System, method, and architecture for dynamic server power management and dynamic workload management for multi-server environment

• US 6,859,882 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1990
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Huron IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Amphus, Inc.
• Inventors: Fung, Henry T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suryawanshi, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US09/860,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20030188208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/310
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00317 Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00686 Automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00691 using robots
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00707 separated from the reactor apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Network architecture, computer system and/or server, circuit, device, apparatus, method, and computer program and control mechanism for managing power consumption and workload in computer system and data and information servers. Further provides power and energy consumption and workload management and control systems and architectures for high-density and modular multi-server computer systems that maintain performance while conserving energy and method for power management and workload management. Dynamic server power management and optional dynamic workload management for multi-server environments is provided by aspects of the invention. Modular network devices and integrated server system, including modular servers, management units, switches and switching fabrics, modular power supplies and modular fans and a special backplane architecture are provided as well as dynamically reconfigurable multi-purpose modules and servers. Backplane architecture, structure, and method that has no active components and separate power supply lines and protection to provide high reliability in server environment.

Claims

1. A network server computer system comprising:

a plurality of network server computers configured as network device servers each having at least one processor and a network layer activity monitor that monitors TCP/IP protocol data packets identifying a level of activity indicator for each said at least one processor;

each of said network device server computers including a network load versus allocated network device performance profile and the performance level set for operation of each said network device server being established by reference to the performance profile;

each of said network device server computers being operable in;

(i) a first mode having a first maximum performance level and a first power consumption rate, (ii) a third mode having a third maximum performance level lower than said first maximum performance level and a third power consumption rate lower than said first power consumption rate, and (iii) a second mode having a second maximum performance level intermediate between said first maximum performance level and said third maximum performance level and a second power consumption rate intermediate between said first power consumption rate and said third power consumption rate;

a power manager selected as one of said plurality of computers being designated as a master providing said power manager and (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity information from each of said plurality of computers;

(ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity information;

(iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said first mode, said second mode, and said third mode based on said analyzed activity information and predetermined policies; and

including incrementally lowering processor performance by said power manager until data packets start dropping indicating that processor performance is at the limit of adequacy and then increasing the processor performance by a specified increment to act as a safety margin to provide reliable communication of the packets; and

(iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode;

said first mode operation being characterized by operating said processor at a first processor clock frequency and a first processor core voltage, said second mode operation is characterized by operating said processor at a second processor clock frequency and a second processor core voltage, and said third mode operation is characterized by operating said processor at a third processor clock frequency and a third processor core voltage;

said second mode of operation being characterized in that said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said first processor clock frequency and said first processor core voltage in combination, and said third processor clock frequency and said third processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination;

said processor core voltage and processor frequency being selected in combination with reference to a stored look-up-table identifying processor frequency and processor core voltage with processor load handling capability for serving content, and network devices server computer loading and quality-of-service being measured for the plurality of physical network devices organized as a single logical network device;

said level of activity indicator comprises an indicator based on at least one of a predicted decrease in server load based at least in part on a quality of service requirement and the type of content to be served, a predicted decrease in processor tasking based at least in part on a quality of service requirement and the type of content to be served, a predicted decrease in communication channel bandwidth based at least in part on a quality of service requirement and the type of content to be served;

a quality-of-service (QoS) is first established, and a processor performance is established based on predetermined policies that select a processor clock frequency, and a minimum processor core voltage is selected to match said selected processor clock frequency; and

said quality of service requirement is adjusted based on criteria selected from the set consisting of;

time-of-day, day-of-month, day-of week, month-of year, geographic location of requester, requester identity, requester account number, and combinations thereof.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein said activity monitor comprises an activity monitor that monitors an activity selected from the set of activities consisting of:

a program application layer activity, a network layer activity, a physical layer activity, and combinations thereof.

3. A system in claim 2, wherein at the physical level the number of processor idle threads executed within a predetermined period of time are measured to determine processor loading and the processor performance is adjusted to by altering the operating mode to substantially match the level of processor loading.

4. The system in claim 3, wherein said application layer activity monitor comprises monitoring use of a TCP/IP port address within said computers, said monitoring including counting or measuring a number of times a specific port address is being requested within a predetermined period of time, and in response to that counting or measurement, placing a sufficient amount of computer performance to meet the performance requirement for each application requesting the port address.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein each said computer including a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said first mode and said second mode based on processor internal activity information.

6. The system in claim 5, wherein said processor internal activity information comprising idle thread execution information.

7. The system in claim 6, wherein a transition from said first mode to said second mode is controlled locally within each said computer;

and a transition from either said first mode or said second mode to said third mode are controlled globally by said power manager.

8. The system in claim 1, wherein when there is need to operate fewer than all the plurality of computers, the particular computer or logical group of computers that is (are) turned off or placed in a reduced power consumption mode is cycled so that over time all of the network devices experience similar operating time histories.