Method and apparatus for holistic power management to dynamically and automatically turn servers, network equipment and facility components on and off inside and across multiple data centers based on a variety of parameters without violating existing service levels

A system for automatically and dynamically reducing power consumption while maintaining an application service level across a plurality of data centers comprising:

• a plurality of pieces of equipment at each data center of the plurality of data enters, each piece of equipment comprising one of a server, network device, storage device, or cooling device;
• wherein servers, network devices, and storage devices of the plurality of pieces of equipment operate to provide an application service;
• a holistic power management component located in a data center of the plurality of data centers;
• wherein the holistic power management component maintains equipment information for the plurality of pieces of equipment across the plurality of data centers;
• and
• a first demand balancer in a first data center, and a second demand balancer in a second data center that is distinct from the first data center;
• wherein the holistic power management component reduces the power consumption required to run an application by:
• receiving for each individual piece of equipment across the plurality of data centers, power consumption information;
• measuring power consumed by a set of equipment while running a particular application load to determine a total amount of power required to run the particular application load;
• determining a set of selected equipment to allocate for supporting portions of the particular application load, based at least on the power consumption information collected for said each individual piece of equipment and the total amount of power required to run the particular application load;
• wherein the first demand balancer, in response to receiving from the holistic power management component the set of selected equipment, turns on a first selected piece of equipment in the set of selected equipment in the first data center;
• wherein turning on comprises providing power and operating said each selected piece of equipment;
• wherein the second demand balancer, in response to receiving from the holistic power management component the set of selected equipment, turns off a second piece of equipment in the second data center that is not in the set of selected equipment;
• and
• wherein responsive to an error condition, the first demand balancer turns on all of the pieces of equipment in the first data center;
• and
• wherein turning off comprises taking said each piece of equipment out of operation and turning off the power to said each piece of equipment.