DETECTING CONSTRAINED MOTION OF A COMPONENT IN A COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20100070210A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Urmanov, Aleksey M., Bougaev, Anton A., McElfresh, David K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• 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 11/3409 for performance assessment

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that detects the presence of constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system. First, a vibrational spectrum of the computer system is monitored while the computer system operates. Then, the vibrational spectrum is analyzed using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in the computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the presence of constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system, the method comprising:

monitoring a vibrational spectrum of the computer system while the computer system operates; and

analyzing the vibrational spectrum using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in the computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the constrained motion includes rattling; and

the one or more components include at least one of;

a disk drive;

a disk carrier;

a disk cage;

a fan;

a fan tray; and

a fan mount.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to monitoring the vibrational spectrum, the method further comprises:

training the pattern-recognition model using a first training vibrational spectrum representing constrained motion of one or more components in a test computer system, and a second training vibrational spectrum representing an absence of constrained motion of one or more components in a test computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes extracting features from the vibrational spectrum and analyzing the extracted features using the pattern-recognition model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein extracting the features from the vibrational spectrum includes generating a feature vector based on the vibrational spectrum.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern-recognition model includes one or more of:

a quadratic classifier;

a k-nearest neighbor classifier; and

an R-cloud classifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes:

transmitting information related to the vibrational spectrum over a network to a vibrational-analysis computer system; and

analyzing the vibrational spectrum using the vibrational-analysis computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, further including generating a request for a service action based on the classification of the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein monitoring the vibrational spectrum includes monitoring a set of vibrational spectra of the computer system while the computer system operates;

wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes analyzing the vibrational spectra using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies each vibrational spectrum in the vibrational spectra as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion; and

wherein the method further comprises generating a request for a service action based on the classification of a predetermined number of the vibrational spectra in the set of vibrational spectra as indicating constrained motion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a given vibrational spectrum of the computer system includes monitoring a given vibrational spectrum of the computer system using an accelerometer.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for detecting the presence of constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system, the method comprising:

monitoring a vibrational spectrum of the computer system while the computer system operates; and

analyzing the vibrational spectrum using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in the computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the constrained motion includes rattling; and

the one or more components include at least one of;

a disk drive;

a disk carrier;

a disk cage;

a fan;

a fan tray; and

a fan mount.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein prior to monitoring the vibrational spectrum, the method further comprises:

training the pattern-recognition model using a first training vibrational spectrum representing constrained motion of one or more components in a test computer system, and a second training vibrational spectrum representing an absence of constrained motion of one or more components in a test computer system.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes extracting features from the vibrational spectrum and analyzing the extracted features using the pattern-recognition model.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein extracting the features from the vibrational spectrum includes generating a feature vector based on the vibrational spectrum.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the pattern-recognition model includes one or more of:

a quadratic classifier;

a k-nearest neighbor classifier; and

an R-cloud classifier.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes:

transmitting information related to the vibrational spectrum over a network to a vibrational-analysis computer system; and

analyzing the vibrational spectrum using the vibrational-analysis computer system.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further including generating a request for a service action based on the classification of the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11,

wherein monitoring the vibrational spectrum includes monitoring a set of vibrational spectra of the computer system while the computer system operates;

wherein analyzing the vibrational spectrum includes analyzing the vibrational spectra using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies each vibrational spectrum in the vibrational spectra as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion; and

wherein the method further comprises generating a request for a service action based on the classification of a predetermined number of the vibrational spectra in the set of vibrational spectra as indicating constrained motion.

20. An apparatus that detects the presence of constrained motion in one or more components in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a monitoring mechanism configured to monitor a vibrational spectrum of the computer system while the computer system operates; and

an analyzing mechanism configured to analyze the vibrational spectrum using a pattern-recognition model to detect constrained motion in one or more components in the computer system, wherein the pattern-recognition model classifies the vibrational spectrum as indicating constrained motion or as not indicating constrained motion.