System and method for providing a U-space aligned KVM/Ethernet management switch/serial aggregator controller

• US 10,250,447 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Palmer, John R., Ahmed, Syed S., Masuyama, Jinsaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Strange, Aaron N
• Application Number:
  US14/199,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20150256406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1497 Rooms for data centers; Shipping containers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20827 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. air conditioning devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A server rack includes a rack space including a plurality of rack units for receiving equipment, an aggregator module, and a plurality of management ports. Each management port is coupled to the aggregator, uniquely associated with one of the plurality of rack units, and collocated with the associated rack unit. The aggregator module is operable to determine which rack unit of the plurality of rack units that a first piece of equipment is installed into, based upon a first management port of the first piece of equipment being coupled to a second management port of the plurality of management ports.

Claims

1. A server rack comprising:

a rack space including a plurality of rack units for receiving equipment;

an Internet Protocol-based (IP) keyboard-video-mouse (KVM)/Ethernet management switch (EMS)/serial aggregator; and

a plurality of management ports integrated with a power distribution unit of the server rack, wherein each management port is;

coupled to the aggregator;

uniquely associated by the aggregator with a single one of the rack units; and

collocated with the associated rack unit;

wherein the aggregator is operable to;

receive information from a first piece of equipment that is installed into a particular one of the rack units, wherein the information indicates a location of a first management port on the first piece of equipment; and

determine that the first piece of equipment is installed into the particular one of the rack units, based upon the information received from the first piece of equipment and upon the first management port being connected to a second management port of the plurality of management ports via a connector cable that has a length that is long enough to connect between the first management port and the second management port only when the first piece of equipment is adjacent to the particular rack unit, wherein the second management port is associated by the aggregator with the particular rack unit.

2. The server rack of claim 1, further comprising:

a management controller operable to form a management network with the equipment installed in the rack units via the management ports.

3. The server rack of claim 2, wherein the management controller is further operable to manage the equipment installed in the rack units via the management network.

4. The server rack of claim 3, wherein:

the management network includes a data center management controller; and

the data center management controller is operable to manage the equipment installed in the rack units via the management network.

5. The server rack of claim 2, wherein the aggregator comprises the management controller.

6. The server rack of claim 2, wherein the management controller is further operable to access keyboard, video, and mouse functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

7. The server rack of claim 2, wherein the management controller is further operable to access management functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

8. The server rack of claim 2, wherein the management controller is further operable to access serial functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

9. The server rack of claim 1, further comprising:

a power distribution unit, wherein the aggregator and the management ports are integrated with the power distribution unit.

10. A method comprising:

coupling an Internet Protocol-based (IP) keyboard-video-mouse (KVM)/Ethernet management switch (EMS)/serial aggregator of a server rack to a plurality of management ports, the plurality of management ports integrated with a power distribution unit of the server rack;

associating, by the aggregator, each management port with a single one of the rack units;

collocating each management port with the associated rack unit;

installing first equipment into a first rack unit of the server rack;

connecting a first management port of the first equipment to the management port of the first rack unit via a connector cable that has a length that is long enough to connect between the first management port of the first equipment and the management port of the first rack unit only when the first equipment is adjacent to the first rack unit;

receiving information from the first equipment, wherein the information indicates a location of the first management port on the first equipment; and

determining, via the aggregator, that the first equipment is installed into the first rack unit based upon the information received from the first equipment and upon the first management port of the first equipment being coupled to the management port of the first rack unit via the connector cable, wherein the management port of the first rack unit is associated by the aggregator with the first rack unit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

forming, by a management controller of the server rack, a management network with the equipment installed in the rack units via the management ports; and

managing, via the management network, the equipment installed in the rack units.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

accessing, via the management controller, keyboard, video, and mouse functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

accessing, via the management controller, management functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

14. A server rack comprising:

a rack space including a plurality of rack units for receiving equipment;

an Internet Protocol-based (IP) keyboard-video-mouse (KVM)/Ethernet management switch (EMS)/serial aggregator;

a plurality of management ports integrated with a power distribution unit of the server rack, wherein each management port is;

coupled to the aggregator;

uniquely associated by the aggregator with a single one of the rack units; and

collocated with the associated rack unit;

a management controller operable to form a management network with the equipment installed in the rack units via the management ports; and

a power distribution unit, wherein the aggregator and the management ports are integrated with the power distribution unit;

wherein the aggregator is operable to;

receive information from a first piece of equipment that is installed into a particular one of the rack units, wherein the information indicates a location of a first management port on the first piece of equipment; and

determine that the first piece of equipment is installed into the particular one of the rack units, based upon the information received from the first piece of equipment and upon the first management port of the first piece of equipment being connected to a second management port of the plurality of management ports via a connector cable that has a length that is long enough to connect between the first management port and the second management port only when the first piece of equipment is adjacent to the particular rack unit, wherein the second management port is associated by the aggregator with the particular rack unit.

15. The server rack of claim 14, wherein the management controller is further operable to manage the equipment installed in the rack units via the management network.

16. The server rack of claim 15, wherein:

the management network includes a data center management controller; and

the data center management controller is operable to manage the equipment installed in the rack units via the management network.

17. The server rack of claim 15, wherein the aggregator comprises the management controller.

18. The server rack of claim 14, wherein the management controller is further operable to access keyboard, video, and mouse functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.

19. The server rack of claim 14, wherein the management controller is further operable to access management functions of the equipment installed in the rack units via the aggregator.