System and Method of Managing Information Handling Systems

• US 20190317588A1
• Filed: 04/11/2018
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Messick, Douglas Evan, Rhinehart, Aaron Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,877,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• 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 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may determine that a number of operational power supply units is below a first threshold; may determine a first amount of power consumed by multiple information handling systems (IHSs); may determine that the first amount of power meets a second threshold; may initiate a first transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a first information handling system (IHS) of the multiple IHSs to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first IHS; may determine a second amount of power consumed by the multiple IHSs; and may determine that the second amount of power meets a third threshold; and may initiate a second transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a second IHS of the multiple IHSs to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the IHS.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a chassis configured to house a plurality of information handling systems;

a plurality of power supply units housed in the chassis;

an enclosure controller that is coupled to the plurality of information handling systems and that is configured to;

determine that a number of operational power supply units of the plurality of power supply units is below a first threshold;

determine a first amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems;

determine if the first amount of power meets a second threshold;

if the first amount of power meets the second threshold;

initiate a first transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

power down the first information handling system;

after the first information handling system is powered down, determine a second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems;

determine that the second amount of power meets a third threshold; and

initiate a second transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system;

if the amount of power does not meet the second threshold, determine if one or more chassis criteria meet one or more respective thresholds;

if the one or more chassis criteria meet the one or more respective thresholds, power off the chassis; and

if the one or more chassis criteria does not meet the one or more respective thresholds, initiate a throttle of one or more of the plurality of information handling systems.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein a first non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the first information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the first information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

and

wherein a second non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the second information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the second information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first information handling system includes a battery power supply that is configured to provide power to the first non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the first information handling system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more chassis criteria include one or more of an infrastructure power consumption, a temperature, a ratio of power allocations versus capacity of operational power supply units, and a chassis fan pulse width modulation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure controller is further configured to:

receive configuration information that indicates the second threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure controller is further configured to:

after the first information handling system is powered down, periodically monitor power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems;

wherein, when the enclosure controller periodically monitors the power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems, the enclosure controller;

determines the second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems; and

determines that the second amount of power meets the third threshold.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one other component of the chassis;

wherein, to determine the first amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems, the enclosure controller is further configured to determine power consumed by the at least one other component of the chassis.

8. A method, comprising:

determining that a number of operational power supply units, of a plurality of power supply units of an information handling system chassis, is below a first threshold;

determining a first amount of power consumed by a plurality of information handling systems housed by the information handling system chassis;

determining if the first amount of power meets a second threshold;

if the first amount of power meets the second threshold;

initiating a first transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

powering down the first information handling system;

after the first information handling system is powered down, determining a second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems of the information handling system chassis;

determining that the second amount of power meets a third threshold; and

initiating a second transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system;

if the amount of power does not meet the second threshold, determining if one or more chassis criteria meet one or more respective thresholds;

if the one or more chassis criteria meet the one or more respective thresholds, powering off the information handling system chassis; and

if the one or more chassis criteria does not meet the one or more respective thresholds, initiating a throttle of one or more of the plurality of information handling systems.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein a first non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the first information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the first information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

and

wherein a second non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the second information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the second information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first information handling system includes a battery power supply that is configured to provide power to the first non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the first information handling system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more chassis criteria include one or more of an infrastructure power consumption, a temperature, a ratio of power allocations versus capacity of operational power supply units, and a chassis fan pulse width modulation.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving configuration information that indicates the second threshold.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after the first information handling system is powered down, periodically monitoring power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems of the information handling system chassis;

wherein the periodically monitoring includes;

the determining the second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems of the information handling system chassis; and

the determining that the second amount of power meets the third threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the first amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems of the information handling system chassis includes determining power consumed by at least one other component of the chassis.

15. A computer-readable non-transitory memory medium that includes processor instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an enclosure controller, cause the enclosure controller to:

determine that a number of operational power supply units of a plurality of power supply units is below a first threshold;

determine a first amount of power consumed by a plurality of information handling systems housed by an information handling system chassis;

determine if the first amount of power meets a second threshold;

if the first amount of power meets the second threshold;

initiate a first transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

power down the first information handling system;

after the first information handling system is powered down, determine a second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems;

determine that the second amount of power meets a third threshold; and

initiate a second transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system;

if the amount of power does not meet the second threshold, determine if one or more chassis criteria meet one or more respective thresholds;

if the one or more chassis criteria meet the one or more respective thresholds, power off the information handling system chassis; and

if the one or more chassis criteria does not meet the one or more respective thresholds, initiate a throttle of one or more of the plurality of information handling systems.

16. The computer-readable non-transitory memory medium of claim 15,

wherein a first non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the first information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the first information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first information handling system;

and

wherein a second non-volatile dual in-line memory module of the second information handling system includes the at least one volatile memory medium of the second information handling system and the at least one non-volatile memory medium of the second information handling system.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory memory medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more chassis criteria include one or more of an infrastructure power consumption, a temperature, a ratio of power allocations versus capacity of operational power supply units, and a chassis fan pulse width modulation.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory memory medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the enclosure controller to:

receive configuration information that indicates the second threshold.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory memory medium of claim 15, wherein the processor instructions further cause enclosure controller to:

after the first information handling system is powered down, periodically monitor power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems;

wherein, when the enclosure controller periodically monitors the power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems, the enclosure controller;

determines the second amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems; and

determines that the second amount of power meets the third threshold.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory memory medium of claim 19, wherein, to determine the first amount of power consumed by the plurality of information handling systems, the processor instructions further cause the enclosure controller to determine power consumed by at least one other component of the chassis.