an installation of ULNM.
• Total UPS = 7, Total ULNM = 35. Total licensable “nodes” = 7.
• The Dell MUMC monitors & manages all UPSs and all ULNM agents without license fee
MUMC
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17. License Upgrades
• Example 2:
• 5 * UPSs each with 10 * servers. Each server is running an installation of ULNM.
• Total UPS = 5, Total ULNM = 50. Total licensable “nodes” = 5
• The Dell MUMC monitors & manages all UPSs and all ULNM agents without license fee
MUMC
• Example 3:
• 42 * UPSs each with 5 * servers. Each server is running an installation of ULNM.
• Total UPS = 42, Total ULNM = 210. Total licensable “nodes” = 42
• The Dell MUMC requires a license upgrade to manage more than 32 UPS nodes
MUMC
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18. Dell’s Unique Approach to VMware vCenter
From a Web Browser client:
• Remotely connect to, configure & manage vCenter servers
• Simple, familiar, graphical user interface, Web 2.0 feel
• No command line programming - synchronise through UPS agent directly to hypervisor
• Remotely install UPS plugin onto vCenter management interface
• Add graphic of CLI and UPS install code
Use a Windows client to do
the hard work: make your
settings in the UPS agent and
click “Synchronize”.
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19. Thoughts about UPS hardware planning
To utilize vMotion in larger installations, IT managers now need to consider >15mins UPS
battery runtime…. Ensure you include an EBM (extra battery module) with your solution.
20mins
10mins
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Data from IBM White Paper “High virtualization density with confidence”, using 2 * System x3690 X5 servers

20. Objections
Q: We’re using VMware HA (high availability) so if my host fails, it doesn’t matter - the VMs will
automatically re-start on the backup host.
A: This is true, although compare the user experience in both situations in the graphs below. In a
catastrophic event we can see a significant reduction in number of customer requests serviced. In
maintenance mode the disruption lasts for longer but users have almost unaffected access to their
services.
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Data from IBM White Paper “High virtualization density with confidence”, using 2 * System x3690 X5 servers

21. Objections
Q: I already have APC UPSs and software installed, I don’t want to run two platforms.
A: This is not a problem any more. The Dell MUMC will monitor most types of UPS (with network
card installed) so a user can have an overview of all IT & power systems from one handy interface.
• Leave the PowerChute software running on the local server to manage shutdown
• Use Dell MUMC to monitor the complete network power status including non-Dell UPSs
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Data from IBM White Paper “High virtualization density with confidence”, using 2 * System x3690 X5 servers

22. Example Network Diagram - VMware
Single Host Configuration Options Multi Host Configuration
ESX – ULNM installed directly onto ESX ESXi – MUMC manages multiple hypervisors through
ESXi – ULNM installed into VIMA application vCentre. MUMC loaded on either vCentre or a VM
UPS-triggered vMotion available
NETWORK
Multi UPS Management Console
Can monitor & manage all UPSs &
22 Local Node Manager Installations MUMC

23. Example Network Diagram – Hyper-V
Hyper-V Server Hyper-V , Server 2008 & SVCMM
ULNM loaded directly onto server. Hyper-V power Virtual machines managed by SVCMM & Dell Multi UPS
profiles manage VM response to OS shutdown request. Management Console, MUMC loaded onto SVCMM.
LiveMigration available
NETWORK
Multi UPS Management Console
Can monitor & manage all UPSs &
23 Local Node Manager Installations MUMC

24. End of slides
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