SYSTEM AND INTERFACE FOR CONTROLLING DEVICES

• US 20090119683A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Satoru, Sugiyama, Kentaroh
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836

Abstract

A group of IT devices is divided into zones according to a predetermined condition. An IT managing server that manages the group of IT devices sends a control request for changing the state of IT devices included in one of the zones according to the state of those IT devices under its management. The control request specifies the zone as a control target. A facility managing server that manages a group of facility devices receives the control request and controls a facility device that exerts effect on the zone, which is specified as the control target in the control request.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first managing server for managing a group of first devices and sending a control request for changing a state of a first device according to the state of the first device under its management, wherein the group of first devices is divided into zones according to a predetermined condition, the first device is present in one of the zones, and the control request specifies the zone as a control target; and

a second managing server for managing a group of second devices, receiving the control request, and controlling a second device that exerts effect on the zone, which is specified as the control target in the control request.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the zone is a range set for each group of the first devices which are to be subject to a certain effect by a function of the second device.

3. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the first managing server comprises:

a first managing unit for generating a control request, which specifies the first device as a control target, according to the state of each of the first devices;

a first storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the first devices and the zones; and

a first converter for converting the control request which specifies the first device as a control target into a control request which specifies a control target for each of the zones based on the correspondence information stored in the first storing unit;

and

wherein the second managing server comprises;

a second storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the second devices of the group of the second devices and the zones;

a second converter for converting the control request which is converted by the first converter of the first managing server into a control request which specifies the second device as a control target, wherein the second device exerts effect on the zone which is specified as the control target in the control request, based on the correspondence information stored in the second storing unit; and

a second managing unit for controlling each of second devices based on the control request which is converted by the second converter.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second managing server sends a control request, which specifies a control target for each of the zones, for changing the state of the first device that is present in the zone, according to the state of the second device under its management, and wherein the first managing server receives the control request and controls the first device that is present in the zone, wherein the zone is specified as a control target in the control request.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is an air-conditioner.

6. A system comprising:

a first managing server for managing a group of first devices; and

a second managing server for managing a group of second devices, wherein the second managing server sends a control request for changing a state of a first device according to the state of the second device under its management, wherein the group of first devices is divided into zones according to a predetermined condition, the first device is present in one of the zones, and the control request specifies the zone as a control target; and

the first managing server receives the control request and controls a first device that is present in the zone, wherein the zone is specified as the control target in the control request.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the zone is a range set for each group of the first devices which are to be subject to a certain effect by a function of the second device.

8. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the second managing server comprises:

a managing unit for generating a control request, which specifies the first device associated with the second device as a control target, according to the state of each of the second devices;

a storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the second devices and the zones; and

a converter for converting the control request which specifies the second device as a control target into a control request which specifies a control target for each of the zones based on the correspondence information stored in the storing unit; and

wherein the first managing server comprises;

a storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the first devices of the group of the first devices and the zones;

a converter for converting the control request which is converted by the converter of the second managing server into a control request which specifies the first device as a control target, wherein the first device is present in the zone that is specified as the control target in the control request, based on the correspondence information stored in the storing unit of the first managing server; and

a managing unit for controlling each of the first devices based on the control request which is converted by the converter of the first managing server.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the first device is a power supply unit and the second device is a computer.

10. An interface comprising:

a first interface for obtaining and converting a control request generated by a first managing server that manages a group of first devices, and sending the converted control request; and

a second interface for receiving and converting the control request and passing the converted control request to a second managing server that manages a group of second devices;

wherein

the first interface comprises;

a first storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the first devices of the group of first devices and a zone, wherein the group of first devices is divided into the zones according to a predetermined condition; and

a first converter for converting the control request into a control request which specifies the zone as a control target, based on the correspondence information stored in the first storing unit;

and

wherein the second interface comprises;

a second storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the second devices of the group of second devices and the zone; and

a second converter for converting the control request that is converted by the first converter of the first interface into a control request that specifies the second device as a control target, wherein the second device exerts effect on the zone that is specified as the control target in the control request, based on the correspondence information stored in the second storing unit.

11. The interface according to claim 10, wherein the zone is a range set for each group of the first devices which are to be subject to a certain effect by a function of the second device.

12. The interface according to claim 10, wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is an air-conditioner.

13. An interface comprising:

a first interface for receiving and converting a control request for a group of first devices and passing the converted control request to a first managing server that manages the group of first devices; and

a second interface for obtaining and converting the control request for the group of first devices generated by a second managing server that manages a group of second devices, and sending the converted control request to the first interface;

wherein

the second interface comprises;

a storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the second devices of the group of second devices and a zone, wherein the group of first devices is divided into the zones according to a predetermined condition; and

a converter for converting the control request into a control request which specifies the zone as a control target, based on the correspondence information stored in the storing unit; and

the first interface comprises;

a storing unit for storing correspondence information indicating correspondence between each of the first devices of the group of first devices and the zone; and

a converter for converting the control request that is converted by the converter of the second interface into a control request that specifies a first device as a control target, wherein the first device is present in the zone that is specified as a control target in the control request, based on the correspondence information stored in the storing unit of the first interface part.

14. The interface according to claim 13, wherein the zone is a range set for each group of the first devices which are to be subject to a certain effect by a function of the second device.

15. The interface according to claim 13, wherein the first device is a power supply unit and the second device is a computer.