Scheduling cool air jobs in a data center

1. A method of scheduling cool air jobs in a data center, the data center comprising computers whose operations produce heat and require cooling, cooling resources that provide cooling for the data center, a workload controller that schedules and allocates data processing jobs among the computers in the data center, a cooling controller that schedules and allocates cooling jobs among cooling resources in the data center, the method comprising:

assigning by the workload controller data processing jobs for execution by computers in the data center, a time when the workload controller assigns each data processing job defining a data processing workload schedule;

providing, from the workload controller to the cooling controller, information describing data processing jobs scheduled for allocation among the computers in the data center, the information including the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated, the quantity of data processing represented by each job, and the data processing workload schedule;

specifying, by the cooling controller in dependence upon the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated and the quantity of data processing represented by each job, cooling jobs to be executed by cooling resources, each cooling job comprising a quantity of cool air to be delivered to a physical location in the data center; and

assigning, by the cooling controller in accordance with the workload allocation schedule to cooling resources in the data center, cooling jobs for execution.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing information describing data processing jobs further comprises providing information describing job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job; and

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cooling resources are disposed within the data center so as to provide cool air to the computers in the data center in a pattern of a grid.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters, the cooling parameters including a specification of the quantity of cool air to be delivered in each cooling job and the number of cooling jobs to be executed for each data processing job.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the method further comprises periodically acquiring through sensors values of variables affecting cooling parameters, the variables including one or more of: temperature, humidity, airflow, and power usage; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the values of the variables acquired through sensors.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the method further comprises developing a thermal model of the data center on the basis of temperatures gathered from sensors in a plurality of locations within the data center; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the thermal model.

7. Apparatus for scheduling cool air jobs in a data center, the data center comprising computers whose operations produce heat and require cooling, cooling resources that provide cooling for the data center, a workload controller that schedules and allocates data processing jobs among the computers in the data center, a cooling controller that schedules and allocates cooling jobs among cooling resources in the data center, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

assigning by the workload controller data processing jobs for execution by computers in the data center, a time when the workload controller assigns each data processing job defining a data processing workload schedule;

providing, from the workload controller to the cooling controller, information describing data processing jobs scheduled for allocation among the computers in the data center, the information including the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated, the quantity of data processing represented by each job, and the data processing workload schedule;

specifying, by the cooling controller in dependence upon the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated and the quantity of data processing represented by each job, cooling jobs to be executed by cooling resources, each cooling job comprising a quantity of cool air to be delivered to a physical location in the data center; and

assigning, by the cooling controller in accordance with the workload allocation schedule to cooling resources in the data center, cooling jobs for execution.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

providing information describing data processing jobs further comprises providing information describing job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job; and

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the cooling resources are disposed within the data center so as to provide cool air to the computers in the data center in a pattern of a grid.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters, the cooling parameters including a specification of the quantity of cool air to be delivered in each cooling job and the number of cooling jobs to be executed for each data processing job.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the apparatus further comprises computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

periodically acquiring through sensors values of variables affecting cooling parameters, the variables including one or more of: temperature, humidity, airflow, and power usage; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the values of the variables acquired through sensors.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the apparatus further comprises computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

developing a thermal model of the data center on the basis of temperatures gathered from sensors in a plurality of locations within the data center; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the thermal model.

13. A computer program product for scheduling cool air jobs in a data center, the data center comprising computers whose operations produce heat and require cooling, cooling resources that provide cooling for the data center, a workload controller that schedules and allocates data processing jobs among the computers in the data center, a cooling controller that schedules and allocates cooling jobs among cooling resources in the data center, the computer program product disposed in a recordable medium for machine-readable information, wherein the recordable medium for machine-readable information is not a signal, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions which, when executed, cause automated computing machinery to carry out the steps of:

assigning by the workload controller data processing jobs for execution by computers in the data center, a time when the workload controller assigns each data processing job defining a data processing workload schedule;

providing, from the workload controller to the cooling controller, information describing data processing jobs scheduled for allocation among the computers in the data center, the information including the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated, the quantity of data processing represented by each job, and the data processing workload schedule;

specifying, by the cooling controller in dependence upon the physical location of the computer to which each job is allocated and the quantity of data processing represented by each job, cooling jobs to be executed by cooling resources, each cooling job comprising a quantity of cool air to be delivered to a physical location in the data center; and

assigning, by the cooling controller in accordance with the workload allocation schedule to cooling resources in the data center, cooling jobs for execution.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

providing information describing data processing jobs further comprises providing information describing job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job; and

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon job priority for each data processing job and the type of application to be executed in each data processing job.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the cooling resources are disposed within the data center so as to provide cool air to the computers in the data center in a pattern of a grid.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters, the cooling parameters including a specification of the quantity of cool air to be delivered in each cooling job and the number of cooling jobs to be executed for each data processing job.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions which, when executed, cause automated computing machinery to carry out the steps of:

the method further comprises periodically acquiring through sensors values of variables affecting cooling parameters, the variables including one or more of: temperature, humidity, airflow, and power usage; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the values of the variables acquired through sensors.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

specifying cooling jobs further comprises specifying cooling jobs in dependence upon cooling parameters;

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions which, when executed, cause automated computing machinery to carry out the steps of:

developing a thermal model of the data center on the basis of temperatures gathered from sensors in a plurality of locations within the data center; and

optimizing cooling operations in the data center by setting cooling parameter values in dependence upon the thermal model.