Techniques for managing or controlling computing devices

• US 10,013,261 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnapura, Sheshaprasad G., Lal, Vipul, Tang, Ty H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammadi, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US14/020,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20140075179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3031 where the computing system component is a motherboard or an expansion card
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/448 Execution paradigms, e.g. implementations of programming paradigms

Abstract

Examples are disclosed for receiving or gathering asset information associated with computing devices housed in respective decentralized locations. The gathered or received asset information may be stored. A portion of the computing devices may be grouped based on the stored asset information to create a virtual rack. An operating parameter of at least some of the computing devices included in the virtual rack may then be managed or controlled.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving asset information associated with computing devices separately housed in respective decentralized locations, the received asset information including indications of;

a type of usage configuration for each of the computing devices, the usage configuration for at least one of the computing devices comprising data storage and the usage configuration for at least one other of the computing devices comprising software as a service; and

at least one identification number of the computing devices;

gathering additional asset information associated with each of the computing devices, the additional asset information gathered via network communication links coupled to the computing devices, the additional asset information comprising at least one of a hardware element or operating configuration of the computing devices;

storing the received asset information and the additional asset information in a database;

grouping a first portion of the computing devices to create a first virtual rack based, at least in part, on the stored asset information and the types of usage configuration;

managing or controlling an operating parameter of one or more computing devices included in the first virtual rack;

collecting, on a periodic basis, parameter information associated with the operating parameter;

receiving a request to change the operating parameter for at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack;

accessing the database to identify the at least one computing device;

causing the change to the operating parameter; and

updating the stored asset information based on the change to the operating parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising updating the stored asset information based on updated parameter information associated with managing or controlling the operating parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, the operating parameter comprising at least one of a basic input output system (BIOS) setting, a power usage setting, a processor utilization setting, a data throughput setting, a memory utilization setting or a thermal sensor alarm setting.

4. The method of claim 1, gathering the additional asset information comprises receiving the additional asset information from a plurality of computing devices and gathering the additional asset information for computing devices having identification numbers included in the received asset information.

5. The method of claim 1, gathering the additional asset information comprises probing a plurality of computing devices via network communication links coupled to the plurality of computing devices, determining which computing devices from among the plurality of computing devices have identification numbers included in the received asset information and gathering the additional asset information for computing devices having identification numbers included in the received asset information.

6. The method of claim 1, grouping at least the first portion of the computing devices comprises grouping the first portion based on a similar type of usage configuration, the types of usage configuration comprising at least one of website hosting, online game hosting, data storage, cloud services or software as a service hosting.

7. The method of claim 1, the additional asset information associated with each of the computing devices comprising one or more of a separate identification number for each of the computing devices, a processor model number associated with each of the computing devices, a memory capacity for each of the computing devices, disk storage information associated with each of the computing devices, network addressing information associated with each of the computing devices or peripheral component interconnect devices supported by each of the computing devices.

8. The method of claim 7, grouping at least the first portion of the computing devices comprises grouping the first portion based on a similar processor model number, a similar memory capacity, or similar peripheral component interconnect devices supported.

9. The method of claim 1, storing the received asset information and the additional asset information in a database, managing or controlling the operating parameter comprises receiving a request for information associated with at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack, accessing the database to obtain the information from the stored asset information and providing the requested information to the requestor.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

grouping a second portion of the computing devices to create a second virtual rack based, at least in part, on the stored asset information; and

managing or controlling an operating parameter of one or more computing devices included in the second virtual rack.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processor circuit;

a configuration module arranged for execution by the processor circuit to;

receive asset information associated with computing devices separately housed in respective decentralized locations, the received asset information to include indications of;

a type of usage configuration for each of the computing devices, the usage configuration for at least one of the computing devices comprising data storage and the usage configuration for at least one other of the computing devices comprising software as a service; and

at least one identification number of the computing devices;

