AUTOMATED POWER TOPOLOGY DISCOVERY

• US 20110022245A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tipley, Roger E., Turicchi, Thomas, Goodrum, Alan L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,726,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with automatically detecting and characterizing a power topology are described. One example system includes a topology logic that identifies connections between PDUs and computers that receive power from the PDUs. The example system may include a data store that receives PDU/computer association data from the topology logic. A computer may communicate with a power providing PDU over a power line connecting the two devices. The computer and the power providing PDU may be configured with network interface devices (e.g., Ethernet switches) configured to communicate over the power line using, for example, EoP. The topology logic may discover a PDU/CE association by examining data transmitted over a network to which the computer and/or the PDU are connected.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a topology logic to automatically identify and characterize a power topology in which a set of power distribution units and a set of computers are arranged, where the power topology is described by a set of power distribution unit (PDU) to computer (CE) associations; and

a data store to receive data from the topology logic, where the data received from the topology logic is associated with the set of PDU/CE associations;

where a CE includes a power supply and a CE communication circuit to communicate with a PDU communication circuit associated with a PDU from which the CE receives power, where the CE communication circuit communicates with the PDU communication circuit through a power line through which the CE receives power,

where a PDU includes a communication circuit to communicate with a CE communication circuit associated with a CE to which the PDU provides power, and

where a PDU/CE association is discoverable by one or more of, a CE communication circuit, and a PDU communication circuit.

2. The system of claim 1, where the power topology includes two or more tiers of PDUs arranged in a hierarchy, and where the power topology is described by a set of PDU/CE associations and a set of PDU/PDU associations.

3. The system of claim 1, where a PDU/CE association includes an identification of a PDU port to which a CE is connected.

4. The system of claim 2, where a PDU/CE association includes an identification of a PDU port to which a CE is connected and where a PDU/PDU association includes an identification of a PDU port to which a PDU is connected.

5. The system of claim 1, where a PDU includes a PDU network interface device to report the existence of a PDU/CE association to the topology logic over the topology network.

6. The system of claim 5, where reporting the existence of PDU/CE association includes providing a PDU/CE association that identifies a PDU port to which the CE associated with the PDU/CE is connected.

7. The system of claim 1, where the PDU communication circuit is an Ethernet NIC, where the CE communication circuit is an Ethernet NIC and where a PDU and a CE communicate using an Ethernet over Power (EoP) protocol on a power line through which the PDU provides power to the CE.

8. The system of claim 1, where the PDU communication circuit is configured to facilitate management software relocating the identity of a server connected to a PDU without requiring reconfiguration of network partitions.

9. The system of claim 1, where the topology logic resides in a multi-purpose CE.

10. The system of claim 1, where the topology logic resides in a dedicated CE.

11. The system of claim 1, where the set of PDUs includes a room-level device.

12. The system of claim 11, where the set of PDUs includes a data-center level device.

13. The system of claim 1, where the topology logic is to automatically re-discover and re-characterize the power topology after a change in a PDU/CE association.

14. A system, comprising:

a computing system (CS), comprising;

a power supply; and

a CS network interface circuit to communicate with a PDU network interface circuit, where the CS network interface circuit communicates with the KU network interface circuit through a power line through which the power supply receives power from the PDU,

a power distribution unit (PDU), comprising;

a plurality of ports, where a CS power supply may be connected to the PDU through a member of the plurality of ports, and where a PDU may be connected to the PDU through a member of the plurality of ports; and

a PDU network interface circuit to communicate with one or more of, a CS, and a PDU;

a topology logic to automatically identify a power topology in which a set of PDUs and a set of CSs are arranged, where the power topology is described by a set of PDU/CS associations;

a data store to receive a set of PDU/CS associations from the topology logic; and

a topology network over which members of the set of PDUs are to communicate; and

where a member of the set of CSs is to receive power from a member of the set of PDUs through a power line.

15. The system of claim 14, where a PDU/CS association describes a PDU port to which a CS is connected.

16. The system of claim 15, where the set of PDUs is arranged in tiers, where a first tier PDU provides power to a CS and receives power from a second tier PDU, and where a second tier PDU provides power to a first tier PDU.

17. The system of claim 16, where a member of the set of CSs is to communicate with a member of the set of PDUs over a power line using an Ethernet over Power (EoP) protocol, where the network interface circuit in a CS is an Ethernet NIC, and where the network interface circuit in a PDU is an Ethernet switch.

18. The system of claim 17, where the topology logic is to automatically re-identify the power topology in which the set of PDUs and the set of CSs are arranged upon detecting a change to the power topology.

19. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

controlling a network interface logic in a computer to communicate with a PDU through a power line connecting the computer power supply to the PDU;

detecting a communication between the PDU and the computer;

automatically identifying a connection between the PDU and the computer based on the detected communication; and

storing data describing the identified connection in a data store that stores data concerning a set of identified connections that characterize a topology of connected PDUs and computers.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, where storing data describing the identified connection includes storing a PDU identifier, a PDU port identifier, and a computer identifier, where the PDU port identifier identifies a port in a PDU identified by the PDU identifier to which a computer identified by the computer identifier is connected.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, where controlling the network interface logic in the computer to communicate with the PDU through the power line connecting the computer power supply to the PDU includes controlling the network interface logic to communicate using an Ethernet over Power (EoP) protocol.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, including:

detecting a change to a connection between a PDU and a computer; and

selectively updating the data concerning the set of identified connections based, at least in part, on the detected change.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, where controlling the network interface logic in a computer to communicate with a PDU through a power line connecting the computer power supply to the PDU includes controlling the network interface logic to send a test message to a destination based;

at least in part, on connection data in the set of identified connections.

24. A system, comprising:

means for communicating a computer communication over a power line that connects a PDU and a CE;

means for detecting a computer communication occurring over the power line; and

means for determining a topology of connected PDUs and computers based, at least in part, on a set of communications detected between the connected PDUs and computers.