Rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method

• US 7,386,744 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Espinoza-Ibarra, Ricardo E., Barr, Andrew Harvey, Bresniker, Kirk Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US10/801,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713320-324, 713/330, 713/340, 700/21, 700/22
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method is presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, a power pricing plan rack equipment control method is utilized to control operation of rack equipment. A power pricing plan for operating the rack equipment is established. The rack equipment is operated in accordance with the power pricing plan.

Claims

1. A power pricing plan rack equipment control method comprising:

establishing a power pricing plan for operating rack equipment; and

controlling operation of said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan, wherein said power pricing plan enables said rack equipment to provide more power to a higher priority processing activity while providing less power to a lower priority processing activity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling said operation includes rack equipment performance settings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling said operation includes changing power consumption by said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said power pricing plan indicates a reduction in a voltage and a frequency of said rack equipment when a price for power increases.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said power pricing plan indicates an increase in a voltage and a frequency of said equipment when a price for power decreases.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling said operation comprises automatically adjusting said performance interactively.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of power pricing change; and

analyzing correspondence of said power pricing change to performance control instructions included in said power pricing plan.

8. An computer-useable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to execute power pricing performance instructions comprising:

a power pricing detection module for detecting indications of power pricing fluctuations covered by a power pricing plan;

a power pricing plan policy module for ascertaining power pricing plan instructions associated with said power pricing fluctuations; and

an instruction generation module for generating rack equipment performance adjustment commands to implement said power pricing plan instructions, wherein said power pricing plan enables providing more power to a higher priority processing activity while providing less power to a lower priority processing activity.

9. The computer-useable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions for a telemetry monitoring module for monitoring characteristics and activity of rack equipment associated with said adjustment commands.

10. The computer-useable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions for a power pricing event spawning module for generating power pricing events.

11. The computer-useable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said instruction generation module further comprises computer executable instructions for functionality for generating a command to postpone processing.

12. The computer-useable storage medium of claim 8, further comprises instructions for power pricing plan information that comprises computer executable instructions that when executed enable an agreement between a host and a client and said instructions enable said power pricing information Plan to be structured in a manner to accommodate business activities of said client.

13. The computer-useable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said telemetry monitoring module further comprises computer executable instructions for confirming said performance adjustments commands are complied with.

14. A power pricing rack equipment control system comprising:

rack equipment for processing data;

a power pricing plan component for controlling said rack equipment based on a power pricing plan policy, wherein said power pricing plan policy enables said rack equipment to provide more power to a higher priority processing activity while providing less power to a lower priority processing activity; and

a communications bus for coupling said rack equipment and said power pricing plan control component, wherein said communications bus is utilized for communicating information between said power pricing plan control component and said rack equipment.

15. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan component is operable to modulate power consumed by said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan policy.

16. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan component is operable to switch on and off said rack equipment in accordance with said power pricing plan policy.

17. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, further comprising a master management control center for coordinating control of rack equipment among a plurality of racks.

18. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan policy is dynamically adjustable on the fly.

19. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, wherein said power pricing plan policy is structured in accordance with business needs of a client.

20. The power pricing rack equipment control system of claim 14, further comprising:

a memory for storing equipment information and power pricing plan policy information; and

a cross indexing component for cross indexing said equipment information and said power pricing plan policy information.