ENERGY STAR® Program Requirements
for Data Center Storage
Partner Commitments
Draft 2 Version 1.0
12
3

Following are the terms of the ENERGY STAR Partnership Agreement as it pertains to the manufacture
and labeling of ENERGY STAR qualified products. The ENERGY STAR Partner must adhere to thefollowing partner commitments:

4

Qualifying Products

56
7

1. Comply with current ENERGY STAR Eligibility Criteria, which define performance requirements andtest procedures for Data Center Storage. A list of eligible products and their corresponding Eligibility
Criteria can be found at www.energystar.gov/specifications.

8
9
10
11
12

2. Prior to associating the ENERGY STAR name or mark with any product, obtain written
certification of ENERGY STAR qualification from a Certification Body recognized by EPA for Data
Center Storage. As part of this certification process, products must be tested in a laboratory
recognized by EPA to perform Data Center Storage testing. A list of EPA-recognized laboratories andcertification bodies can be found at www.energystar.gov/testingandverification.

13
14

Using the ENERGY STAR Name and Marks

15
16
17
18

3. Comply with current ENERGY STAR Identity Guidelines, which define how the ENERGY STAR nameand marks may be used. Partner is responsible for adhering to these guidelines and ensuring that its
authorized representatives, such as advertising agencies, dealers, and distributors, are also incompliance. The ENERGY STAR Identity Guidelines are available at www.energystar.gov/logouse.

19
20
21

4. Use the ENERGY STAR name and marks only in association with qualified products. Partner may notrefer to itself as an ENERGY STAR Partner unless at least one product is qualified and offered forsale in the U.S and/or ENERGY STAR partner countries.

22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39

5. Provide clear and consistent labeling of ENERGY STAR qualified Data Center Storage.
Partner shall adhere to the following product-specific commitments regarding use of the ENERGYSTAR certification mark on qualified products:
5.1. Partner must use the ENERGY STAR mark in all of the following ways:
5.1.1.the ENERGY STAR mark shall be included on the product specification sheet on thePartner’s Web site where product information is displayed. This mark shall serve as a
hyperlink from the manufacturer’s specification sheet to the ENERGY STAR Power andPerformance Data Sheet for the qualified storage product or storage product family;
5.1.2.the ENERGY STAR mark shall appear on the ENERGY STAR Power and Performance
Data Sheet; and5.1.3.the ENERGY STAR mark shall be used to identify qualified storage products and storage
product families in electronic and printed marketing collateral materials, including but notlimited to user manuals, product guides, and marketing brochures.
5.2. If additional information about the ENERGY STAR program(s) or other products provided by thePartner on its Web site, Partner must comply with the ENERGY STAR Web Linking Policy, which
can be found at www.energystar.gov/partners.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Partner Commitments1

40

Verifying Ongoing Product Qualification

41
42
43
44

6. Participate in third-party verification testing through a Certification Body recognized by EPA for Data
Center Storage, providing full cooperation and timely responses, EPA/DOE may also, at its discretion,
conduct tests on products that are referred to as ENERGY STAR qualified. These products may beobtained on the open market, or voluntarily supplied by Partner at the government’s request.

45
46

Providing Information to EPA

47
48

7. Provide unit shipment data or other market indicators to EPA annually to assist with creation of
ENERGY STAR market penetration estimates, as follows:

49
50
51
52

7.1. Partner must submit the total number of ENERGY STAR qualified Data Center Storage shippedin the calendar year or an equivalent measurement as agreed to in advance by EPA and
Partner. Partner shall exclude shipments to organizations that rebrand and resell the shipments(unaffiliated private labelers).

53
54

7.2. Partner must provide unit shipment data segmented by meaningful product characteristics (e.g.,
type, capacity, presence of additional functions) as prescribed by EPA.

55
56

7.3. Partner must submit unit shipment data for each calendar year to EPA or an EPA-authorizedthird party, preferably in electronic format, no later than March 1 of the following year.

57
58
59
60
61
62

Submitted unit shipment data will be used by EPA only for program evaluation purposes and will beclosely controlled. If requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), EPA will argue that thedata is exempt. Any information used will be masked by EPA so as to protect the confidentiality of thePartner;
8. Report to EPA any attempts by recognized laboratories or Certification Bodies (CBs) to influence
testing or certification results or to engage in discriminatory practices.

6364

9. Notify EPA of a change in the designated responsible party or contacts within 30 days using the My
ENERGY STAR Account tool (MESA) available at www.energystar.gov/mesa.

65
66
67

Performance for Special Distinction

68
69
70
71
72
73
74

In order to receive additional recognition and/or support from EPA for its efforts within the Partnership, the
ENERGY STAR Partner may consider the following voluntary measures, and should keep EPA informedon the progress of these efforts:
Provide quarterly, written updates to EPA as to the efforts undertaken by Partner to increaseavailability of ENERGY STAR qualified products, and to promote awareness of ENERGY STAR and
its message.

75
76



Consider energy efficiency improvements in company facilities and pursue benchmarking buildings
through the ENERGY STAR Buildings program.

77
78
79
80



Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products. Revise the company purchasing or procurement
specifications to include ENERGY STAR. Provide procurement officials’ contact information to EPA
for periodic updates and coordination. Circulate general ENERGY STAR qualified product information
to employees for use when purchasing products for their homes.

