Cooling system including redundant fan controllers

• US 6,932,696 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Eberhardt, Anthony N., Quick, Cathleen A., Schwartz, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Application Number:
  US10/338,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20040130868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 454/184, 361/695, 236/49.3, 417/44.11, 417/22
• US Class Current: 454/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20736 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A cooling system including redundant fan controllers. The cooling system includes a first fan controller coupled to control a first plurality of fans and a second fan controller coupled to control a second plurality of fans. During operation, the first plurality of fans and the second plurality of fans operate concurrently. The first fan controller and the second fan controller are each configured to monitor the first and the second plurality of fans and to detect a failure in any of the first and the second plurality of fans. Further, in response to detecting a failure of a fan of the first plurality of fans, the second fan controller is configured to increase an operating speed of a corresponding fan of the second plurality of fans.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

a first fan controller coupled to control a first plurality of fans;

a second fan controller coupled to control a second plurality of fans;

wherein during operation, said first plurality of fans and said second plurality of fans operate concurrently;

wherein said first fan controller and said second fan controller are each configured to monitor said first and said second plurality of fans and to detect a failure in any of said first and said second plurality of fans;

wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans, said second fan controller is configured to increase an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans.

2. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans, said first fan controller is further configured to power down said failing fan of said first plurality of fans.

3. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans, said first fan controller is configured to increase an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said first plurality of fans.

4. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans, said second fan controller is further configured to power down said failing fan of said second plurality of fans.

5. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said each of said first plurality of fans is positioned in a stacked arrangement with a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans forming a plurality of stacked fan pairs, wherein airflow from a given one of said first plurality of fans is forced through a corresponding one of said second plurality of fans.

6. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and said second fan controllers are configured to monitor an operating speed of each of said first and said second plurality of fans, respectively.

7. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first fan controller and said second fan controller are each configured to monitor a fan fail signal provided by each of said first and said second plurality of fans, wherein said fan fail signal is indicative of whether a respective fan is operational.

8. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and said second fan controllers are configured to detect a difference between an operating speed set point and an actual operating speed of each of said first and said second plurality of fans.

9. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first fan controller includes a first fail-over logic configured to detect a failure in said second fan controller.

10. The cooling system as recited in claim 9, wherein said first fail-over logic is further configured to cause said first fan controller to increase said operating speed of all of said first plurality of fans in response to detecting said failure in said second fan controller.

11. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second fan controller includes a second fail-over logic configured to detect a failure in said first fan controller.

12. The cooling system as recited in claim 11, wherein said second fail-over logic is further configured to cause said second fan controller to increase said operating speed of all of said second plurality of fans in response to detecting said failure in said first fan controller.

13. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein in response to a detecting a failure of any given fan, said first fan controller and said second fan controller are each configured to report said failure to a system controller.

14. The cooling system as recited in claim 13, wherein in response to commands from said system controller said first fan controller and said second fan controller are each configured to perform diagnostic functions including:

changing an operating speed setpoint of each fan of said first and second pluralities of fans, respectively and detecting whether each fan an of said first and second pluralities of fans operates at said operating speed setpoint;

powering off each fan of said first and second pluralities of fans, respectively and detecting whether a fan fail signal provided by each fan of said first and second pluralities of fan indicates a respective fan failure;

detecting whether each corresponding fan of a fan pair increases its speed in response to each fan of said first and second pluralities of fans being powered off; and

reporting detected failures during said diagnostic functions to said system controller.

15. The cooling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first plurality of fans and said second plurality of fans are mounted in a fan tray.

16. The cooling system as recited in claim 15, wherein said fan tray is hot-swappable.

17. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of system boards;

a cooling system for cooling said system boards, wherein said cooling system includes;

a first fan controller coupled to control a first plurality of fans;

a second fan controller coupled to control a second plurality of fans;

wherein during operation, said first plurality of fans and said second plurality of fans operate concurrently;

wherein said first fan controller and said second fan controller are each configured to monitor said first and said second plurality of fans and to detect a failure in any of said first and said second plurality of fans;

wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans, said second fan controller is configured to increase an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein said system boards include a system controller which is coupled to said first and said second fan controllers and configured to monitor operation of said first and said second fan controllers.

19. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans, said first fan controller is further configured to power down said failing fan of said first plurality of fans.

20. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans, said first fan controller is configured to increase an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said first plurality of fans.

21. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans, said second fan controller is further configured to power down said failing fan of said second plurality of fans.

22. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein said each of said first plurality of fans is positioned in a stacked arrangement with a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans forming a plurality of stacked fan pairs, wherein airflow from a given one of said first plurality of fans is forced through a corresponding one of said second plurality of fans.

23. A method for cooling system boards of a computer system, said method comprising:

providing a first fan controller coupled to control a first plurality of fans;

providing a second fan controller coupled to control a second plurality of fans;

operating said first plurality of fans concurrently with said second plurality of fans during operation;

monitoring said first and said second plurality of fans and detecting a failure in any of said first and said second plurality of fans; and

increasing an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans, in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans.

24. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising powering down said failing fan of said first plurality of fans in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said first plurality of fans.

25. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising increasing an operating speed of a corresponding fan of said first plurality of fans in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans.

26. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising powering down said failing fan of said second plurality of fans in response to detecting a failure of a fan of said second plurality of fans.

27. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising stacking each of said first plurality of fans onto a corresponding fan of said second plurality of fans to form a plurality of stacked fan pairs, wherein airflow from a given one of said first plurality of fans is forced through a corresponding one of said second plurality of fans.