Systems and methods for computer equipment management

• US 20090210099A1
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Komienic, Todd, Adams, Michael, Sawczak, Stephen D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,437,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

Methods of placing computer equipment within a server room. The methods may comprise receiving a reservation request for a first piece of computer equipment and selecting a first zone of the server room. The reservation request may specify a type of the first piece of computer equipment. Also, the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus a power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment may be less than a maximum power capacity of the first zone. The methods may also comprise selecting a first cabinet within the first zone. The first cabinet may comprise free physical space sufficient for the first piece of computer equipment. In addition, the methods may comprise reserving a portion of the first cabinet for the first piece of computer equipment.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of placing computer equipment within a server room, the method comprising:

receiving with a server a reservation request for a first piece of computer equipment, wherein the reservation request specifies a type of the first piece of computer equipment, and wherein the server comprises at least one processor and an operatively associated memory comprising computer-readable instructions to be executed by the at least one processor;

selecting with the server a first zone of the server room, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus a power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the first zone;

selecting with the server a first cabinet within the first zone, wherein the first cabinet comprises free physical space sufficient for the first piece of computer equipment; and

reserving with the server a portion of the first cabinet for the first piece of computer equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reservation request further specifies a height of the computer equipment and a width of the computer equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving the maximum power capacity of the first zone considering the number of cooling units servicing the first zone, the type of cooling units servicing the first zone and the heat capacity of computer equipment present in the first zone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first piece of computer equipment has a variable power requirement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first piece of computer equipment is a server configured to run at least a virtual machine software package.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising estimating the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment as the maximum dissipation supported by the first piece of computer equipment.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising estimating the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment by considering historical power dissipation of equipment similar to the first piece of computer equipment to generate an expected maximum power dissipation;

and setting the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment to the expected maximum power dissipation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first cabinet plus the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the cabinet.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising deriving the maximum power capacity of the first cabinet considering the maximum power capacity of the first zone.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising deriving the maximum power capacity of the first cabinet considering at least one factor selected from the group consisting of a cooling characteristic of the first cabinet and a capacity of a cabinet distribution unit (CDU) in the first cabinet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a difference between the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment and the maximum power capacity of the first zone is greater than a safety margin.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the safety margin is at least twenty percent of the maximum power capacity of the first zone.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether placing the first piece of computer equipment at the first cabinet would exceed the weight capacity of all or a portion of a floor of the server room.

14. A system for placing computer equipment within a server room, the system comprising a server comprising at least one processor and an operatively associated memory comprising instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a reservation request for a first piece of computer equipment, wherein the reservation request specifies a type of the first piece of computer equipment;

select a first zone of the server room, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus a power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the first zone;

select a first cabinet within the first zone, wherein the first cabinet comprises free physical space sufficient for the first piece of computer equipment; and

reserve a portion of the first cabinet for the first piece of computer equipment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the reservation request further specifies a height of the computer equipment and a width of the computer equipment.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server to derive the maximum power capacity of the first zone considering the number of cooling units servicing the first zone, the type of cooling units servicing the first zone and the heat capacity of computer equipment present in the first zone.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first piece of computer equipment has a variable power requirement.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first piece of computer equipment is a server configured to run at least a virtual machine software package.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server tog estimate the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment as the maximum dissipation supported by the first piece of computer equipment.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server to estimate the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment by considering historical power dissipation of equipment similar to the first piece of computer equipment to generate an expected maximum power dissipation;

and set the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment to the expected maximum power dissipation.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first cabinet plus the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the cabinet.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server to derive the maximum power capacity of the first cabinet considering the maximum power capacity of the first zone.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server to derive the maximum power capacity of the first cabinet considering at least one factor selected from the group consisting of a cooling characteristic of the first cabinet and a capacity of a cabinet distribution unit (CDU) in the first cabinet.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein a difference between the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus the power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment and the maximum power capacity of the first zone is greater than a safety margin.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the safety margin is at least twenty percent of the maximum power capacity of the first zone.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that cause the server to determine whether placing the first piece of computer equipment at the first cabinet would exceed the weight capacity of all or a portion of a floor of the server room.

27. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions thereon that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a reservation request for a first piece of computer equipment, wherein the reservation request specifies a type of the first piece of computer equipment;

select a first zone of the server room, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus a power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the first zone;

select a first cabinet within the first zone, wherein the first cabinet comprises free physical space sufficient for the first piece of computer equipment; and

reserve a portion of the first cabinet for the first piece of computer equipment.

28. A system for placing computer equipment within a server room, the system comprising:

means for receiving a reservation request for a first piece of computer equipment, wherein the reservation request specifies a type of the first piece of computer equipment;

means for selecting a first zone of the server room, wherein the power dissipated by computer equipment currently present in the first zone plus a power dissipated by the first piece of computer equipment is less than a maximum power capacity of the first zone;

means for selecting a first cabinet within the first zone, wherein the first cabinet comprises free physical space sufficient for the first piece of computer equipment; and

means for reserving a portion of the first cabinet for the first piece of computer equipment.