POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140101475A1
• Filed: 10/08/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Berke, Stuart Allen, Richards, George G. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management system includes a power system. A powered component is coupled to the power system. A power detect circuit is coupled to the power system. A power system controller is coupled to the power system, the powered component, and the power detect circuit. The power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting and determine that the first threshold was not exceeded while the workload was running. The power system controller is then operable to program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting, determine that the second threshold was exceeded while the workload was running and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

Claims

1. A power management system, comprising:

a power system;

a powered component coupled to the power system;

a power detect circuit coupled to the power system; and

a power system controller coupled to the power system, the powered component, and the power detect circuit, wherein the power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to;

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold was not exceeded;

program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold was exceeded and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

2. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the first system operation setting allows the powered component to operate unrestrained.

3. The power management system of claim 2, wherein the power system controller is further operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to:

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a second system operating setting;

determine that the first threshold was not exceeded;

program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the second system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold was exceeded and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

4. The power management system of claim 3, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the powered component relative to the first system operation setting.

5. The power management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of power detect circuits coupled to the power system, wherein the power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to;

program each of the plurality of power detect circuits with a different threshold for the first system operation setting;

determine whether any of the different thresholds were exceeded and, if so, use the thresholds that were exceeded to allocate power from the power system.

6. The power management system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the power system controller is further operable, in response to determining the second threshold was exceeded, to perform a power management action that includes at least one of performing system level power management profile adjustment, performing power capping, and performing power throttling.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a processor;

a power detect circuit coupled to the processor; and

a power system controller coupled to the processor and the power detect circuit, wherein the power system controller is operable to couple to a power system and, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to;

program the power detect circuit with a plurality of thresholds for a first system operation setting;

determine whether one of the plurality of thresholds for the first system operation setting was exceeded and, if so, use that threshold to allocate power from the power system.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the first system operation setting allows the processor to operate unrestrained.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the power system controller is further operable, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to:

program the power detect circuit with a plurality of thresholds for a second system operation setting;

determine whether one of the plurality of thresholds for the second system operation setting was exceeded and, if so, use that threshold to allocate power from the power system.

11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the processor relative to the first system operation setting.

12. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of power detect circuits coupled to the processor, wherein the power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to;

program each of the plurality of power detect circuits with a different threshold for the first system operation setting;

determine whether any of the different thresholds for the first system operation setting were exceeded and, if so, use the thresholds that were exceeded to allocate power from the power system.

13. The IHS of claim 12, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the power system controller is further operable, in response to determining that one of the thresholds for the first power curve was exceeded, to perform a power management action on the processor that includes at least one of performing system level power management profile adjustment, performing power capping, and performing power throttling.

15. A method for managing power, comprising:

running at least one workload using a powered component;

programming a power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting;

determining that the first threshold was not exceeded while the at least one workload was run using the powered component;

programming the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determining that the second threshold was exceeded while the at least one workload was run using the powered component and, in response, using the second threshold to allocate power from a power system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first system operation setting allows the powered component to operate unrestrained.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

programming the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a second system operation setting;

determining that the first threshold was not exceeded while the at least one workload was run using the powered component;

programming the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the second system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold was exceeded while the at least one workload was run using the powered component and, in response, using the second threshold to budget the power system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the powered component relative to the first system operation setting.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

programming each of the plurality of power detect circuits with a different threshold for the first system operation setting;

determining whether any of the different thresholds were exceeded while the at least one workload was run using the powered component and, if so, use the threshold that was exceeded to allocate power from the power system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.