Method and System for Data Center Rack Brackets For Automatic Location Tracking of Information Technology Components
First Claim
1. A method in a data processing system for automatically tracking locations of IT components, comprising:
- attaching a bracket comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the bracket to an IT component;
associating the bracket with the attached IT component;
inserting the IT component into a slot in a rack, the slot comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket;
automatically determining a presence of the bracket in the rack based on the ID chip; and
automatically determining a position of the bracket in the slot in the rack.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems provide the automatic tracking of the physical location of information technology components in a data center. These systems automatically identify where a given IT component, such as a server, router, switch or other device, is located. They automatically identify which slot the IT component is located in a given rack in the data center. They include “smart” brackets containing small ID chips attached to the rack-based IT components and a “smart” rack rail for detecting the brackets. Each smart bracket uniquely identifies the IT component to which it is attached. The smart rack rail identifies the slot of the rack in which the IT component resides and communicates with a microcontroller to relay the position information to a database.
74 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method in a data processing system for automatically tracking locations of IT components, comprising:
-
attaching a bracket comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the bracket to an IT component; associating the bracket with the attached IT component; inserting the IT component into a slot in a rack, the slot comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket; automatically determining a presence of the bracket in the rack based on the ID chip; and automatically determining a position of the bracket in the slot in the rack. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A data processing system for automatically tracking locations of IT components, comprising:
-
a bracket configured to attach to an IT component and comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the IT component; a rack comprising one or more slots, the slots configured to store an IT component and comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket; and a microcontroller configured to; determine a presence of the bracket and a position of the bracket in one of the slots when inserted into the slot; and transmit information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket to a database. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A data processing system for automatically tracking locations of IT components, comprising:
-
a bracket configured to attach to an IT component and comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the IT component; a rack comprising one or more slots, the slots configured to store an IT component and comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket wherein the slot includes a capacitor having a charge time uniquely identifying the slot; and a microcontroller configured to; determine a presence of the bracket in the rack; determine a position of the bracket in one of the slots by charging the capacitor and measuring the charge time to uniquely identify the slot in which the capacitor is located; and transmit information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket to a database, wherein the database is configured to; store identification and location information of IT components; and update upon receipt of the information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket.
-
Specification