81
82
83
84



Feature the ENERGY STAR mark(s) on Partner website and other promotional materials. If
information concerning ENERGY STAR is provided on the Partner website as specified by the
ENERGY STAR Web Linking Policy (available in the Partner Resources section of the ENERGYSTAR website), EPA may provide links where appropriate to the Partner website.

85
86



Ensure the power management feature is enabled on all ENERGY STAR qualified displays andcomputers in use in company facilities, particularly upon installation and after service is performed.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Partner Commitments

2

87
88
89



Provide general information about the ENERGY STAR program to employees whose jobs are
relevant to the development, marketing, sales, and service of current ENERGY STAR qualified
products.

90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101



Provide a simple plan to EPA outlining specific measures Partner plans to undertake beyond theprogram requirements listed above. By doing so, EPA may be able to coordinate, and communicate
Partner’s activities, provide an EPA representative, or include news about the event in the ENERGYSTAR newsletter, on the ENERGY STAR website, etc. The plan may be as simple as providing a listof planned activities or milestones of which Partner would like EPA to be aware. For example,
activities may include: (1) increasing the availability of ENERGY STAR qualified products by
converting the entire product line within two years to meet ENERGY STAR guidelines; (2)demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency through special in-store
displays twice a year; (3) providing information to users (via the website and user’s manual) about
energy-saving features and operating characteristics of ENERGY STAR qualified products; and (4)building awareness of the ENERGY STAR Partnership and brand identity by collaborating with EPA
on one print advertorial and one live press event.

102
103
104
105
106



Join EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership to improve the environmental performance of thecompany's shipping operations. The SmartWay Transport Partnership works with freight carriers,
shippers, and other stakeholders in the goods movement industry to reduce fuel consumption,
greenhouse gases, and air pollution. For more information on SmartWay, visit
www.epa.gov/smartway.

107
108
109
110
111



Join EPA’s Green Power Partnership. EPA's Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to
buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with traditional fossil fuel­based electricity use. The partnership includes a diverse set of organizations including Fortune 500
companies, small and medium businesses, government institutions as well as a growing number ofcolleges and universities. For more information on Green Power, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Partner Commitments

3

ENERGY STAR® Program Requirements
for Data Center Storage
Eligibility Criteria
Draft 2 Version 1.0
112
113

Following is the ENERGY STAR product specification for Data Center Storage. A product shall meet all of
the identified criteria if it is to earn the ENERGY STAR.

114

1

115
116
117
118
119
120

Note: EPA’s ENERGY STAR program supports the global harmonization of definitions and test methods
as a means to allow comparability of results and realize cost savings for government and industry. To
accomplish this objective, many of the definitions in this document have been aligned with definitions in
the Spring 2011 edition of the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) Dictionary and the SNIA
Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification, Version 1.0 (23 August 2011), while also
reflecting industry input.

121

DEFINITIONS

A. Product Types:

122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131

1) Storage Product: A fully-functional storage system that supplies data storage services toclients and devices attached directly or through a network. Components and subsystems thatare an integral part of the storage product architecture (e.g., to provide internal
communications between controllers and disks) are considered to be part of the storage
product. In contrast, components that are normally associated with a storage environment at
the data center level (e.g., devices required for operation of an external SAN) are notconsidered to be part of the storage product. A storage product may be composed ofintegrated storage controllers, storage media, embedded network elements, software, andother devices. For purposes of this specification, a storage product is a unique configurationof one or more SKUs prepared for sale to an end user.

132
133
134
135
136

2) Storage Device: A collective term for disk drives, tapes cartridges, and any other mechanisms
providing non-volatile data storage. This definition is specifically intended to exclude
aggregating storage elements such as RAID array subsystems, robotic tape libraries, filers,and file servers. Also excluded are storage devices which are not directly accessible by end­user application programs, and are instead employed as a form of internal cache.

137
138
139

3) Storage Controller: A device for handling storage request via a processor or sequencer
programmed to autonomously process a substantial portion of I/O requests directed tostorage devices (e.g., RAID controllers, filers).

140

B. Storage System Connectivity:

141
142

1) Direct-attached Storage (DAS): One or more dedicated storage devices that are physicallyconnected to one or more servers.

143
144

2) Network Attached Storage (NAS): One or more dedicated storage devices that connect to a
network and provide file access services to remote computer systems.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 1 of 14

145
146
147
148
149

3) Storage Area Network (SAN): A network whose primary purpose is the transfer of data
between computer systems and storage elements and among storage elements. A SAN
consists of a communication infrastructure, which provides physical connections, and amanagement layer, which organizes the connections, storage elements, and computer
systems so that data transfer is secure and robust.

150
151

C. Capacity Optimizing Methods (COMs): The reduction of actual data stored on storage devices
through a combination of hardware and / or software. Common COMs include:

152
153
154

1) Thin Provisioning: A technology that allocates the physical capacity of a volume or file system
as applications write data, rather than reallocating all the physical capacity at the time ofprovisioning.

155
156
157

2) Data Deduplication: The replacement of multiple copies of data – at variable levels of
granularity – with references to a shared copy in order to save storage space and/or
bandwidth.

158
159
160
161

3) Compression: The process of encoding data to reduce its size. For the purpose of thisspecification, only lossless compression (i.e., compression using a technique that preserves
the entire content of the original data, and from which the original data can be reconstructed
exactly) is recognized.

