IS5106: Green Information Technology
This module is NOT offered in 2020-21.
Aims
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce the environmental factors related to the use and IT services and systems.
- To allow understanding of the trade-offs that must be made with use of IT services and systems today to make them environmentally friendly(ier).
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, the student should:
- Understand:
- the factors in the environmental impact of IT.
- possible uses of IT to help environment.
- political, social, legal factors in IT usage and the environment.
- Be able to make assessments of:
- environmental impact of IT within a system scenario.
- tensions between usage and impact of IT.
- qualitative and quantitative impact of IT on the environment.
Syllabus
- Hardware energy usage:
- individual systems: servers.
- individual system components.
- individual systems: client systems (for users).
- IT service provision:
- datacentres (use of virtualisation).
- cloud and mobile.
- cost/performance trade-offs.
- Users:
- the role of users in energy usage reduction.
- use of feedback to users (e.g. energy meters).
- Green IT metrics:
- datacentre metrics.
- metrics for individual systems.
- IT systems:
- life cycle.
- manufacture and disposal.
- Non-technical considerations:
- social issues.
- national/international policy.
- legal perspectives.
Compulsory Elements
This module has no compulsory elements beyond those common to all modules (mark of 4 in each assessment component).