Materials for Testing with the SNIA Emerald™ Specification V3.0 and ISO/IEC 24091:2019

Note: In November 2019, ISO published an International Standard, ISO/IEC 24091:2019 Information Technology - Power efficiency measurement specification for data center storage. This standard is based on and technically equivalent to SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification V3.0.3 and was adopted by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology.

Note: On April 1, 2019, the EPA announced that the Version 1.1 ENERGY STAR Storage Specification has been updated to reference the SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3 for Data Center Storage product testing moving forward.

Note: The SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3  was adopted by the SNIA on October 11, 2018. This minor update to Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2 contains clarifications, corrections, and many editorial changes that make this update suitable for submission for ISO standardization as a Publically Available Specification.

Note: The SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2  was adopted by the SNIA on May 23, 2018. This minor update to Measurement Specification Version 3.0.1 corrects some inconsistencies in timing requirements for recording data and clarifies the tables in Annex B. The SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification Version 3.0.1 was formally approved by the SNIA on September 11, 2017. The most significant change (relative to Version 2.1.1) is the addition of test procedures for file access storage systems. These are based on using SPEC SFS 2014 as the workload driving the tests. The EPA Energy Star Data Center Storage Specification V1.1 includes file access devices with testing based on Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2.

This page provides access to the materials needed to perform power efficiency measurements based on ISO/IEC 24091:2019, Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3, and Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2. Since ISO/IEC 24091:2019 is technically equivalent to Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3, tools and documents supporting testing with Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3 are to be used for testing with ISO/IEC 24091:2019.

A revision history of materials listed on this page is available.

Specification

ISO/IEC 24091:2019 Information Technology - Power efficiency measurement specification for data center storage is available for a fee from ISO.

The SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification is developed and maintained by the SNIA Green Storage Technical Working Group.

Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3 dated October 11, 2018 is available here for download.

Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2 dated May 23, 2018 is available here for download.

SPEC SFS 2014

SPEC SFS 2014 is a file-based I/O benchmark, developed by the Storage Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), referenced by the Measurement Specification for use in Emerald testing of file access storage systems.

SPEC SFS 2014 can be purchased from SPEC. For information on purchasing this tool, click here.

A presentation Using SPEC SFS with the SNIA Emerald Program for EPA Energy Star Data Center Storage Program is available.

Training material on SPEC SFS 2014 is available from SPEC here.

File Access IO Load Driver Configuration File

Testing file access on-line and near-line devices requires the use of the File Access IO Load Driver Configuration File as a template for creating configuration files that control the file testing through SPEC SFS 2014. The current version is 2017_08_30.

Vdbench

Vdbench is a block-based I/O workload generator, developed by Oracle, referenced by the Measurement Specification for use in Emerald testing of block access storage systems.

Version 5.04.05 of Vdbench shall be used when testing using Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2, Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3, or ISO/IEC 24091:2019.

Vdbench Script

The Measurement Specification requires use of the the Vdbench Script for Online and Near-Online testing provided here to control the Vdbench workload generator during block access testing of Online and Near-Online storage systems. There are two current versions. Version 2018_06_13 shall be used when testing with Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2. Either Version 2018_06_13 or Version 2020_04_29 shall be used when testing with Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3 or ISO/IEC 24091:2019 (these differ only in comments in the script).

The Measurement Specification requires use of the the Vdbench Script for Removable and Virtual Media Library testing provided here to control the Vdbench workload generator during block access testing of Removable Media Library and Virtual Media Library storage systems. The current version is 2017_07_26.

COM Test Data Set Generator

The Measurement Specification requires use of the COM Test Data Set Generator software to generate data sets for using in testing the existence of various COM features. The current version is V1.17 dated April 13, 2016.

What Has Changed?

The What has Changed? SNIA Emerald™ Measurement Specification V2.1.1 to V3.0.2 document provides a summary overview of the changes made between Measurement Specification Versions 2.1.1 and 3.0.2 and describes the significance and impact of these changes on Emerald testers. The current version is dated July 11, 2018.

The What has Changed? SNIA Emerald™ Measurement Specification V3.0.2 to V3.0.3 document provides a summary overview of the changes made between Measurement Specification Versions 3.0.2 and 3.0.3 and describes the significance and impact of these changes on Emerald testers. The current version is dated October 24, 2018.

User Guide

A User Guide for the SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement Specification V3.0.2 is available for download. This document is an informative guide for those planning to test in accordance with the Measurement Specification. This document is intended for use with Measurement Specification Versions 3.0.2 and 3.0.3 and with ISO/IEC 24091:2019. The current version is dated August 15, 2018. 

Training 

Materials from training sessions on using the Measurement Specification to test a storage product are available.

Test Data Report Template

The Test Data Report Template is the form recommended for use in reporting SNIA Emerald™ Power Efficiency Measurement test results.

The Test Data Report Template  for use with Measurement Specification Version 3.0.2 is dated June 13, 2018 and is available here.

The Test Data Report Template  for use with Measurement Specification Version 3.0.3 is dated October 24, 2018 and is available here.  This should also be used when testing based on ISO/IEC 24091:2019.

Tester's Kit

The above materials are available as a single, easy-to-download file, the Emerald Tester's Kit. The current version, which supoprts testing based on Measurement Specification Versions 3.0.2 and 3.0.3, and on ISO/IEC 24091:2019 is dated April 29, 2020. This kit is updated whenever any of the contents are changed. The Vdbench software and SPEC SFS 2014 are not included due to software licensing constraints. ISO/IEC 24091:2019 is not included due to copyright restrictions. Training materials are not included due to size constraints.