162
163
164

4) Delta Snapshots: A type of point-in-time copy that preserves the state of data at an instant intime by storing only those blocks that are different from an already existing full copy of the
data.

165
166

5) Parity RAID: A collective term used in this specification to refer to any RAID system that
achieves better efficiency than RAID 1.

167
168
169

D. Storage Taxonomy : A categorization scheme for use in segmenting the data center storage
market by end-use application and key product characteristics. The major categories of thetaxonomy that are referenced in this document are as follows:

1

170
171
172
173
174

1) Online Storage: Storage products that are intended to service a mixture of Random andSequential I/O requests with a short response time. All data stored in Online storage must beaccessible in ≤ 80 ms, unless the storage product is in a Deep Idle state. Online storage istypically comprised of one or more HDDs or SSDs and a storage controller, and provides
primary data storage to supplement a Computer Server’s internal memory.

175
176
177
178

2) Near-online Storage: Storage products that are intended to service a mixture of Random andSequential I/O requests with a short to moderate response time. Near-online storage
products offer an asymmetrical response; a portion of data may be accessible in ≤ 80
milliseconds, while other data may be accessible in > 80 milliseconds.

179
180
181
182
183

3) Virtual Media Library: Storage products that are intended to service primarily Sequential I/O,
with a short response time. The media in a Virtual Media Library (e.g., HDD, optical disk) is
not designed to be physically removed from the system. All data stored in the Virtual Media
Library must be assessable in ≤ 80 ms, unless the storage product is in a Deep Idle state.
Virtual Medial Libraries are intended primarily for moderate and long term data storage.

184
185
186
187

4) Removable Media Library: Storage products that are intended to service primarily Sequential
I/O, with a moderate to long response time. The media (e.g., tape cartridge, optical disk) in a
Removable Media Library is designed to be physically removed from the storage product.
Removable Media Libraries are intended primarily for long term data archiving.

1

The ENERGY STAR storage taxonomy is consistent with the taxonomy developed by the Storage
Networking Industry Association Green Storage Initiative as defined in “SNIA EmeraldTM Power Efficiency
Measurement Specification” Version 1.0 released 23 August 2011. Further detail may be found atwww.snia.org/green.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 2 of 14

188
189
190
191
192

5) Adjunct Storage Products: Products which closely support storage devices by adding in realtime value or additional control capabilities not present in the storage device(s) itself.
Examples include SAN based virtualization controllers, NAS gateways, or other storage
services. A key feature of these products is that no end user data is primarily stored on
Adjunct Storage products, though data may be held in cache or other working buffers.

193
194

6) Interconnect Element: Devices which provide for interconnection functionality within a storage
area network. Examples include SAN Switches, etc.

195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202

E. Other Data Center Equipment:1) Computer Server: A computer that provides services and manages networked resources forclient devices (e.g., desktop computers, notebook computers, thin clients, wireless devices,
PDAs, IP telephones, other computer servers and other network devices). Computer servers
are sold through enterprise channels for use in data centers and office/corporate
environments. Computer servers are primarily accessed via network connections, versus
directly-connected user input devices such as a keyboard or mouse. For purposes of thisspecification, a computer server must meet all of the following criteria:

203

i)

is marketed and sold as a computer server;

204
205

ii)

is designed for and listed as supporting computer server operating systems (OS) and/or
hypervisors, and is targeted to run user-installed enterprise applications;

206
207

iii) provides support for error-correcting code (ECC) and/or buffered memory (including bothbuffered DIMMs and buffered on board (BOB) configurations);

208iv) is packaged and sold with one or more ac-dc or dc-dc power supplies; and

209
210

v) is designed such that all processors have access to shared system memory and are
independently visible to a single OS or hypervisor.

211
212
213
214

Note: The Computer Server definition presented here is from the Version 1 ENERGY STAR Computer
Server specification. It will be updated in the final Data Center Storage specification to reference any
revisions made in the Version 2.0 ENERGY STAR Computer Server specification revision effort, currently
in process.

215
216
217
218
219

2) Network Equipment: A device whose primary function is to provide data connectivity among
an arbitrary combination of devices connected to its several ports. Data connectivity isachieved via the routing of data packets encapsulated according to Internet Protocol, Fibre
Channel, InfiniBand or other standard protocol. Examples of network equipment commonly
found in data centers are routers and switches.

220
221
222

3) Power Distribution Unit (PDU): A single- or three-phase power strip designed for data center
use. A PDU may include instrumentation for metering power input and output, switchedoutlets for control of individual receptacles, or other advanced features.

223
224
225
226
227

4) Blade System: A system comprised of a blade chassis and one or more removable blade
servers and/or other units (e.g., blade storage, blade network equipment). Blade systems
provide a scalable means for combining multiple blade server or storage units in a single
enclosure, and are designed to allow service technicians to easily add or replace (hot-swap)
blades in the field.

228
229
230
231
232
233

Note: The Blade System definition has been revised to match the definition included in the Draft 1
Version 2.0 ENERGY STAR Computer Server specification. It will be updated in the final Data Center
Storage specification to reference any revisions made in the Version 2.0 ENERGY STAR Computer
Server specification revision effort, currently in process.
F. Capacity: Capacity is reported in units of either binary bytes (1 MiB = 1,048,576 Byte) or decimalbytes (1 MB = 1,000,000 Byte).

