Method and control system providing an interactive interface for device-level monitoring and servicing of distributed, large-scale information handling system (LIHS)

• US 10,009,232 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Duncan, Tyler B., Toulouse, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowenberger, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US14/748,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A controller of a large-scale information handling system (LIHS) includes a memory containing visual representations of architecture and sub-architecture associated with respective data center (DC) configurations. An interactive component-level visual monitoring and control (ICVMC) system includes a processor in communication with the component level monitors and the memory and includes an ICVMC module executing on the processor to receive identification information from one or more component-level monitors of a DC. The DC includes-functional components operationally configured and interconnected in a core architecture in a first DC configuration and monitored respectively by the one or more component-level monitors. The ICVMC module determines the first DC configuration and associated core architecture based on the received identification information. The ICVMC module generates graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the DC based on the determined first DC configuration and the visual representation of architecture and sub-architectures associated with the first DC configuration.

Claims

1. A large-scale information handling system (LIHS) comprising:

a data center (DC) that comprises functional components operationally configured and interconnected in a core architecture in a first DC configuration and comprises one or more component-level monitors that monitor respective functional components;

a memory containing visual representations of architecture and sub-architecture associated with respective DC configurations;

a display device;

a processor in communication with the component level monitors, the display device, and the memory; and

an interactive component-level visual monitoring and control (ICVMC) system comprising an ICVMC module executing on the processor and which enables the processor to;

receive identification information from the one or more component-level monitors of the DC;

determine the first DC configuration and identify associated core architecture based on the received identification information;

generate one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the DC based on the determined first DC configuration and the visual representation of architecture and sub-architectures associated with the first DC configuration, and

display, via the display device, at least one of the one or more GUIs providing the visual representation of the architecture and sub-architecture associated with the first DC configuration;

wherein the visual representations of architecture and sub-architecture associated with respective DC configurations including a mirror-image core architecture to the first DC configuration; and

the ICVMC system generates, via the processor, the one or more GUIs for the DC by configuring the processor to;

determine that received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration; and

in response to determining that the received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration create a mirror-image of at least one visual representation associated with a corresponding mirror-image core architecture.

2. The LIHS of claim 1, wherein the data center comprises a network interface and the ICVMC system:

detects, via the network interface, each network-connected DC (nDC);

in response to detection of the nDC, generates and issues a signal that triggers the nDC to run a setup diagnostic procedure to retrieve and compile a listing of specific components that are present in the nDC; and

receive the listing of specific components and other information associated with monitoring and control of the nDC.

3. The LIHS of claim 1, wherein the ICVMC system:

receives a listing of specific components of the DC from the one or more component-level monitors; and

incorporates information associated with the specific components in a first DC configuration data structure that is associated with the DC.

4. The LIHS of claim 3, wherein the information incorporated in the first DC configuration data structure comprises one or more of a serial number, a firmware configuration, and a model number of each specific component in the listing.

5. The LIHS of claim 1, wherein the ICVMC system:

detects, via the network interface, each network-connected DC (nDC);

in response to detection of each nDC, associates a geographic location with each nDC; and

generates a high-level GUI comprising the geographic locations depicted on a geographic representation; and

displays the high-level GUI with the geographic locations of each nDC in response to receipt of a selection of a geographic representation GUI.

6. The LIHS of claim 1, wherein:

the visual representations comprise three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) models; and

the ICVMC system displays the visual representations by rendering the CAD models at a user selected spatial orientation.

7. An interactive component-level visual monitoring and control (ICVMC) system of a large-scale information handling system (LIHS), the system comprising:

one or more component-level monitors that monitor respective functional components within data centers of the LIHS;

a memory containing visual representations of architecture and sub-architecture associated with respective data center (DC) configurations, including a mirror-image core architecture to a first DC configuration; and

;

a processor in communication with the one or more component level monitors and the memory; and

an ICVMC module executing on the processor causing the processor to;

receive identification information from the one or more component-level monitors of a DC, the DC comprising functional components operationally configured and interconnected in a core architecture in the first DC configuration and monitored respectively by the one or more component-level monitors;

determine the first DC configuration and associated core architecture based on the received identification information;

generate one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the DC based on the determined first DC configuration and the visual representation of architecture and sub-architectures associated with the first DC configuration; and

display, via the display device, at least one of the one or more GUIs providing the visual representation of the architecture and sub-architecture associated with the first DC configuration;

wherein the ICVMC module causes the processor to generate the one or more GUIs for the DC by configuring the processor to;

determine that received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration; and

in response to determining that the received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration create a mirror-image of at least one visual representation associated with a corresponding mirror-image core architecture.

8. The ICVMC system of claim 7, wherein the ICVMC system:

detects, via a network interface, each network-connected DC (nDC);

in response to detection of the nDC, generates and issues a signal that triggers the nDC to run a setup diagnostic procedure to retrieve and compile a listing of specific components that are present in the nDC; and

receives the listing of specific components and other information associated with monitoring and control of the nDC.

9. The ICVMC system of claim 7, wherein the ICVMC module:

receives a listing of specific components of the DC from the one or more component-level monitors; and

incorporates information associated with the specific components in a first DC configuration data structure that is associated with the DC.

10. The ICVMC system of claim 9, wherein the information incorporated in the first DC configuration data structure comprises one or more of a serial number, a firmware configuration, and a model number of each specific component in the listing.

11. The ICVMC system of claim 7, wherein the ICVMC module:

detects, via the network interface, each network-connected DC (nDC);

in response to detection of each nDC, associates a geographic location with each nDC; and

generates a high-level GUI comprising the geographic locations depicted on a geographic representation.

12. The ICVMC system of claim 7, wherein:

the visual representations comprise three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) models; and

the ICVMC module displays the visual representations by rendering the CAD models at a user selected spatial orientation.

13. A method of interactively and visually monitoring and controlling a large-scale information handling system (LIHS) at a component level, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor of an information handling system (IHS), identification information from one or more component-level monitors of a data center (DC), the DC comprising functional components operationally configured and interconnected in a core architecture in a first DC configuration and monitored respectively by the one or more component-level monitors;

determining, via the processor, the first DC configuration and associated core architecture based on the received identification information;

generating, via the processor, one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the DC, based on the determined first DC configuration and visual representation of architecture and sub-architectures associated with the first DC configuration selected from a plurality of visual representations of architecture and sub-architecture associated with respective DC configurations;

displaying, via a display device, at least one of the one or more GUIs providing the visual representation of the architecture and sub-architecture associated with the first DC configuration;

determining, by the processor, that received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration; and

in response to determining that the received identification information is associated with a pre-existing mirror-image DC configuration, creating a mirror-image of at least one visual representation associated with a corresponding mirror-image core architecture.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting, via the network interface, each network-connected DC (nDC);

in response to detection of the nDC, triggering the nDC to run a setup diagnostic procedure to retrieve and compile a listing of specific components that are present in the nDC and to return the listing to the requesting system; and

receiving the listing of specific components and other information associated with monitoring and control of the nDC.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a listing of specific components of the DC from the one or more component-level monitors; and

incorporating, in a listing in a first DC configuration data structure that is associated with the DC, information associated with the specific components and comprising one or more of a serial number, a firmware configuration, and a model number of each specific component.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting each network-connected DC (nDC) via the network interface;

in response to detection of each nDC, associating a geographic location with each nDC; and

generating a high-level GUI comprising the geographic locations depicted on a geographic representation.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the visual representations comprise three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) models; and

displaying the visual representations comprises rendering the CAD models at a user selected spatial orientation.