Information technology (IT) equipment positioning system

• US 20060171538A1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Malone, Christopher G., Larson, Thane M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,182,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836

Abstract

An information technology (IT) equipment positioning system comprises a plurality of wireless transponders distributed in multiple locations in the data center and a controller. The controller is adapted to operate the transponders using triangulation to identify and detect positioning according to three-dimensional coordinates for wireless-tagged IT equipment located in the data center.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled electronic device comprising:

an item of information technology (IT) equipment;

at least one radio frequency identifier (RFID); and

a storage coupled to the RFID including a data structure field that characterizes physical dimensions of the IT equipment item.

2. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

the storage coupled to the RFID including a data structure field that embeds at least one command line interface (CLI) code.

3. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identifiers (RFIDs) arranged on the IT equipment item whereby orientation of the IT equipment item can be determined by triangulation.

4. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one active radio frequency identifier (RFID).

5. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one passive radio frequency identifier (RFID).

6. An information technology (IT) equipment positioning system for usage in a data center comprising:

a plurality of wireless transponders distributed in multiple locations in the data center; and

a controller coupled to the plurality of wireless transponders and adapted to operate the transponders using triangulation to identify and detect positioning according to three-dimensional coordinates for wireless-tagged IT equipment located in the data center.

7. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

the controller further adapted to detect a volume-space occupied by wireless-tagged IT equipment located in the data center according to dimension information encoded in association with a wireless tag of the IT equipment.

8. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

a graphical user interface; and

the controller configured to display via the graphical user interface a mapping describing a current data center configuration and positioning of IT equipment within the data center.

9. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

the controller further adapted to detect orientation of wireless-tagged IT equipment located in the data center based on detection of at least two wireless tags attached to separated surfaces of the IT equipment.

10. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

a graphical user interface; and

the controller configured to display via the graphical user interface a real-time inventory, location mapping, and size description of IT equipment within the data center.

11. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

at least three wireless transponders distributed at locations in the data center sufficient to use triangulation for determining three-dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment.

12. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

at least one robot adapted to mount at least one wireless transponder, patrol the data center, and determine positioning of the IT equipment.

13. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

an item of information technology (IT) equipment;

at least one wireless tag coupled to the item of IT equipment; and

a storage coupled to the wireless tag including a data structure field that characterizes physical dimensions of the IT equipment item.

14. A database stored on a computer-readable medium comprising:

a plurality of data fields configured to map a data center in a three-dimensional space, the plurality of data fields including;

transponder data fields adapted for usage with at least three transponders in a wireless communication system that uses triangulation to determine three-dimensional position coordinates for wireless-tagged information technology (IT) equipment positioned in the data center;

location data fields adapted to identify location of the IT equipment within the data center determined by triangulation; and

dimensional data fields adapted to identify spatial dimensions of the IT equipment within the data center encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment.

15. The database according to claim 14 wherein the data fields further include:

command data fields adapted to store at least one command line interface (CLI) code encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment.

16. The database according to claim 14 wherein the data fields further include:

orientation data fields adapted to store orientation information determined using triangulation of at least two wireless tags in at least two positions on the IT equipment in the data center.

17. The database according to claim 14 wherein the data fields further include:

volume-space data fields adapted to identify volume of the IT equipment within the data center encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment.

18. A method of mapping information technology (IT) equipment in a data center comprising:

distributing at least three transponders in the data center;

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, wireless tag signals for tags coupled to and associated with IT equipment within the data center; and

mapping IT equipment location by triangulation of the monitored wireless tag signals.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

encoding the tags with information characterizing spatial package dimensions of the IT equipment;

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, the spatial dimension tag information; and

mapping the monitored IT equipment dimensions.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising:

displaying a real-time dynamic location and spatial dimension mapping describing a current configuration of IT equipment in the data center.

21. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

displaying a real-time dynamic location mapping describing a current configuration of IT equipment in the data center.

22. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, at least one command line interface (CLI) code encoded in a tag coupled to and associated with IT equipment within the data center.

23. An article of manufacture comprising:

a controller usable medium having a computable readable program code embodied therein for mapping information technology (IT) equipment in a data center, the computable readable program code further comprising;

a code capable of causing the controller to distribute at least three transponders in the data center;

a code capable of causing the controller to monitor, via the at least three transponders, wireless tag signals for tags coupled to and associated with IT equipment within the data center; and

a code capable of causing the controller to map IT equipment location by triangulation of the monitored wireless tag signals.

24. The article of manufacture according to claim 23 further comprising:

a code capable of causing the controller to encode the tags with information characterizing spatial package dimensions of the IT equipment;

a code capable of causing the controller to monitor, via the at least three transponders, the spatial dimension tag information; and

a code capable of causing the controller to map the monitored IT equipment dimensions.