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 3 of 14

234
235
236
237
238

1) Assigned Capacity: The amount of space on a system or data container which has beenallotted to be written by an end user or application. (Note: For capacity-optimizing systems,
an assigned capacity number represents a promise that that amount of space will be provided
on demand; usable capacity is allocated as the container is written too. For fully-provisioned
systems, usable capacity must be committed at the same time the container is allocated.)

239
240

2) Effective Capacity: The amount of data stored on a storage system, plus the amount of
unused formatted capacity in the system.

241
242
243
244
245
246
247

3) Formatted (Usable) Capacity: The total amount of bytes available to be written after a systemor device has been formatted for use (e.g., by an object store, file system or block services
manager). Formatted capacity is less than or equal to raw capacity. It does not include areas
set aside for system use, spares, RAID parity areas, checksum space, host- or file system­
level remapping, "right sizing" of disks, disk labeling and so on. However, formatted capacity
may include areas that are normally reserved – such as snapshot set-asides – if these areas
may be configured for ordinary data storage.

2484) Free Space: The amount of unused, formatted capacity as reported by the storage product.

249
250
251
252
253

5) Raw (Addressable) Capacity: The sum total amount of addressable capacity of the storage
devices in a storage product. The raw capacity of a storage device is commonly understood
to be the number of bytes available to be written via SCSI or equivalent protocol. It does notinclude unaddressable space, ECC (error correcting code) data, remap areas, inter-sector
gaps, etc.

254

G. Operational States:

255

1) Active State: The state in which a storage product is processing external I/O requests.

256
257
258
259

2) Idle State: An operational state in which the Storage Product is capable of completing I/Otransactions, but no active I/Os are requested or pending. The system may, however, be
servicing self-initiated I/Os from background data protection and cleansing, and otheroperations.

260
261
262
263
264

i)

Ready Idle: The state in which a storage product is able to respond to arbitrary I/Orequests within the MaxTTFD limits for its taxonomy category, but is not receiving
external I/O requests. The storage product may perform routine housekeeping tasks
during Ready Idle, provided such operations do not compromise the product’s ability tomeet MaxTTFD requirements.

265
266
267
268
269
270

ii)

Deep Idle: A state in which one or more storage product components or subsystems havebeen placed into a low-power state for purpose of conserving energy. A storage productin Deep Idle may not be able to respond to I/O requests within the MaxTTFD limits for its
taxonomy category, and may need to perform a managed ‘wake-up’ function in order toreturn to a Ready Idle or Active state. Deep Idle capability must be a user-selected,
optional feature of the Storage Product.

271
272
273
274
275

H. Power Supply Unit (PSU): A device that converts ac or dc input power to one or more dc power
outputs for the purpose of powering a storage product. A storage PSU must be self-contained
and physically separable from the system and must connect to the system via a removable orhard-wired electrical connection. Note: Storage PSUs may be Field Replaceable Units (FRUs),
but in some cases may be further integrated with the storage product.

276
277

1) Ac-dc Power Supply: A PSU that converts line-voltage ac input power into one or more dc
power outputs.

278
279
280
281
282

2) Dc-dc Power Supply: A PSU that converts line-voltage dc input power to one or more dc
power outputs. For purposes of this specification, a dc-dc converter (also known as a voltage
regulator) that is internal to a storage product and is used to convert a low voltage dc (e.g., 12V dc) into other dc power outputs for use by storage product components is not considered a
dc-dc power supply.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 4 of 14

283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290

3) Single-output Power Supply: A PSU that is designed to deliver the majority of its rated output
power to one primary dc output. Single-output PSUs may offer one or more standby outputs
that remain active whenever connected to an input power source. For purposes of thisspecification, the total rated power output from all additional PSU outputs that are not primaryand standby outputs shall be less than 20 watts. PSUs that offer multiple outputs at the same
voltage as the primary output are considered single-output PSUs unless those outputs (1) are
generated from separate converters or have separate output rectification stages, or (2) have
independent current limits.

291
292
293
294
295
296

4) Multi-output Power Supply: A PSU that is designed to deliver the majority of its rated output
power to more than one primary dc output for the purpose of powering a storage product.
Multi-output PSUs may offer one or more standby outputs that remain active wheneverconnected to an input power source. For purposes of this specification, the total rated power
output from all additional PSU outputs that are not primary and standby outputs must be
greater than or equal to 20 watts.

297
298

5) Redundant Power Supplies: Two or more PSUs that are configured to maintain uninterrupted
output load in the event of failure of one PSU.

299
300
301
302
303

I.

Product Family: A group of models/configurations that share a set of common attributes that arevariations on a basic design.
1) Common Product Family Attributes: A set of features common to all models/configurations
within a product family that constitute a common basic design. All models/configurations
within a product family must share the following:

304

i)

made by the same manufacturer;

305

ii)

subject to the same ENERGY STAR qualification criteria; and306iii) TBD.

307
308
309

Note: EPA welcomes stakeholder input on a comprehensive and meaningful list of Common Product
Family Attributes. EPA will further define these attributes in response to stakeholder comments submitted
in response to this draft.

