Data Center & Green Initiatives

Butler Data Center

Butler University’s 1,500 square foot data center opened in 2009 and houses all major systems including BigDawg, Butler’s supercomputer, and connections to iLight and the Internet. Butler strives to use efficient and environmentally friendly equipment (more information below) in the data center. A carefully engineered power infrastructure, use of recyclable materials, heat recovery, and high efficiency servers are a few of the ways Butler reduces the data center’s environmental impact. Redundant cooling, uninterruptible power supply, diesel generator, and gas fire suppression protect the data center from unplanned downtime. 

Green Initiatives

As part of Butler’s overall program to become a more sustainable campus, IT continually works to improve the sustainability of our operations and infrastructure. By looking at everything from our data center to the paper used in printers we continue to make strides toward reducing our environmental impact.

Power Settings on Butler Computers

In accordance with the Butler University Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (BUSCA), the ability to change the sleep settings on Butler-owned Windows computers has been disabled and the time before a computer goes to sleep has been changed to 10 minutes. This initiative will reduce energy use and increase efficiency and cost effectiveness. 

Butler-owned Mac computers do not have this option. For Mac devices, navigate to Settings > Lock Screen > Turn display off on battery when inactive. Change to preferred amount of time (recommended: “For 10 minutes”).

Electronic Waste Collection

In accordance with the Butler University Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (BUSCA), the ability to change the sleep settings on Butler-owned Windows computers has been disabled and the time before a computer goes to sleep has been changed to 10 minutes. This initiative will reduce energy use and increase efficiency and cost effectiveness. 

Butler-owned Mac computers do not have this option. For Mac devices, navigate to Settings > Lock Screen > Turn display off on battery when inactive. Change to preferred amount of time (recommended: “For 10 minutes”).
In the Butler Data Center

  • Using industry standard hot aisle/cold aisle design to improve cooling efficiency and save energy 
  • Using much of the heat generated by servers and other equipment for re-use elsewhere in the building
  • Using high voltage power distribution to improve efficiency
  • All furniture in the network operations center (NOC) is made with recycled materials

Using Blade Servers (Details)

  • Fewer, more efficient power supplies than traditional rack mount servers
  • Fewer power supplies and less wasted energy
  • Less packing material and less waste when the equipment is recycled at the end-of-life

Server Virtualization (Video)

  • More than 99% of our servers are virtual
  • Improved resource utilization and efficiency

Storage Virtualization and SSD Technologies

  • Using thin provisioning to reduce the number of required disks – will grow and use power as necessary instead of provisioning everything in advance
  • Increased use of solid state storage (SSD’s use less than 10% of the power of traditional disks)
  • Continued use of cloud storage to improve flexibility and decrease costs.

Decreasing Reliance on Paper

  • Most Butler-owned computers have eco-friendly printing settings, including an automatic setting to print on double-sided paper.
  • Many offices use document imaging and scanning to PDF instead of making paper copies of documents required for University processes.

Things You Can Do

  • “Think Before You Print”
  • Turn off or put your personal computer to sleep when you aren’t using it. If you are using a Butler computer, at the end of the day: log off when you leave, but leave the computer turned on to facilitate the updating process, and consider turning your monitors off.
  • Recycle paper.