Power Monitoring
- Power Monitoring
This article details the power monitoring system implemented on our servers. Accurate power monitoring is crucial for capacity planning, identifying inefficiencies, and preventing potential hardware failures. This guide is intended for newcomers to the server infrastructure team and provides an overview of the hardware, software, and configuration involved.
Overview
Our server infrastructure utilizes a comprehensive power monitoring system. This system consists of intelligent Power Distribution Units (PDUs), server-level power monitoring hardware, and a central monitoring server running a dedicated software package. The goal is to gather real-time and historical power consumption data for each server and component, allowing us to proactively manage our power resources and identify potential issues before they impact service availability. Understanding this system is vital for System Administrators and Hardware Engineers.
Hardware Components
The power monitoring setup relies on several key hardware components. These components work together to provide accurate and detailed power usage information.
Component | Description | Manufacturer | Model |
---|---|---|---|
Intelligent PDUs | Distributes power to servers and provides per-outlet power monitoring. | APC | APC NetShelter SX 2U |
Server Power Meters | Measures power consumption at the server level, often integrated into the server's power supply. | Supermicro | PMC-10A-414 |
Environmental Monitoring Units | Monitors temperature and humidity in server racks, complementing power data. | SensorPush | HTU21D |
These hardware components are crucial for the functionality of the entire system. Proper installation and maintenance are essential, as outlined in the Hardware Maintenance Procedures. Regularly checking the PDU Status is a key part of preventative maintenance.
Software Stack
The data collected by the hardware is processed and visualized using a dedicated software stack. The primary software component is a time-series database, which stores the power consumption data for analysis and reporting.
Software | Function | Version | Operating System |
---|---|---|---|
Grafana | Data visualization and dashboarding. | 9.5.2 | Ubuntu 22.04 |
Prometheus | Time-series data collection and storage. | 2.45.0 | Ubuntu 22.04 |
Node Exporter | Exposes server metrics for Prometheus. | 1.6.0 | Ubuntu 22.04 |
Node Exporter collects data from the server power meters and exposes it in a format that Prometheus can understand. Prometheus then stores this data, and Grafana provides a user-friendly interface for viewing and analyzing the data. See the Software Installation Guide for detailed installation instructions. Understanding Prometheus Query Language (PromQL) is essential for advanced analysis.
Configuration Details
Configuring the power monitoring system involves several steps, including setting up Prometheus to scrape data from the Node Exporters, configuring Grafana dashboards to visualize the data, and ensuring that the hardware components are correctly connected and communicating.
Prometheus Configuration
The Prometheus configuration file (`prometheus.yml`) defines the targets that Prometheus will scrape for metrics. Each server running Node Exporter is defined as a target. A simplified example is shown below:
```yaml scrape_configs:
- job_name: 'servers' static_configs: - targets: ['server1.example.com:9100', 'server2.example.com:9100']
```
This configuration tells Prometheus to scrape metrics from `server1.example.com` and `server2.example.com` on port 9100, where Node Exporter is running. See the Prometheus Configuration Documentation for more details. Ensure the Firewall Rules allow Prometheus to connect to the Node Exporters.
Grafana Dashboards
Grafana dashboards are used to visualize the power consumption data collected by Prometheus. Dashboards can be created from scratch or imported from existing templates. We utilize pre-built dashboards for common server metrics, including CPU usage, memory usage, and power consumption.
Dashboard Name | Description | Data Source |
---|---|---|
Server Power Overview | Displays real-time and historical power consumption for all servers. | Prometheus |
PDU Outlet Monitoring | Shows power usage per outlet on each PDU. | Prometheus |
Rack Power Capacity | Visualizes the remaining power capacity in each server rack. | Prometheus |
Custom dashboards can be created to meet specific monitoring requirements. Refer to the Grafana Dashboard Tutorial for instructions on creating and customizing dashboards. Understanding Grafana Alerts is crucial for proactive monitoring.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues with the power monitoring system, the following troubleshooting steps may be helpful:
- Verify that the hardware components are correctly connected and powered on.
- Check the Node Exporter logs for any errors.
- Ensure that Prometheus is able to connect to the Node Exporters.
- Verify that the Grafana dashboards are correctly configured and displaying data.
- Consult the Troubleshooting Guide for common issues and solutions. Don't forget to check the Server Logs for related errors. Contact the On-Call Engineer if you are unable to resolve the issue.
Server Maintenance
Network Monitoring
Capacity Planning
Data Center Infrastructure
Hardware Failure Prevention
Prometheus
Grafana
Node Exporter
PDU
Power Supply
System Monitoring
Alerting System
Incident Response
Server Documentation
Monitoring Best Practices
Data Analysis
System Performance
Intel-Based Server Configurations
Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
---|---|---|
Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
---|---|---|
Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️