310
311
312

2) Maximum Configuration: A product configuration that includes the combination of basecomponents that generates the maximum possible power consumption within a productfamily. [TBD]

313
314
315

3) Minimum Configuration: A product configuration that includes the combination of basecomponents that generates the least possible power consumption within a product family.
[TBD]

316
317

4) Typical Configuration: A product configuration that lies between the minimum and maximum
configurations and is representative of a product with high volume sales. [TBD]

318
319
320
321
322

Note: Based on discussions to date and the data available, EPA proposes to proceed with a Product
Family structure that “bookends” the systems intended for ENERGY STAR qualification. The ”Maximum”
and “Minimum” in such an approach refer to the maximum and minimum configurations that the
manufacturer intends to sell as ENERGY STAR qualified, not necessarily the maximum or minimum ofavailable configuration options.

323
324
325
326
327
328
329

EPA has discussed this bookending approach as well as alternative options for family structures withstakeholders over the months preceding this draft release. The bookending approach provides EPA withwell-defined boundaries that delineate product families and assure that energy performance within afamily is characterized across a range of system sizes. In addition, the bookending approach supports theassembly of active mode test measurement data, which would provide useful information to the productend-user. EPA continues to welcome stakeholder input on this approach as well as comments anddiscussions on the merits of alternative approaches.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 5 of 14

330

J.

Other Definitions:

331
332
333
334

1) Field-replaceable Unit (FRU): A unit, or component of a system that is designed to be
replaced “in the field;” i.e., without returning the system to a factory or repair depot. Field
replaceable units may either be customer-replaceable, or their replacement may require
trained service personnel.

335
336
337

2) High-availability (HA): The ability of a system to perform its function continuously (without
interruption) for a significantly longer period of time than the reliabilities of its individualcomponents would suggest. High availability is most often achieved through failure tolerance.

338
339
340
341
342

3) Maximum Sustainable Performance: Maximum I/O per second (IOPS) or GiB/s that the UUT
is able to deliver under a specified workload. For purposes of this specification, it issuggested that “sustainable” performance is that which ensures the maximum achievabledata rate, excludes any transient system caching effects, and can be maintained to within±5% for the duration of the measurement phase.

343
344

4) Maximum Time to First Data (MaxTTFD): The maximum time required to start receiving datafrom a storage system to satisfy a read request for arbitrary data.

345
346
347

5) RAS Features: An acronym for reliability, availability, and serviceability features. RAS issometimes also expanded to RASM, which adds “Manageability” criteria. The three primary
components of RAS as related to storage products are defined as follows:

348
349
350
351
352

i)

Reliability Features: Features supporting a storage product’s ability to perform its
intended function without interruption due to component failures. Technologies applied toincrease reliability include: component selection (MTBF), redundancy (both at a micro
and macro levels), temperature and/or voltage de-rating, error detection and correction
technologies.

353
354

ii)

Availability Features: Features that support a storage product’s ability to maximize normal
operating time and minimize planned and unplanned down time.

355
356

iii) Serviceability Features: Features that support a storage product’s ability to be serviced(e.g., hot-plugging).

357
358
359
360

iv) Non-disruptive Serviceability: Support for continued availability of data and response
times during all FRU and service operations; including break/fix, code patches,
software/firmware upgrades, configuration changes, data migrations, and system
expansion.

3616) Read/Write:

362
363
364
365

i)

Random Read: Any I/O load in which consecutively issued read requests do not specify
adjacently addressed data. The term random I/O is commonly used to denote any I/Oload that is not sequential, whether or not the distribution of data locations is indeed
random.

366
367
368
369

ii)

Random Write: Any I/O load whose consecutively issued write requests do not specify
adjacently addressed data. The term random I/O is commonly used to denote any I/Oload that is not sequential, whether or not the distribution of data locations is indeed
random.

370
371iii) Sequential Read: An I/O load consisting of consecutively issued read requests toadjacently addressed data.

372
373

iv) Sequential Write: An I/O load consisting of consecutively issued write requests toadjacently addressed data.

3747) Response Time: The time required for the UUT to complete an I/O request.

375
376

8) Single Point of Failure (SPOF): One component or path in a system, the failure of which
would make the system inoperable.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 6 of 14

3779) Unit Under Test (UUT): The Storage Product being tested.

378

2

QUALIFYING PRODUCTS

379

2.1

Included Products

380
381

2.1.1

Products that meet all of the following conditions are eligible for ENERGY STAR qualification,with the exception of products listed in Section 2.2:

382

i.

meet the definition of a storage product provided in Section 1 of this document;

383

ii.

not fall within the exceptions identified in Section 2.2 of this document;

384
385

iii.

be comprised of one or more SKUs and be able to be purchased in a single order from asystem vendor;

386

iv.

be characterized within the SNIA-defined Online 2, 3, or 4 storage taxonomy categories;

387

v.

Contain a storage controller within the storage device.

388
389
390

Note: After considering stakeholder feedback on product coverage under the first version of the program,
EPA has limited the scope of Version 1.0 to Data Center Storage products falling under the SNIA-defined
Online-2, Online-3, and Online-4 storage taxonomy categories.

391
392
393

Some stakeholders raised the prospect of covering Network Attached Storage (NAS) in the scope of the
program during development of this Draft 2 document. EPA seeks further stakeholder input on test
methodologies appropriate to NAS and how such product fit the requirements structure in this draft.

394

Other product areas will be considered for future versions of the program.

395

2.2

Excluded Products

396
397
398
399
400

2.2.1

Products that are covered under other ENERGY STAR product specifications are not eligiblefor qualification under the ENERGY STAR Data Center Storage specification. The full list of
specifications currently in effect can be found at www.energystar.gov/products. Also excluded
from qualification under this specification are products which are being considered for future
ENERGY STAR programs.

