Through the combined efforts of the Facilities Management Department and the Office of Technology Services, the university will very soon implement a computer software package that will manage the power settings of individual PCs in an effort to save energy and associated costs.
This energy management tool will be invisible to the user and should not impede normal operations. The software operates across the network and adjusts power levels to power down unused PC components when inactivity is sensed for some period of time. These power settings already exist in the Windows operating system, but may not be configured for optimal savings.
A power utilization analysis has been conducted over the past two months to help determine the power management procedures for campus PCs. These procedures will be used to control when computer monitors ?sleep? and CPUs are placed in a standby mode.
Even when the PC components are placed in a lower energy state, the computer will ?awaken? upon a mouse movement or the press of a keyboard key. Though its responsiveness is dependent upon its last power state, the duration of delay should not in any way be detrimental to normal computer usage.
With this added energy-saving capability, the Office of Technology Services strongly recommends that all campus computers be left powered on (with users logged off) to ensure that PCs receive all security updates and application patches. Leaving computers running overnight will allow them to automatically download and install critical security updates, which might necessitate several restarts. Computers that are not turned on until faculty or staff return may not be available for regular use until all updates install. Also, OTS recommends that PCs be restarted at least once a week so that its network identity can be refreshed.
Questions regarding the energy-saving software and its use may be directed to Dennis Bohlayer (x4-3392) of Facilities Management.
