Enhanced Thermal Management for Improved Module Reliability

• US 20100049995A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Floyd, Michael S., Casey, Jon A., Muncy, Jennifer V., Weekly, Roger D., Ghiasi, Soraya, Marston, Kenneth C., Ware, Malcolm S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Mitigating effects of delamination of components in the data processing system is provided. A signal is received from one or more sensors in the data processing system. A determination is made as to whether the signal indicates that one threshold in a plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded. Responsive to the signal indicating that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, a determination is made as to whether the one threshold is a low temperature threshold or a high temperature threshold. Responsive to the one threshold being a low temperature threshold, one of a plurality of actions is initiated to increase a temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for mitigating effects of delamination of components in the data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a signal from one or more sensors in the data processing system;

determining if the signal indicates that one threshold in a plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded;

responsive to the signal indicating that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, determining if the one threshold is a low temperature threshold or a high temperature threshold;

responsive to the one threshold being a low temperature threshold, initiating one of a plurality of actions to increase a temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actions to increase the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of increasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or decreasing a fan speed of the data processing system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein decreasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a low temperature fan threshold and wherein the low temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level higher than the low temperature threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the one threshold being the low temperature threshold, initiating two or more of the plurality of actions to increase the temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating the effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the one threshold being a high temperature threshold, initiating one of a plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating the effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of decreasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or increasing a fan speed of the data processing system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein increasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a high temperature fan threshold and wherein the high temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level lower than the high temperature threshold.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, responsive to the one threshold being the high temperature threshold, initiating two or more of the plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating the effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the signal failing to indicate that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, normalizing power to the components in the data processing system, normalizing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, normalizing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, and normalizing a fan speed of the data processing system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the one or more sensors is the signal from at least one of a group comprising power sensors, utilization sensors, or thermal sensors.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer recordable medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a signal from one or more sensors in a data processing system;

determine if the signal indicates that one threshold in a plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded;

responsive to the signal indicating that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, determine if the one threshold is a low temperature threshold or a high temperature threshold;

responsive to the one threshold being a low temperature threshold, initiate one of a plurality of actions to increase a temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the plurality of actions to increase the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of increasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or decreasing a fan speed of the data processing system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein decreasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a low temperature fan threshold and wherein the low temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level higher than the low temperature threshold.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to the one threshold being a high temperature threshold, initiating one of a plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating the effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of decreasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or increasing a fan speed of the data processing system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein increasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a high temperature fan threshold and wherein the high temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level lower than the high temperature threshold.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a signal from one or more sensors in a data processing system;

determine if the signal indicates that one threshold in a plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded;

responsive to the signal indicating that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, determine if the one threshold is a low temperature threshold or a high temperature threshold;

responsive to the one threshold being a low temperature threshold, initiate one of a plurality of actions to increase a temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the plurality of actions to increase the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of increasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, increasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or decreasing a fan speed of the data processing system, wherein decreasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a low temperature fan threshold and wherein the low temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level higher than the low temperature threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to the one threshold being a high temperature threshold, initiating one of a plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating the effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the plurality of actions to decrease the temperature of the data processing system comprises at least one of decreasing power to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing workload to one or more of the components in the data processing system, decreasing frequency to one or more of the components in the data processing system, or increasing a fan speed of the data processing system, wherein increasing the fan speed of the data processing system is in response to a high temperature fan threshold and wherein the high temperature fan threshold is set at a predetermined level lower than the high temperature threshold.