Rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method

• US 20050203761A1
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• 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: Espinoza-Ibarra, Ricardo E., Barr, Andrew Harvey, Bresniker, Kirk Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method is presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, a power pricing plan rack equipment control method is utilized to control operation of rack equipment. A power pricing plan for operating the rack equipment is established. The rack equipment is operated in accordance with the power pricing plan.

Claims

1. A power pricing plan rack equipment control method comprising:

establishing a power pricing plan for operating rack equipment; and

controlling operation of said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling said operation includes said rack equipment performance settings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling said operation includes changing power consumption by said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said power plan indicates a reduction in a voltage and a frequency of said rack equipment when a price for power increases.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said power plan indicates an increase in a voltage and a frequency of said rack equipment when a price for power decreases.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling said operation comprises automatically adjusting said performance interactively.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a power pricing change; and

analyzing correspondence of said power pricing change to performance control instructions included in said power pricing plan.

8. A computer-useable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to implement a power pricing performance instructions comprising:

a power pricing detection module for detecting indications of power pricing fluctuations covered by a power pricing plan;

a power pricing plan policy module for ascertaining power pricing plan instructions associated with said power pricing fluctuations; and

an instruction generation module for generating rack equipment performance adjustment commands to implement said power pricing plan instructions.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising a telemetry monitoring module for monitoring characteristics and activity of rack equipment associated with said adjustments commands.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising a power pricing event spawning module for generating power pricing events.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein said instruction generation module comprises functionality for generating a command to postpone processing.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein said power pricing plan information is an agreement between a host and a client and is structured in manner to accommodate business activities of said client.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein said telemetry monitoring module also confirms said performance adjustments commands are complied with.

14. A power pricing rack equipment control system comprising:

rack equipment for processing data;

a power pricing plan component for controlling said rack equipment based on a power pricing plan policy; and

a communications bus for coupling said equipment and said power pricing plan control component, wherein said communications bus is utilized for communicating information between said power pricing plan control component and said rack equipment.

15. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan component is operable to modulate power consumed by said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan.

16. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan component is operable to switch on and off said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan.

17. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, further comprising a master management control center for coordinating control of rack equipment among a plurality of racks.

18. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan policy is dynamically adjustable on the fly.

19. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan policy is structured in accordance with business needs of a client.

20. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, further comprising:

a memory for storing equipment information and power pricing plan policy information; and

a cross indexing component for cross indexing said equipment information and said power pricing plan policy information.