Power supply system

• US 20040177283A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawahara, Hideya, Madany, Peter W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,152,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• 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 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24

Abstract

Disclosed is a system having a power input line. A power supply facility provides the system with a combined set of signals including a power signal and a status signal over the power input line.

Additionally, disclosed is a system having at least two power input lines. Uninterruptible power supply facilities provide the system with combined sets of signals including a power signal and a status signal over the power input lines. Each combined set of signals includes a unique UPS identifier, which can be used to determine whether power sources for power input lines are unique.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a power input line; and

a power supply facility providing the system with a combined set of signals including a power signal and a status signal over the power input line.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power supply facility comprises an uninterruptible power supply module coupled to a multiplexor, the multiplexor receiving the power signal at a first input and the status signal at a second input from the uninterruptible power supply module, and the multiplexor multiplexing the power signal and the status signal to generate the combined set of signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the power supply facility comprises a first power supply facility, the combined set of signals comprise a first combined set of signals including a first power signal and a first status signal, the power input line comprises a first power input line, and further comprising:

a second power supply facility providing the system with a second combined set of signals including a second power signal and a second status signal over a second power input line.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second power supply facility comprises an uninterruptible power supply module coupled to a multiplexor, the multiplexor receiving the second power signal at a first input and the second status signal at a second input from the second uninterruptible power supply module, the multiplexor multiplexing the second power signal and the second status signal to generate the second combined set of signals.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises:

a first demultiplexor, the first demultiplexor receiving the first combined set of signals from the first power supply facility; and

a second demultiplexor, the second demultiplexor receiving the second combined set of signals from the second power supply facility.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first demultiplexor demultiplexes the first power signal and the first status signal from the first combined set of signals and provides the system with the first power signal over a third power input line and the first status signal over a first data line and wherein the second demultiplexor demultiplexes the second power signal and the second status signal from the second combined set of signals and provides the system with the second power signal over a fourth power input line and the second status signal over a second data line.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the first combined set of signals includes a first identifier and wherein the second combined set of signals includes a second identifier and further comprising:

control logic for comparing the first identifier and the second identifier to determine whether the first and second power input lines have a same power source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system represents at least one of a storage system, a data processing system, or a network device.

9. A system, comprising:

a first power input line;

a second power input line;

a first data line;

a second data line;

a first demultiplexor receiving first input signals, which include a first power signal and a first status signal, wherein the first demultiplexor demultiplexes the first power signal and the first status signal;

a second demultiplexor receiving second input signals, which include a second power signal and a second status signal, wherein the second demultiplexor demultiplexes the second power signal and the second status signal; and

a computer system coupled to the first demultiplexor via the first power input line and the first data line and coupled to the second demultiplexor via the second power input line and the second data line, wherein the computer system receives the first power signal over the first power input line and the first status signal over the first data line, wherein the computer system receives the second power signal over the second power input line and the second status signal over the second data line, wherein the first status signal includes a first identifier and the second status signal includes a second identifier, and wherein the computer system compares the first identifier with the second identifier to determine whether two different uninterruptible power supply facilities are being used to power the system.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

when the first identifier and the second identifier match, the computer system determining that two different uninterruptible power supply facilities are not being used to power the system; and

when the first identifier and the second identifier do not match, the computer system determining that two different uninterruptible power supply facilities are being used to power the system.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a first uninterruptible power supply facility providing the system with the first status signal; and

a second uninterruptible power supply facility providing the system with a second status signal.

12. A system, comprising:

a first power input line;

a second power input line;

a computer system that receives a first power signal over the first power input line and a second power signal over the second power input line and compares a first phase of the first power signal with a second phase of the second power signal to determine whether the first power signal and the second power signal are powered by independent power sources.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a first power supply coupled to the computer system and providing the first power signal over the first power input line; and

a second power supply coupled to the computer system and providing the second power signal over the second power input line.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a first data line; and

a second data line,

wherein the computer system receives a first status signal over the first data line and a second status signal over the second data line.

15. A method for determining a configuration of a power supply system, comprising:

receiving a first signal;

receiving a second signal different from the first signal; and

comparing the first signal and the second signal to determine how the power supply system is configured.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first signal is a first power signal, the second signal is a second power signal, and further comprising:

comparing a phase of the first power signal with a phase of the second power signal; and

determining whether the first power signal and the second power signal are generated by independent power sources based on the comparison.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first signal comprises a first status signal including a first identifier, the second signal comprises a second status signal including a second identifier, and further comprising:

comparing the first identifier and the second identifier; and

determining whether the first status signal and the second status signal have a same power source based on the comparison.

18. A method for determining a configuration of a power supply system comprising:

transmitting a message containing an identifier through a first source;

receiving the message containing the identifier through a second source that is different from the first source; and

determining that the first source and the second source are connected to each other based on receiving the message containing the identifier.