Computer energy conservation with a scalable PSU configuration

A power management method for a number of networked computers, comprising the steps of:

• monitoring processes in each of a number of networked computers wherein each of the number of computers has a similar active power demand and is connected to receive power from a common power bus, and further wherein each of the number of computers comprises a plurality of computer components including a CPU, memory, a network interface, and at least one timer;
• determining that two or more of the number of computers has become idle;
• and
• switching, by one or more control devices, the CPU and memory of each of the two or more of the number of computers from an active state to a low power state while maintaining the network interface and the timer thereof in an active state.

A power managed networkable computer, comprising:

• a CPU including a plurality of cores each capable of processing instructions independently of the one or more other cores;
• memory accessible by the CPU, said memory and CPU being switchable between an active state and a low power state;
• a network interface for receiving and transmitting communications over a network;
• and
• a timer that runs at least during operation of the CPU and memory in the low power state;
• wherein
• the computer operates to determine that less than all of the cores of the CPU have tasks to process and, in response to the determination, operates to switch the CPU and all of its cores and the memory from the active state to the low power state, and further operates to maintain the network interface and timer in an active state.