ENERGY STAR* Servers

ENERGY STAR* server requirement

ENERGY STAR* Program Requirements for Computer Servers (PDF 207KB)

ENERGY STAR whitepapers:

• Optimizing Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 Series (Nehalem-EP Processor) Based Workstation and Server Platforms for the ENERGY STAR* Program (PDF 372KB)
• Workstation and Server Platform Readiness Checks for the ENERGY STAR* Program (PDF 1.69MB)

The EPA developed a new ENERGY STAR specification for servers which went into effect on May 15, 2009.

Definition

Computer servers are sold through enterprise channels for use in data centers and office/corporate environments. Computer servers are designed to respond to requests and are primarily accessed via network connections, and not through direct user input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. In addition, computer servers must have all of the following characteristics:

• Marketed and sold as a computer server;
• Designed for and listed as supporting computer server operating systems (OS) and/or hypervisors, and targeted to run user-installed enterprise applications;
• Support for error-correcting code (ECC) and/or buffered memory (including both buffered DIMMs and buffered on board (BOB) configurations(s);
• Packaged and sold with one or more AC-DC or DC-DC power supply(s);
• Includes at least one installed hard drive able to store and boot a local operating system or hypervisor; and
• All processors have access to shared system memory and are independently visible to a single OS or hypervisor.

Note: EPA added language to the definition above to clarify that a computer server must include at least one installed hard drive to be eligible for ENERGY STAR. This requirement was added because the current ENERGY STAR idle test procedure, provided in Appendix A of this specification, does not contain provisions for testing systems without hard drives.

Qualifying products

The Tier 1 specification coverage is limited to computer servers having at most four processor sockets (i.e., computer servers with 1 - 4 individual processor sockets). Computer servers with more than four processor sockets are currently ineligible for ENERGY STAR qualification under the Tier 1 specification but will be considered for inclusion under Tier 2 requirements.

In addition, systems explicitly ineligible for ENERGY STAR qualification include the following:

• Blade systems including blade servers and blade chassis
• Fully fault tolerant servers
• Server appliances
• Multi-node systems
• Storage equipment including blade storage
• Network equipment

Power supply requirements

Table 1: Efficiency requirements for computer server power supplies

For all loading conditions where the output power is greater than or equal to 75 watts, minimum power factor requirement must be met below. Manufacturers are still required to measure and report power factor values for loading conditions less than 75 watts to qualify for ENERGY STAR.

Table 2: Power factor requirements for computer server power supplies

System power requirements

• Table 3 (below) presents the idle power allowance for a base Computer Server system (e.g., minimal memory, single power supply, one hard drive, minimal I/O configuration). One and two processor (1P & 2P) Computer Servers meeting the definition for Managed Servers in section 1.G in the specification, must use the base system idle levels for Category B and Category D in Table 3, below. Any One or two processor computer server not meeting the definition for managed servers (i.e. "standard" servers) must meet the standard computer server levels for Category A and C in Table 3, below.

Table 3: Base system idle power requirements

Note: Managed server: Computer servers designed for a high level of availability in a highly managed environment. A managed server must have all of the following characteristics:

• Capability to operate with redundant power supplies; and
• An installed dedicated management controller (e.g., service processor).

Table 4: Additional idle power allowances for extra components

Computer servers with greater than two processor sockets (3S & 4S)

• All three- and four-socket computer servers must enable processor level power management to reduce power use of the processor during times of low utilization such as idle, and these systems are not subject to idle power limits under this Version 1.0 specification. Systems must be shipped with this power management functionality enabled in the system BIOS, and/or a management controller or service processor.
• In order to meet this requirement, all processors must be able to reduce power consumption in times of low utilization, by either:
  • Reducing voltage and/or frequency through Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), or
  • Using processor or core reduced power states when a core or socket is not being used.

ENERGY STAR computer specification 5.0 - Small-scale server requirement

Small-scale server: A computer that typically uses desktop components in a desktop form factor, but is designed primarily to be a storage host for other computers. A computer must have the following characteristics to be considered a small-scale server:

• Designed in a pedestal, tower, or other form factor similar to those of desktop computers such that all data processing, storage, and network interfacing is contained within one box/product;
• Intended to be operational 24 hours/day and 7 days/week, and unscheduled downtime is extremely low (on the order of hours/year);
• Capable of operating in a simultaneous multi-user environment serving several users through networked client units; and
• Designed for an industry accepted operating system for home or low-end server applications (e.g., Windows Home Server*, Mac OS X Server*, Linux*, UNIX*, Solaris*).
• Small-scale servers are designed to perform functions such as providing network infrastructure services (e.g., archiving) and hosting data/media. These products are not designed to process information for other systems or run web servers as a primary function.

Small-scale server efficiency requirements