Adaptive throttling

• US 20040158771A1
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Garnett, Paul J., Burnham, Andrew S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,124,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0796 Safety measures, i.e. ensuring safe condition in the event of error, e.g. for controlling element
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications

Abstract

A computer system is provided having at least one processing resource, at least one power resource and at least one redundant power resource. The at least one processing resource is operable to exploit a greater level of power than is provided by the at least one power resource. The at least one processing resource is configured to exploit power provided by both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource, at a time when both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource are both operable to provide power. The at least one processing resource is further configured to limit its power consumption to the power supply capability of one of the power resource and the redundant power resource when one of the power resource and the redundant power resource is not available

Claims

1. A computer system having at least one processing element and at least two power supply elements operable to provide redundant power supply for the at least one processing element, the processing element being configured to consume more power than is provided by the power supply capability of one of the power supply elements at a time when redundant power supply is available, and to limit its power consumption to the power supply capability of one of the power supply elements when redundant power supply is not available.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing element is operable to detect an availability status of each power supply element.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the processing element is operable to detect said status by comparison of a voltage level associated with a received voltage level to a reference voltage.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing element is operable to reduce its power consumption by reducing the power consumption of a processing component within that processing element.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the processing element is operable to reduce the power consumption of said processing component by applying a control signal to a throttle input of the processing component.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing element is further configured to adjust the power consumption of the processing element in response to a measured power consumption of the processing element less than the power supply capability of one of the power supply elements when redundant power supply is not available.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the processing element is operable to detect whether the power consumption of the processing element is greater or less than a predetermined threshold level.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said threshold level is determined as a portion of the maximum power supply available to the processing element when redundant power is not available.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing element is further configured to adjust the power consumption of the processing element in response to a measured power consumption of the processing element less than the power supply capability of all of the power supply elements when redundant power supply is available.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the processing element is operable to detect whether the power consumption of the processing element is greater or less than a predetermined threshold level.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said threshold level is determined as a portion of the maximum power supply available to the processing element when redundant power is available.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein comprising a plurality of processing elements, at least one of which being a processing element configured to consume more power than is provided by the power supply capability of one of the power supply elements at a time when redundant power supply is available, and to limit its power consumption to the power supply capability of one of the power supply elements when redundant power supply is not available.

13. The computer system of claim 1, configured as a modular computer system.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the processing element is configured as a removable processing module arranged to be removably received in a processing module receiving location of said modular computer system.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein each power supply element is configured as a removable power supply module arranged to be removably received in a power supply module location of said modular computer system.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing element is configured as a field replaceable unit.

17. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a computer system management element operable to interrogate each of a plurality of processing elements to determine a current power consumption for each of said plurality of processing elements, to compare each said current power consumptions to a current maximum allowable power consumption for the respective processing element to obtain a power comparison result, and to instruct selected ones of said plurality of processing elements to increase or decrease their power consumption in accordance with said power comparison result.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein said power consumption result is dependent upon the total maximum power available from the power supply elements.

19. A computer system having at least one processing means for performing a processing task and at least two power supply means for providing redundant power supply for the at least one processing means, the processing means being configured to consume more power than is provided by the power supply capability of one of the power supply means at a time when redundant power supply is available, and to limit its power consumption to the power supply capability of one of the power supply means when redundant power supply is not available

20. A computer system operable to receive redundant power supply, wherein the computer system is operable to exploit additional power provided by the redundant power supply at a time when the redundant supply is available and to limit power exploitation to available power when the redundant supply is not available.

21. A method of exploiting redundant power provided to a programmable processing apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting an operational status of each of a plurality of power supplies to the programmable processing apparatus to determine a redundancy availability result;

permitting the programmable processing apparatus to utilize more power than is available in the event of a negative redundancy availability result upon a determination of a positive redundancy availability result; and

limiting the power utilization of the programmable processing apparatus to the power that is available in the event of a negative redundancy availability result upon a determination of a negative redundancy availability result.

22. A computer system having at least one processing resource and at least one power resource and at least one redundant power resource, wherein the at least one processing resource is operable to exploit a greater level of power than is provided by the at least one power resource, the at least one processing resource being configured to exploit power provided by both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource at a time when both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource are both operable to provide power.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the at least one processing resource is further configured to exploit power provided by either the at least one power resource or the at least one redundant power resource at a time when less than all of the at least one power resource or the at least one redundant power resource are operable to provide power.

24. The computer system of claim 23, wherein the at least one processing resource is operable to control the level of power exploited by that processing resource in response to detecting an operable status of each of the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource.

25. The computer system of claim 24, comprising a plurality of processing resources, and wherein each of the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource is operable to simultaneously provide power to each of the processing resources.

26. A computer system comprising a plurality of processing elements, at least one power supply element, and a computer system management element operable to interrogate each of the plurality of processing elements to determine a current power consumption for each of said plurality of processing elements, to compare each said current power consumptions to a current maximum allowable power consumption for the respective processing element to obtain a power comparison result, and to instruct selected ones of said plurality of processing elements to increase or decrease their power consumption in accordance with said power comparison result.