Bill Serra

FotoFile: a consumer multimedia organization and retrieval system

FotoFile is an experimental system for multimediaorganization and retrieval, based upon the design goal of makingmultimedia content accessible to non-expert users. Search andretrieval are done in terms that are natural to the task. Thesystem blends human and automatic annotation methods. It extendstextual search, browsing, and retrieval technologies to supportmultimedia data types.

A Self-Configuring Sensing System for Data Centers

Wiring sensors in a data center is extremely expensive in comparison to the wiring of computing equipment. This is due to the central architecture of traditional sensing systems, which requires long wires to be connected between racks and a central box. In addition, a re-layout of the racks after the sensor wires are deployed is practically impossible. We propose using a wireless self-configuring network of smart sensing nodes to alleviate these problems. We explore how to design the sensor control software to be self-reconfiguring when nodes relocate. The software is divided in three layers: network organization, data aggregation and visualization. In this paper, we identify several insights into the thermal monitoring requirements, design issues and initial design solutions for these layers.

Automating server tracking for data centers

Asset management in state of the art data centers is still a manual process. An automated system to track the location of servers and create a real-time inventory would not only improve operations management but also reduce operational costs. This demo shows a novel application of location aware wireless networks, RFID technology and visualization software integrated in end-to-end system to track servers in a data center.