Apparatus, architecture, and method for integrated modular server system providing dynamically power-managed and work-load managed network devices

• US 20060248324A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Huron IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Huron IP LLC
• Inventors: Fung, Henry T.
• Application Number:
  US11/364,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248324A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Network architecture, computer system and/or server, circuit, device, apparatus, method, and computer program and control mechanism for managing power consumption and workload in computer system and data and information servers. Further provides power and energy consumption and workload management and control systems and architectures for high-density and modular multi-server computer systems that maintain performance while conserving energy and method for power management and workload management. Dynamic server power management and optional dynamic workload management for multi-server environments is provided by aspects of the invention. Modular network devices and integrated server system, including modular servers, management units, switches and switching fabrics, modular power supplies and modular fans and a special backplane architecture are provided as well as dynamically reconfigurable multi-purpose modules and servers. Backplane architecture, structure, and method that has no active components and separate power supply lines and protection to provide high reliability in server environment.

Claims

1. An integrated server system unit comprising:

a frame, housing, or enclosure;

a plurality of network devices disposed within said frame, housing, or enclosure;

said network devices including at least one network device operating as a computer node, at least one network device operating as a monitor node, and at least one network device operating as a switching node; and

each said computer node, said monitor node, and said switching node being coupled for communication.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least two of said computer node, said monitor node, and said switching node are provided by a common physical device.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said integrated server system includes a plurality of computer nodes.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said computer node comprises a server module.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said monitor node comprises a management module.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein said switching node comprises a switch module.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein:

said computer node comprises a server module;

said monitor node comprises a management module; and

switching node comprises a switch module.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein said computer node is power managed to adjust performance to required level and to consume only so much electrical power or energy as to satisfy the required performance level.

9. A system as in claim 7, wherein each of said computer node, said management node, and said switch node are power managed.

10. A system as in claim 8, wherein said computer node is power managed by adjusting processor performance to at least one of (i) a predicted processor processing requirement and (ii) a measured processor processing requirement.

11. A system as in claim 10, wherein said predicted processor processing requirement when used is a Quality of Service (QoS) based requirement, and said measured processor processing requirement when used comprises a substantially real-time measured processor processing requirement.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein said substantially real-time processor processing requirement comprises an idle thread execution detection and response thereto.

13. A system as in claim 9, wherein said management node is power managed by adjusting a processor operation within said management node to provide execution of instructions that permit said management node to sample system loading and adjust other nodes within said system frequently enough to provide a desired power management adjustment update frequency for each node being power managed.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein said processor operation is adjusted by adjusting a management node processor clock frequency and/or a management node processor core voltage.

15. A system as in claim 13, wherein said computer node network devices may be configured or reconfigured as any or all of a web server, a streaming media server, a cache server, an application server, a file server, a router, and combinations thereof.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein said configuration may be performed dynamically during operation of said computer node network device during operation of said system so that said system has a number of computer node network devices sufficient to satisfy a current demand on the network for network devices of that type.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein said configuration or reconfiguration may controlled by a monitor node or a management module, or by a self-reconfiguration procedure within said computer node network device.

18. An dynamically adaptable integrated server system unit comprising:

a frame, housing, or enclosure;

a plurality of configurable and dynamically reconfigurable network devices disposed within said frame, housing, or enclosure; and

said dynamically reconfigurable network devices including at least one network device operating as a computer node.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein said computer node comprises a server module.

20. A system as in claim 19, wherein said server module is initially configurable and subsequently reconfigurable during operation as any one or more or all of a web server, a streaming media server, a cache server, a file server, an application server, a router, and combinations thereof.

21. A system as in claim 18, wherein each computer node is configurable and reconfigurable as a combination type of network device, and wherein said network device configured in said computer node is a network device selected from the set consisting of a web server, a streaming media server, a cache server, a file server, an application server, a router, and combinations thereof.

22. A system as in claim 18, wherein said network device is dynamically and adaptably reconfigurable at any time based on types of activities detected within a network to which the network device is then presently or will be connected.

23. A system as in claim 22, wherein when said network device is configured prospectively for a network that said network device is to be connected, said activities are detected by either said network device in a different configuration or by a different network device coupled to said network.

24. A system as in claim 22, wherein said system includes a network activity monitor that detects the types of activities present on a network to which said activity monitor is coupled.

25. A system as in claim 24, wherein said types of activities present on a network to which said activity monitor is coupled monitored by said activity monitor include at least one of a number or volume of web pages served, a number or volume of streaming media served, a number or volume of files served, a number or volume of applications served, a number or volume of cached data served, an amount of network traffic routed, and combinations thereof.

26. A system as in claim 25, wherein said activity monitor is based in part on detection of the execution of idle threads by a processor within said network device during periods of time when said network device is not performing the activity for which said network device is configured.

27. A system as in claim 18, wherein said server module may be reconfigured at any time based on any one or more of server processor loading, quality of service indicator, or combinations thereof.

28. A system as in claim 19, wherein said server module may be reconfigured at any time based on any one or more of server processor loading, quality of service indicator, or combinations thereof

29. A system as in claim 18, wherein said reconfiguration of a computer node is initiated by any computer node type network device including the same computer node as is being reconfigured.

30. A system as in claim 18, wherein said reconfiguration of a computer node is initiated by any computer node that has been designated as a master computer node.

31. A system as in claim 30, wherein any computer node may be designated as the master node.

32. A system as in claim 31, wherein a particular computer node is designated as a master node on the basis of its position within a chassis.

33. A system as in claim 31, wherein a particular computer node is designated as a master node on the basis of the order of power-up or boot completion.

34. A system as in claim 18, wherein reconfiguration of said computer node comprises altering the software and/or firmware instructing said computer node.

35. A system as in claim 22, wherein reconfiguration of said computer node comprises altering the software and/or firmware instructing said computer node.

36. A system as in claim 18, wherein reconfiguration of said computer node comprises altering the data organization of a data storage device integral with or coupled to said computer node.

37. A system as in claim 22, wherein reconfiguration of said computer node comprises altering the data organization of a data storage device integral with or coupled to said computer node.

38. A system as in claim 37, wherein said data storage device comprises a hard disc drive based RAID storage array and altering said data organization comprises altering a RAID configuration of said data to provide better performance for the type of data being served.

39. A system as in claim 18, wherein said reconfiguration of a computer node is initiated by a management node type network device.

40. A system as in claim 18, wherein said dynamically reconfigurable network devices include a plurality of network devices configured as the same type.

41. A system as in claim 40, wherein a plurality of network devices of the same type are grouped together into a group that are treated as a single network device.

42. A system as in claim 41, wherein said group of network devices treated as a single network device is managed and controlled as a single network device.

43. A system as in claim 42, wherein said group of network devices treated as a single network device is power managed as a single network device.

44. A system as in claim 42, wherein said group of network devices treated as a single network device is monitored as a single network device.

45. A system as in claim 41, wherein said plurality of grouped network devices are coupled for communication and the logical grouping of the plurality of network devices into a single logical network device is performed under control of software or firmware.

46. A system as in claim 41, wherein said plurality of grouped network devices are electrically coupled via a backplane bus and the logical grouping of the plurality of network devices into a single logical network device is performed under control of software.

47. A system as in claim 46, wherein said software executes within a processor and memory associated with each network device.

48. A system as in claim 44, wherein said plurality of network devices each comprise a server group.

49. A system as in claim 44, wherein said plurality of network devices each comprise a computer node.

50. A system as in claim 49, wherein each computer node is configured as a computer node selected from the group consisting of a web server, a streaming media server, a cache server, a file server, an application server, and a router.