401

2.2.2

The following products are specifically excluded from qualification under this specification:

402

i.

Personal / Portable Data Storage Products;

403

ii.

Computer Servers;

404
405

iii.

Storage devices in the Near-online, Removable Media Library, Virtual Media Library, Adjunct
Storage Products, and Interconnect Elements;

406
407

iv.

Online Storage Devices without an included controller, e.g. a collection of disks which rely on
a PCI add-in card in a server for RAID functions (JBODs).

408

3

409

3.1

410

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA
3.1.1

Significant Digits and Rounding
All calculations shall be carried out with directly measured (unrounded) values.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 7 of 14

411
412

3.1.2

Unless otherwise specified, compliance with specification limits shall be evaluated using
directly measured or calculated values without any benefit from rounding.

413
414
415

3.1.3

Directly measured or calculated values that are submitted for reporting on the ENERGY STAR
website shall be rounded to the nearest significant digit as expressed in the corresponding
specification limit.

416

3.2

417
418
419
420
421
422

Note: EPA has discussed power supply requirements with a variety of stakeholders and has used thisfeedback in formulating the requirements in Tables 1 and 2 below. Many stakeholders indicated thatlevels aligned with those of CSCI Silver would be appropriate, while some asked for reduced efficiency
level requirements for redundant capable internal power supplies. The requirements below have beenrevised to align with CSCI Silver for all power supplies. EPA welcomes continued discussion on thesubject of internal power supply efficiency.

423
424
425

During the development of Draft 2, stakeholders expressed interest in further investigating power supply
efficiency via a market study and focused testing effort. EPA understands that this effort is now ongoing
and will review and reconsider these requirements if warranted by the collected data.

426
427

Additionally, EPA seeks stakeholder input on expected loading patterns on storage PSUs to support
further refinement of ENERGY STAR requirements in this section.

428
429
430
431

3.2.1

432
433

Power Supply Requirements

Internal Power Supplies (IPSs): Internal Power Supplies used in Data Center Storage eligible
under this specification must meet the following requirements when tested using the EPRI
Generalized Internal Power Supply Efficiency Test Protocol, Rev. 6.5 (available atwww.efficientpowersupplies.org).
i.

Efficiency: Data Center Storage IPS shall meet efficiency requirements as specified in Table
1.

434
PSU Type

Table 1: Efficiency Requirements for PSUs
10%
20%
Rated Output Power
Load Load

Non-Redundant
Capable IPS
Redundant Capable
IPS
435
436
437

ii.

50%
Load

100%
Load

All Output Levels

n/a

85%

88%

85%

All Output Levels

75%

85%

89%

85%

Power Factor: Data Center Storage IPS shall meet power factor requirements as specified inTable 2.
Table 2: Power Factor Requirements for PSUs
10%
20%
PSU Type
Rated Output Power
Load Load
Non-Redundant
All Output Levels
n/a0.80
Capable IPS
Redundant Capable
IPS

50%
Load

100%
Load

0.90

0.95

≤ 500 watts

n/a

0.80

0.90

0.95

500 watts < Output ≤1000 watts

0.65

0.80

0.90

0.95

> 1000 Watts

0.65

0.80

0.90

0.95

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 8 of 14438iii. Efficiency and Power Factor in Embedded Equipment: TBD

439
440
441
442
443
444
445

Note: Stakeholders raised the topic of “embedded,” non-storage equipment, often built by third-parties,
included as part of the storage product; examples include embedded notebook computers, displays, andnetwork switches. Since the power supplies in such embedded products are neither chosen by the Data
Center Storage manufacturer nor subject to their modification, EPA may be open to targeted exemption
for such power supplies from the efficiency and power factor requirements in this section, provided it
cannot be used to exclude power supplies servicing the primary components of the Data Center Storage
product (e.g., controller, drawers). EPA welcomes proposals from stakeholders on language to this effect.

446
447
448
449

In proposing this possible exemption, EPA recognizes that the size, complexity, and design time of data
center storage products makes it very difficult to track and account for the efficiency of every power
supply that enters the system. An exemption to the above PSU requirements may be warranted for thisnon-storage equipment.

450
451
452
453
454
455

Additionally, EPA is also considering a requirement that all equipment in a storage system that falls under
the scope of another applicable ENERGY STAR specification (e.g. computers, servers, networking
equipment) also be ENERGY STAR qualified. A system’s non-storage components would only have to be
ENERGY STAR qualified according to the specification in effect at the time of the system’s design andwould not have to change to track revisions to ENERGY STAR specifications during the system’s sales
lifetime.

456

3.3

457
458
459

Active State Efficiency Criteria

3.3.1

460

Active State Efficiency Disclosure: To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a Data Center Storage
product or family must be submitted for qualification with the following information disclosed in
full:
i.

TBD

461
462
463
464
465
466

Note: This approach mirrors the proposed approach to active power measurement in the ENERGY STAR
Computer Server v2.0 development process and requires (1) that a Data Center Storage product beevaluated using a predetermined active state testing methodology, with results to be publically disclosed
via the ENERGY STAR program as part of the Power and Performance Datasheet, and (2) that a Data
Center Storage product also provide an energy-efficient platform by meeting or exceeding pass/fail levels
and requirements in other areas.

