Using priorities and power usage to allocate power budget

• US 20080178019A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parchem, John M., McGrane, Sean Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,793,126 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

Abstract

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to using priorities and power usage to allocate power budget to devices. In aspects, a console that maintains power usage, priorities, and other power data regarding a set of devices may receive a notification that a device has exceeded its budgeted power. In response, using priorities and power usage associated with the devices, the console determines one or more devices to instruct to use less power. A device that exceeded its budgeted power may be instructed to operate at a lower power level or another device (e.g., a lower priority device that is underutilizing its budgeted power) may be instructed to reduce its power to remain below a power budget for the set of devices.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform actions, comprising:

receiving a notification that a first device exceeded a threshold associated with a budgeted power, the first device being one of a plurality of devices associated with a power budget that indicates a maximum power that the devices together are allowed to consume;

based at least on a priority and power usage, determining a second device to instruct to lower a power level at which the second device is operating; and

instructing the second device to lower the power level at which the second device is operating.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a rack that houses the other devices and wherein the second device comprises a server housed in the rack.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the devices comprise blades included in a blade server, wherein the notification is received from a blade chassis controller of the blade server, and wherein instructing the second device to lower its power consumption comprises instructing the blade chassis controller to lower power consumption of a blade contained within the blade server.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining a second device to instruct to lower a power level at which the second device is operating comprises determining a second device that is not operating at its lowest power level.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, determining a second device to instruct to lower a power level at which the second device is operating comprises determining one or more of the devices that have the lowest priority that are not operating at their lowest power level, and determining, using the power usage, one of the one or more devices that has used a smallest percentage of its budgeted power.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the power usage comprises a maximum power consumed, a minimum power consumed, and an average power consumed over a time period.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructing each of the devices to operate at a selected power level according to a priority associated with the device and to send a notification if the device exceeds the selected power level.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the power budget also indicates a temperature under which the devices are to operate and wherein receiving a notification that a first device exceeded its threshold indicates that at least one of the devices has exceeded the temperature.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising increasing the budgeted power of the first device and instructing the first device to provide a notification if it exceeds a threshold associated with the increased budgeted power.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising sending a notification to a system administrator regarding increasing the budgeted power of the first device and lowering the power level of the second device.

11. A method implemented at least in part by a computer, the method comprising:

budgeting power to a plurality of devices based at least in part on priorities associated with the devices, each of the devices being associated with a priority with respect to power usage;

instructing each device to send notification if power usage of the device exceeds a threshold associated with a budgeted power for the device;

receiving a notification that a device has exceeded the threshold for the device;

if the device is operating at its lowest power level, instructing the device to power down; and

if the device is operating at a power level greater than its lowest power level, instructing the device to operate at a lower power level than the device is currently operating at.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising indicating power budgeted to each device in a data structure, the data structure including an indication of which devices of a data center are included in the plurality of devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein if the device is operating at a power level greater than its lowest power level further comprising maintaining unchanged the power budgeted to the device in the data structure.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining data regarding power usage of each of the devices.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining an indicator of a power profile at which a device is currently operating for each of the devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indicator is associated with a power level that is not to be exceeded at the power profile.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein instructing the device to operate at a lower power level than the device is currently operating at comprises instructing the device to operate at a lower power level via an operating system executing on the device.

18. In a computer system, a method for displaying power information, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a first device has exceeded a power budgeted to the first device, the first device being one of a plurality of devices associated with a power budget that indicates a maximum power allotted to the devices;

in response to the indication, based at least in part on a priority and power usage of a second device, determining a second device to remove power budget from to give to the first device;

displaying an identifier associated with the first device; and

displaying an identifier associated with the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying a priority of the first device and a priority of the second device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying old and new power budgets of the first and second devices.