gather additional asset information associated with each of the computing devices, the additional asset information gathered via network communication links coupled to the computing devices, the additional asset information comprising at least one of a hardware element or operating configuration of the computing devices; and

store the received asset information and the additional asset information in a database; and

a manager module arranged for execution by the processor circuit to;

group at least a first portion of the computing devices to create a first virtual rack based on the stored asset information and on a similar type of usage configuration;

manage or control an operating parameter of one or more computing devices included in the first virtual rack;

receive a request to change the operating parameter for at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack;

access the database to identify the at least one computing device;

cause the change to the operating parameter; and

update the stored asset information based on the change to the operating parameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising the manager module also arranged to update the stored asset information based on updated parameter information associated with managing or controlling the operating parameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, the operating parameter comprising at least one of a basic input output system (BIOS) setting, a power usage setting, a processor utilization setting, a data throughput setting, a memory utilization setting or a thermal sensor setting.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, the received asset information and the additional asset information stored in a database, the manager module to manage or control the operating parameter comprises the manager module arranged to receive a request to change the operating parameter for at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack, access the database to identify the at least one computing device, cause the change to the operating parameter and cause the configuration module to update the stored asset information based on the change to the operating parameter.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, the received asset information and the additional asset information stored in a database, the manager module to manage or control the operating parameter comprises the manager module arranged to receive a request for information associated with at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack, access the database to obtain the information from the stored asset information and provide the requested information to the requestor.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising the received asset information to include identification numbers for each of the computing devices, the configuration module to gather the additional asset information by gathering the additional asset information for computing devices having identification numbers included in the received asset information.

17. At least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed on a system cause the system to:

receive asset information associated with computing devices separately housed in respective decentralized locations, the received asset information including indication of;

a type of usage configuration for each of the computing devices, the usage configuration for at least one of the computing devices comprising data storage and the usage configuration for at least one other of the computing devices comprising software as a service; and

at least one identification number of the computing devices;

gather additional asset information associated with each of the computing devices, the additional asset information gathered via network communication links coupled to the computing devices, the additional asset information comprising at least one of a hardware element or operating configuration of the computing devices;

store the received asset information and the additional asset information in a database;

group at least a first portion of the computing devices to create a first virtual rack based, at least in part, on the stored received asset information or the stored additional asset information and the types of usage configuration;

manage an operating parameter of at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack;

receiving a request to change the operating parameter for at least one computing device included in the first virtual rack;

accessing the database to identify the at least one computing device;

causing the change to the operating parameter; and

updating the stored asset information based on the change to the operating parameter.

18. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, the operating parameter comprising at least one of a basic input output system (BIOS) setting, a power usage value, a processor utilization value, a data throughput value, a memory utilization value or a thermal sensor value.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, the system to gather the additional asset information comprises the system to receive the additional asset information from a plurality of computing devices and gather the additional asset information for computing devices having identification numbers included in the received asset information.

20. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, the system to group at least the first portion of the computing devices comprises the system to group the first portion based on a similar type of usage configuration, the types of usage configuration comprising at least one of website hosting, online game hosting, data storage, cloud services or software as a service hosting.

21. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, the additional asset information associated with each of the computing devices comprising one or more of a separate identification number for each of the computing devices, a processor model number associated with each of the computing devices, a memory capacity for each of the computing devices, disk storage information associated with each of the computing devices, network addressing information associated with each of the computing devices or peripheral component interconnect devices supported by each of the computing devices.

22. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the system to group at least the first portion of the computing devices based on a similar processor model number, a similar memory capacity, or similar peripheral component interconnect devices supported.

23. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, comprising the received asset information including identification numbers for each of the computing devices, the instructions to cause the system to gather additional asset information includes instructions to cause the system to:

probe a plurality of computing devices via network communication links coupled to the plurality of computing devices,

determine which computing devices from among the plurality of computing devices have identification numbers included in the received asset information; and

gather the additional asset information for computing devices having identification numbers included in the received asset information.