467
468
469
470
471
472

EPA is pursuing this approach to active state evaluation to encourage further testing for energy efficiencyof Data Center Storage products. Data generated through this testing will allow EPA to set efficiency
levels for active state energy consumption in future versions of the specification. This reporting approachalso assists manufacturers in differentiating their products via energy efficiency. Efficiency data ismeasured and disclosed in a consistent manner and is provided along with the hardware and software
characteristics of each system.

473
474

As referenced in Section 4.1, EPA proposed use of the SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement
Specification, Version 1.0 (23 August 2011), as the basis of Active State evaluation and data disclosure.

475

3.4

476
477
478
479
480
481
482

Note: In conjunction with the Active State disclosure criteria presented above, EPA intends to pursue
Ready Idle limits. An initial structure for such requirements is listed in Section 3.4.1. In other ICT
specifications, EPA has used a “base plus adder” approach, where a base level of performance is set forseries or categories of products covered by the specification, with a set of allowances to accommodate
key features that extend non-energy benefits to the user at a limited cost of efficiency. EPA encourages
stakeholder feedback on the appropriateness of this structure for storage equipment and any alternatives
stakeholders wish to propose.

Idle State Efficiency Criteria

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 9 of 14

483
484

3.4.1

Ready Idle (GB/Watt) shall be greater than or equal to the Minimum Ready Idle Requirement(RI_MIN), as calculated per Equation 1.

485
486

Equation 1: Calculation of Maximum Idle State Power
TBD

487

488
489
490

Table 3: Ready Idle Allowances
Base Ready Idle Allowance,
Category
RI_MIN(GB/watt)
TBD
TBD

3.5

Power Management Requirements

3.5.1

Data Center Storage products shall be configured with power management described andimplemented as follows:

491

i.

Techniques: TBD.

492
493

ii.

Power management techniques that are enabled by default shall be reported on the Powerand Performance Data Sheet, per the requirements in Section 0 of this specification.

494
495
496

3.5.2

Power Modeling Presale tool: To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a power modeling tool
characterizing the Data Center Storage product must be publicly available. The power modeler
must meet the following minimum guidelines:

497
498

i.

Provide an estimated power usage of a deployed configuration based on user-selectedconfiguration characteristics.

499
500

ii.

Partner shall warrant delivered hardware to consume equal or less power than predicted bymodeler under conditions specified at the time of prediction.

501
502
503

Note: To promote consideration of energy efficiency issues among the other purchase decision points,
and encourage existing stakeholder efforts, EPA has added the Power Modeling Presale tool
requirement.

504
505
506

3.6

Energy Efficiency Feature Requirements

3.6.1

To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a Data Center Storage product must contain the following
features, implemented as specified:

507
508

i.

Parity RAID: To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a storage product must offer a form of Parity
RAID in addition to other RAID levels it may support.

509
510
511
512
513

ii.

Adaptive Cooling: To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a storage product must utilize adaptive
cooling technologies that reduce the energy consumed by the cooling technology inproportion to ambient air temperature conditions in proximity to the Data Center Storage
product (e.g., reduction of variable speed fan or blower speed at lower ambient air
temperature).

514
515
516

3.6.2

To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a Data Center Storage product must be shipped with [TBD—adesignated number] of the following end user configurable / selectable features listed in Table
4. For consideration, the feature must be enabled by default upon shipment.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 10 of 14

517

Table 4: Configurable Energy Efficiency Features
FeatureImplementation
Deep Sleep Mode
TBD
Allow for unallocated storage elements to be placed into
TBD
a power-down state.
COM: Thin Provisioning
TBD
COM: Data Deduplication
TBD
COM: Compression
TBD
COM: Delta Snapshots
TBD

518
519
520

Note: EPA is interested developing the energy savings associated with COMs and proposes to include
them as part of the qualification criteria. EPA seeks stakeholder feedback on how often these COMs are
deployed to consumers and the impacts on manufacturers associated with providing these features.

521

3.7

Standard Information Reporting Requirements

522
523
524
525
526

3.7.1

A standardized Power and Performance Data Sheet (PPDS) shall be completed for each
ENERGY STAR qualified Data Center Storage product and posted with other productconfiguration information on the Partner’s website. Partners are encouraged to provide one
data sheet per qualified configuration, but may also provide one data sheet per Product Family(as defined in Section 1 with data on the power and performance in [TBD].

527
528
529

3.7.2

If one PPDS is used to represent a Product Family, Partners are encouraged to provide a link
to a more detailed power calculator where information on the power consumption of specificsystem configurations can be found.

530
531
532
533

3.7.3

Templates for the PPDS can be found on the ENERGY STAR Web page for Computer
Servers at www.energystar.gov/products. Partners are encouraged to use the template
provided by EPA, but may also create their own template provided that it has been approved
by EPA and contains the following information, at a minimum:

534
535

Note: The following list is for reference only. EPA welcomes stakeholder input and further discussion to
finalize this list.

536

i.

product model name, model number, and SKU or other configuration identification number;

537

ii.

a list of important product characteristics, including [TBD];

538
539

iii. a list of qualified system configurations, including maximum, minimum and typicalconfigurations of qualified product families;

540
541
542

iv. power consumption and performance data, along with guaranteed accuracy levels for all
power and temperature measurements, disclosure of the time period used for data averaging,
and a hyperlink to a detailed power calculator, as available;

543
544

v.

