Configuring Server Power Usage

This chapter includes the following sections:

Server Power Usage

You can set the level of power usage for each server in a Cisco UCS instance, as follows:

Enabled

You can specify the maximum amount of power that the server can consume at one time. This maximum can be any amount between 0 watts and 1100 watts.

Disabled

No power usage limitations are imposed upon the server. The server can use as much power as it requires.

If the server encounters a spike in power usage that meets or exceeds the maximum configured for the server, Cisco UCS Manager does not disconnect or shut down the server. Instead, Cisco UCS Manager reduces the power that is made available to the server. This reduction can slow down the server, including a reduction in CPU speed.

Setting the Power Usage for a Server

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis > Chassis Number > Servers.
Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to set the power budget.
Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
Step 5   In the Power Budget area, click the Expand icon to the right of the heading to display the fields.
Step 6   In the Admin Status field, click one of the following radio buttons:

  • Disabled—The server is allowed to use as much power as it requires at all times.

  • Enabled—At any given time, the server's power consumption is capped at the number of watts specified in the Watts field.
Step 7   If you enabled the admin status, in the Watts field enter The maximum number of watts that the server is allowed to use at any one time.

The maximum number of watts can be any number between 100 and 1100.
Step 8   Click Save Changes.

Viewing Server Power Usage

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis.
Step 3   Choose the chassis for which you want to view the server power usage.
Step 4   Do one of the following:
  • To view the power usage for all servers in the chassis, click the Power tab in the Work pane.
  • To view the power usage for one server in the chassis, expand the chassis and click the server. Then click the Power tab in the Work pane.
Step 5   If necessary, expand the Motherboards node to view the power counters.