Storage Server System Capable of Setting Overcurrent Protection Value According to System Configuration

• US 20190065295A1
• Filed: 01/03/2018
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wiwynn Corporation (Wistron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Hsieh, Cheng-Kuang, Wu, Cheng-Yen
• Granted Patent: US 10,452,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A storage server system includes a storage module including at least one storage device for generating at least one present signal, a micro controller coupled to the storage module for generating a setting signal according to the at least one present signal and system information, and a tunable resistor coupled to the micro controller, wherein a resistance of the tunable resistor is corresponding to an over current protection value of the storage server system.

Claims

1. A storage server system, comprising:

a storage device module comprising at least one storage device, and configured to generate at least one present signal;

a power source supply unit configured to supply power source to the storage device module;

a memory device configured to store system information;

a microcontroller coupled to the storage device module and the memory device, and configured to generate a setting signal according to the at least one present signal and the system information to set an overcurrent protection value of the storage server system;

a variable resistor coupled to the microcontroller, wherein a resistance of the variable resistor is corresponding to the overcurrent protection value of the storage server system;

a hot swap controller coupled to the variable resistor, and configured to generate a read signal to the variable resistor to read the resistance, and generate a switch signal according to the resistance; and

a switch coupled to the hot swap controller, the storage device module and the power source supply unit, and configured to connect the power source supply unit and the storage device module or disconnect the power source supply unit from the storage device module according to the switch signal.

2. The storage server system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is a baseboard management controller, a programmable logic device, or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the memory device is an Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, and the variable resistor is a digital potentiometer.

3. The storage server system of claim 1, further comprising an expander, the expander is coupled between the storage device module and the microcontroller and configured to transmit the at least one present signal to the microcontroller.

4. The storage server system of claim 1, wherein when the setting signal indicates an overcurrent, the switch signal controls the switch to disconnect the storage device module from the power source supply unit;

and when the setting signal indicates no overcurrent, the switch signal controls the power source supply unit to connect the supply power source and the storage device module.

5. The storage server system of claim 1, wherein the at least one present signal respectively indicates a type and a number of the at least one storage device, and the system information indicates an initial overcurrent protection value and a maximum tolerance value of the storage server system.

6. The storage server system of claim 5, wherein the at least one storage device is at least one hard drive or at least one solid state drive, and the type of the storage device indicates one of Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface, Serial Advanced Technology Attachment interface, Non-Volatile Memory Express interface and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express interface.

7. The storage server system of claim 6, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to store a program code, the program code instructs the microcontroller to execute a process of setting the overcurrent protection value to generate the setting signal when the storage server system is power on and performing a system boot process, wherein the process comprises:

setting the overcurrent protection value to the maximum tolerance value;

determine whether the at least one storage device is the at least one hard drive or the at least one solid state drive according to the at least one present signal;

calculating a first load current according to the number of the at least one hard drive when the at least one storage device is the at least one hard drive;

determining whether the overcurrent protection value is equal to the first load current;

keeping the overcurrent protection value to be the maximum tolerance value when the overcurrent protection value is equal to the first load current; and

when the overcurrent protection value is not equal to the first load current, set the overcurrent protection value according to the first load current.

8. The storage server system of claim 7, wherein the process further comprises:

calculating a second load current according to the number of the at least one solid state drive when the at least one storage device is the at least one solid state drive;

determining whether the overcurrent protection value is equal to the second load current;

keeping the overcurrent protection value to be the maximum tolerance value when the overcurrent protection value is equal to the second load current; and

adjusting the second load current according to the maximum tolerance value when the overcurrent protection value is not equal to the second load current to set the overcurrent protection value according to the second load current.

9. The storage server system of claim 8, wherein the at least one storage device comprises at least one hard drive and at least one solid state drive, and the type of the storage device indicates one of Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface, Serial Advanced Technology Attachment interface, Non-Volatile Memory Express interface and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express interface.

10. The storage server system of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to store a program code, the program code instructs the microcontroller to execute a process of setting the overcurrent protection value to generate the setting signal when the system power source is turned on and performing a system boot process, wherein the process comprises:

calculating the number of the at least one hard drive and the number of the at least one solid state drive according to the at least one present signal to respectively calculate a first load current and a second load current;

calculating and set the overcurrent protection value according to the first load current and the second load current;

determining whether the overcurrent protection value is greater than the initial value; and

decreasing the second load current when the overcurrent protection value is greater than the initial value to reset the overcurrent protection value.