545

vi. information on product power measurement and reporting capabilities;546

vii. a list of selected data from the ASHRAE Thermal Report; and547

viii. for product families, a list of qualified storage products within the family.

a list of power management and other power saving features available and enabled bydefault;

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 11 of 14

548

3.8

549
550
551

Note: The requirements in this section are similar to those in the Draft 1 Version 2.0 ENERGY STAR
Computer Servers specification and largely maintained from the Draft 1 Data Center Storage
specification.

552
553
554

EPA received limited, but substantive, feedback from stakeholders regarding the complexities of, andalternatives to, requirements for integrated inlet air temperature measurements. EPA plans to hold further
discussions with stakeholders on this topic in order to finalize requirements.

555
556
557

After discussion with stakeholders, the sampling requirement for input power measurements has also
been altered to take 1 or more measurements per 10 second interval. EPA welcomes further stakeholder
input on all of the above modifications to the specification.

558
559

3.8.1

Standard Performance Data Measurement and Output Requirements

Data Elements: All Data Center Storage products shall be capable of measuring and reporting thefollowing data elements:

560
561
562
563

i.

Input Power, in watts. Input power measurements must be reported with accuracy of lessthan or equal to 5% of the actual value for measurements greater than 200 W, through thefull range of operation. For measurements less than or equal to 200 W, the accuracy mustbe less than or equal to 10 W times the number of installed PSUs; and

564

ii.

Inlet Air Temperature, in degrees Celsius, with accuracy of ± 3°C.

565

3.8.2

Reporting Implementation:

566
567

i.

Data shall be made available in a published or user-accessible format that is readable bythird-party, non-proprietary management systems;

568
569

ii.

Data shall be made available to end users and third-party management systems over a
standard network connection;

570
571
572

iii.

Data shall be made available via embedded components or add-in devices that are
packaged with the Data Center Storage product (e.g., a service processor, embedded
power or thermal meter or other out-of-band technology, or pre-installed OS);

573
574

iv. When an open and universally available data collection and reporting standard becomes
available, manufacturers should incorporate the universal standard into their products.

575

3.8.3

Sampling Requirements:

576
577
578
579

i.

Input power: Input power and processor utilization measurements must be collected at a
rate of ≥ 1 measurement every 10 seconds. A rolling average, encompassing a period of
no more than 30 seconds, must be reported at a frequency of greater than or equal to once
every 10 seconds.

580
581

ii.

Inlet air temperature: Inlet air temperature measurements must be collected at a rate of ≥ 1
measurement every 10 seconds.

582
583

3.8.4

Documentation Requirements: The following information shall be included on the Power andPerformance Data Sheet:

584
585

i.
ii.

586

4

587

4.1

588

Guaranteed accuracy levels for power and temperature measurements, and
The time period used for data averaging.

TESTING
4.1.1

Test Methods
Test methods identified in Table 5 shall be used to determine qualification for ENERGY STAR.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 12 of 14

589

590

Table 5: Test Methods for ENERGY STAR Qualification
Product Type
Test Method
SNIA Emerald Power Efficiency Measurement Specification,
All
Version 1.0 (23 August 2011)

Number of Units Required for Testing

4.2

591

4.2.1

Representative Models shall be selected for testing per the following requirements:

592
593
594

i.

For qualification of an individual product model, a product configuration equivalent to thatwhich is intended to be marketed and labeled as ENERGY STAR is considered theRepresentative Model;

595
596
597
598
599

ii.

For qualification of a product family, there are three Representative Models: the Maximum
Configuration, Minimum Configuration, and an intermediate or Typical Configuration withpower consumption between the other two configurations. When submitting product families,
manufacturers continue to be held accountable for any efficiency claims made about theirproducts, including those not tested or for which data was not reported.

600
601

4.2.2

International Market Qualification

4.3

602

A single unit of each Representative Model shall be selected for testing.

4.3.1

TBD

603
604
605

Note: EPA welcomes stakeholder comments on any concerns they have about special provisions for
qualification of products intended for sale as ENERGY STAR in international markets. This section is
included as a placeholder for future revisions.

606

5

EFFECTIVE DATE

607
608
609
610
611

5.1.1

Effective Date: The Version 1.0 ENERGY STAR Data Center Storage specification shall takeeffect on the dates specified in Table 6. To qualify for ENERGY STAR, a product model shallmeet the ENERGY STAR specification in effect on its date of manufacture. The date of
manufacture is specific to each unit and is the date (e.g., month and year) on which a unit isconsidered to be completely assembled.

612
613
614
615
616

5.1.2

Future Specification Revisions: EPA reserves the right to change this specification should
technological and/or market changes affect its usefulness to consumers, industry, or theenvironment. In keeping with current policy, revisions to the specification are arrived at throughstakeholder discussions. In the event of a specification revision, please note that the ENERGYSTAR qualification is not automatically granted for the life of a product model.

617

618
619
620

Table 6: Specification Effective Date
Effective Date
March 2012 (preliminary)Note: EPA is proceeding with a goal to complete development of the Version 1.0 Data Center Storage
program by early 2012. As a reminder, the Data Center Storage program, as a new ENERGY STAR
program area, would go into effect immediately upon finalization of specification development.

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 13 of 14

621

6 CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE REVISIONS

622
623

Note: This section will be updated in further drafts to capture issues that, while excluded from the Version
1.0 specification, may be reevaluated in future versions.

624

TBD

ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Data Center Storage – Eligibility Criteria

Page 14 of 14