SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GLOBAL POWER MANAGEMENT IN A POWER OVER ETHERNET CHASSIS

• US 20100106985A1
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frank, Palathingal, Panguluri, Sesha Thalpasai, Hussain, Asif, Nekkileru, Hemanth, McNarney, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips

Abstract

A system and method for global power management in a power over Ethernet (PoE) chassis. Power supply status signals indicative of an operating condition of a plurality of power supplies are provided to a plurality of power sourcing equipment (PSE) controller chips in a plurality of blades of a chassis system. Pre-configured combination logic within each of the PSE controller chips converts an indicated operational state of the plurality of power supplies into a powering decision for each of the ports served by the PSE controller chip. Global power management is also effected through the use of scaling factors for the various blades to ensure that the lowest priority powered port (LPPP) in a first blade does not have a lower priority than the highest priority non-powered port (HPNPP) in a second blade.

Claims

1. A power over Ethernet management method in a chassis system having a plurality of blades that distribute power from a plurality of power supplies, comprising:

generating power supply status signals that are reflective of a status of the plurality of power supplies;

selecting, by each blade, a set of ports for activation, wherein said selection is based on a value of said power supply status signals;

identifying a highest priority non-powered port and a lowest priority powered port in each of said plurality of blades;

determining whether there is a highest priority non-powered port in a first blade that has a higher priority than a lowest priority powered port in a second blade; and

if said highest priority non-powered port in said first blade has a higher priority than said lowest priority powered port in said second blade, then adjusting said chassis system such that said highest priority non-powered port in said first blade is powered.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises generating by a logic block that receives status signals from the plurality of power supplies.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is based on pre-configured registers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said adjusting further comprises deactivating said lowest priority powered port in said second blade.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said adjusting further comprises adjusting a scaling factor that controls an amount of power made available to said first and second blades.

6. A power over Ethernet management method, comprising:

analyzing ports in a first blade and a second blade of a chassis; and

adjusting an amount of power available to said first and second blade based on said analysis.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said analysis considers a lowest priority powered port and a highest priority non-powered port in said first blade and said second blade.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting a scaling factor that controls an amount of power delivered to said first blade and said second blade.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising changing a status of a port in said first blade and said second blade based on said adjusting.

10. A power over Ethernet management method, comprising:

generating power supply status signals in a logic block, said generating being based on power supply status information generated by a respective plurality of power supplies; and

receiving said generated power supply status signals in a power sourcing equipment controller in a first blade and a second blade in a chassis, wherein a change in said generated power supply status signals produces a change in a connection status of a first port in said first blade and a second port in said second blade.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a change in said connection status is indicated by a table that identifies a port status for values of said power supply status signals.