Power-aware adaptation in a data center

• US 20040230848A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Parthasarathy, Wallach, Deborah A., Mayo, Robert N., Stets, Robert J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A data center is disclosed with power-aware adaptation that minimizes the performance impact of reducing the power consumption of individual nodes in the data center. A data center according to the present techniques includes a request redirector that obtains an access request for data stored on a set of storage devices and that distributes the access request to one of a set of access nodes in response to a priority of the access request and a rank of each access node. A data center according to the present techniques also includes a power manager that performs a power adaptation in the data center by selecting access nodes for power reduction based on the ranks of the access nodes. The judicious distribution of access requests to appropriately ranked nodes and the judicious selection of access nodes for power reduction enhances the likelihood that higher priority cached data is not lost during power adaptation.

Claims

1. A data center, comprising:

request redirector that obtains an access request for data stored on a set of storage devices and that distributes the access request to one of a set of access nodes in response to a priority of the access request and a rank of each access node;

power manager that performs a power adaptation in the data center in response to the ranks.

2. The data center of claim 1, wherein the request redirector selects the access node for processing the access request by matching the priority of the access request to the ranks of the access nodes.

3. The data center of claim 2, wherein the request redirector selects the access node having the rank that is a closest match to the priority.

4. The data center of claim 1, wherein the request redirector assigns the priority to the access request.

5. The data center of claim 1, wherein the priority is carried in the access request which is obtained via a network.

6. The data center of claim 1, wherein the priority is determined by the data targeted by the access request.

7. The data center of claim 1, wherein the power adaptation is triggered by a relatively high rate of power consumption in the data center.

8. The data center of claim 1, wherein the power adaptation is triggered by a relatively high level of heat in the data center.

9. The data center of claim 1, wherein the power adaptation is triggered by a relatively slow response time in the data center.

10. The data center of claim 1, wherein the power manager performs the power adaptation by switching off the access node having a lowest rank of the active ones of the access nodes.

11. The data center of claim 1, wherein the power manager performs the power adaptation by switching on the access node having a highest rank of the inactive ones of the access nodes.

12. A method for power-aware adaptation in a data center, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an access request for data stored on a set of storage devices in the data center;

distributing the access request to one of a set of access nodes to the storage devices in response to a priority of the access request and a rank of each access node;

performing a power adaptation in the data center in response to the ranks.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of distributing includes the step of matching the priority of the access request to the ranks of the access nodes.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of distributing includes the step of selecting the access node having the rank that is a closest match to the priority.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of obtaining includes the step of assigning the priority to the access request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of assigning includes the step of assigning the priority to the access request in response to the data targeted by the access request.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of performing a power adaptation comprises the step of performing the power adaptation in response to a relatively high rate of power consumption in the data center.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of performing a power adaptation comprises the step of performing the power adaptation in response to a relatively high level of heat in the data center.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of performing a power adaptation comprises the step of performing the power adaptation in response to a relatively slow response time in the data center.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of performing a power adaptation comprises the step of switching off the access node having a lowest rank of the active ones of the access nodes.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of performing a power adaptation comprises the step of switching on the access node having a highest rank of the inactive ones of the access nodes.