Method of remote access and control of environmental conditions

• US 6,189,109 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Nguyen, Ken, Johnson, Karl S., Sheikh, Tahir Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Ly V.
• Application Number:
  US08/942,215
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/32, 714/37, 714/38, 714/40, 714/46, 714/47, 714/48, 714/57, 714/1, 710/169
• US Class Current: 714/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 : User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 : Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 : Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 : Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 : Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 : Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 7/285 : controlling armature supply only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 : Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 : Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 : Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 : Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 : comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 : Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 : Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 : Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 : Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 : by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20209 : Thermal management, e.g. fan control
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20727 : within server blades for removing heat from heat source
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A fault tolerant method by which individual components of a server are monitored and controlled through independent, programmable microcontrollers interconnected through a microcontroller network. An external agent can control and monitor the microcontrollers by extending the interconnection network beyond the physical server. Intervention of the server operating system software is not required and is not utilized for the access and control operations. The method includes the processes running on a remote interface so as to enable communication between the microcontroller network and an external modem that communicates with a remote client machine. The remote interface also provides for connection to a local client machine.

Claims

1. A method of external management of the environmental conditions of a computer, the method comprising the acts of:

providing a first computer configured to execute an operating system;

providing a second computer configured to execute an operating system;

selecting, at the second computer, a component affecting an environmental condition of the first computer to be managed;

selecting, at the second computer, a management operation to be performed by the first computer on the selected component;

communicating the identity of the selected component and selected operation from the second computer to the first computer; and

performing the selected operation on the selected component at the first computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the act of providing a response to the second computer based on the results of the selected operation.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the act of displaying the response to a user at the second computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of providing a response includes the act of transmitting the results of the selected operation through a pair of modems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer is at the same location as the first computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer is at a location remote to the first computer.

7. The method of claim 6, additionally comprising the act of providing an interface circuit between the first and second computers, and wherein the act of interface providing includes the act of connecting a pair of modems, wherein a first modem connects to the first computer and a second modem connects to the second computer.

8. The method of claim 7, further including the act of powering the interface circuit independently of the first computer.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the act of storing the results of the selected operation in a memory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition includes at least one of the group consisting of:

temperature, fan speed, processor error and I/O error.

11. The method of claim 1, further including the act of providing a response to the second computer through a remote interface based on results of the selected operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of providing a response includes the act of storing response data in a memory associated with the remote interface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of performing the selected operation further includes the act of updating an environmental setting of at least one selected component of the first computer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the act of updating the environmental setting of the at least one selected component includes the act of sending data to the selected component of the first computer.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the act of updating the environmental setting includes the act of changing the environmental setting of the at least one selected component of the first computer.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the environmental setting being updated comprises a fan speed setting.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of performing the selected operation further includes the act of retrieving environmental settings data.