MANAGING COMPUTING DEVICES IN A COMPUTING SYSTEM

• US 20160337446A1
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Global Technologies International Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: ABALI, BULENT, ONO, MAKOTO
• Granted Patent: US 10,291,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/00 Television systems details H04N3/00, H04N5/00; methods or arrangements, for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00; selective content distribution H04N21/00

Abstract

Managing computing devices in a computing system, including: receiving image data from a plurality of image sensors, each image sensor coupled to a computing device in a computing system, wherein multiple computing devices in the computing system are coupled to multiple image sensors; identifying, in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors, one or more characteristics of the computing system; and initiating, in dependence upon the one or more characteristics of the computing system, one or more desired system management actions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by first program instructions on a first computing device,

receiving image data from a plurality of image sensors, each image sensor coupled to a computing device in a computing system, wherein multiple computing devices in the computing system are coupled to multiple image sensors;

identifying, in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors, one or more characteristics of the computing system; and

initiating, in dependence upon the one or more characteristics of the computing system, one or more desired system management actions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying one or more computing devices located in a physical hotspot in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads to the computing devices in the computing system in dependence upon which computing devices are located in the physical hotspot.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying an operational state of one or more computing components of a particular computing device; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads in dependence upon the operational state of one or more computing components of the particular computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises determining an identity of one or more of the computing devices in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises;

performing a system inventory check; and

notifying a system administrator of any discrepancies discovered in the system inventory check.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises constructing a map of the computing system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein constructing the map of the computing system further comprises, for each computing device in the computing system, determining the location of the computing device relative to one or more other computing devices in the computing system.

7. An apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving image data from a plurality of image sensors, each image sensor coupled to a computing device in a computing system, wherein multiple computing devices in the computing system are coupled to multiple image sensors;

identifying, in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors, one or more characteristics of the computing system; and

initiating, in dependence upon the one or more characteristics of the computing system, one or more desired system management actions.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying one or more computing devices located in a physical hotspot in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads to the computing devices in the computing system in dependence upon which computing devices are located in the physical hotspot.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying an operational state of one or more computing components of a particular computing device; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads in dependence upon the operational state of one or more computing components of the particular computing device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises determining an identity of one or more of the computing devices in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises;

performing a system inventory check; and

notifying a system administrator of any discrepancies discovered in the system inventory check.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises constructing a map of the computing system.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein constructing the map of the computing system further comprises, for each computing device in the computing system, determining the location of the computing device relative to one or more other computing devices in the computing system.

13. A computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of:

receiving image data from a plurality of image sensors, each image sensor coupled to a computing device in a computing system, wherein multiple computing devices in the computing system are coupled to multiple image sensors;

identifying, in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors, one or more characteristics of the computing system; and

initiating, in dependence upon the one or more characteristics of the computing system, one or more desired system management actions.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying one or more computing devices located in a physical hotspot in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads to the computing devices in the computing system in dependence upon which computing devices are located in the physical hotspot.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises identifying an operational state of one or more computing components of a particular computing device; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises allocating workloads in dependence upon the operational state of one or more computing components of the particular computing device.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises determining an identity of one or more of the computing devices in the computing system; and

initiating the one or more desired system management actions further comprises;

performing a system inventory check; and

notifying a system administrator of any discrepancies discovered in the system inventory check.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein identifying one or more characteristics of the computing system in dependence upon the image data from the plurality of image sensors further comprises constructing a map of the computing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein constructing the map of the computing system further comprises, for each computing device in the computing system, determining the location of the computing device relative to one or more other computing devices in the computing system.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a signal medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a storage medium.