Overview
ISO/IEC 24091:2019 - Information technology - Power efficiency measurement specification for data center storage - defines a standardized method to measure the power efficiency of commercial storage systems in data centers. Published as an ISO/IEC standard (adopted from SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification v3.0.3), the document provides a taxonomy for classifying storage products, prescribes test definition and execution rules, and defines power-efficiency metrics for both active and idle operation.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Taxonomy and classifications
- Standardized categories for storage products (e.g., Online, Near‑Online, Removable Media Library, Virtual Media Library) and rules for assigning operational profiles and feature sets.
- Test definition and execution rules
- Detailed prescriptions for test sequence, test configuration, instrumentation, benchmark drivers, IO profiles, measurement intervals, and metric stability assessment.
- Instrumentation and benchmarks
- Guidance on power/environmental meters, use of benchmark drivers (e.g., file/block IO drivers), and recommended workload profiles for conditioning and active phases.
- Capacity optimization verification
- Qualitative heuristic tests to verify presence of capacity optimization methods (COMs) and characterization of space‑consuming practices.
- Metrics and stability
- Primary metrics expressed as ratios of idle capacity or active operations during a selected stable measurement interval to average measured power (i.e., operations-per-watt or capacity-per-watt during stable intervals). Procedures for assessing metric stability and processing measurement data are included.
- Disclosure and reporting
- Requirements for product identification, test characterization, and disclosure of test metrics and product-under-test descriptions to support objective comparison.
Practical applications
- Product benchmarking and R&D - Vendors use the standard to validate and optimize storage power behavior and to compare design choices.
- Procurement and TCO analysis - Data center operators and procurement teams apply standardized metrics to compare storage candidates on energy cost and total cost of ownership.
- Sustainability and reporting - Corporate sustainability teams leverage consistent power-efficiency data for energy footprint reduction and regulatory or voluntary reporting.
- Test labs and certification - Independent test labs implement the specified measurement procedures to provide repeatable, auditable efficiency results.
Who should use this standard
- Storage product manufacturers and design engineers
- Data center architects and operators
- Procurement specialists and IT financial planners
- Sustainability officers and energy-efficiency auditors
- Test laboratories and standards bodies
Related standards and references
- SNIA Emerald Power Efficiency Measurement Specification (origin of the PAS submission)
- Other ISO/IEC IT measurement and reporting standards (see ISO/IEC directives for related work)
Keywords: ISO/IEC 24091:2019, power efficiency, data center storage, storage power efficiency, taxonomy, test procedures, capacity optimization, metrics.