Apparatus and method to provide power to battery-backup assemblies disposed in an information storage and retrieval system

• US 7,468,597 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kubo, Robert A., Lucas, Gregg S., Jones, Carl E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton; Gary L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US10/994,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20060103997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 320/166, 320/116, 711/113
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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

Abstract

A method is disclosed to supply power to one or more battery-backup assemblies. The method supplies a first controller, a second controller, a first battery-backup assembly, and a second battery-backup assembly. The method further supplies a power bus interconnected to the first controller, the second controller, the first battery-backup assembly, and the second battery-backup assembly, and a first power supply and a second power supply interconnected with the power bus. The method provides power to the first controller and to the second controller and to the first battery-backup assembly over a first period of time, and provides power to the first controller and to the second controller and to the second battery-backup assembly over a second period of time, where the first period of time differs from the second period of time.

Claims

1. A method to supply power to one or more battery-backup assemblies disposed in an information storage and retrieval system, comprising the steps of:

supplying a first controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a first controller load, and a second controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a second controller load;

supplying a first battery-backup assembly having a first BBU load, wherein said first battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said first controller, and a second battery-backup assembly having a second BBU load, wherein said second battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said second controller;

supplying a power bus interconnected to said first controller, said second controller, said first battery-backup assembly, and said second battery-backup assembly;

supplying a first power supply interconnected with said power bus;

supplying a second power supply interconnected with said power bus;

providing power to said power bus from said first power supply and from said second power supply;

drawing power from said power bus by said first controller, and said second controller, and said first battery-backup assembly, over a first period of time; and

drawing power from said power bus power by said first controller, and said second controller, and said second battery-backup assembly, over a second period of time, wherein said first period of time differs from said second period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said supplying a first power supply further comprises supplying a first power supply capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load;

said supplying a second power supply further comprises supplying a second power supply capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said supplying a first power supply further comprises supplying a first power supply capable of providing a second system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load;

said supplying a second power supply further comprises supplying a second power supply capable of providing a second system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a first battery-backup assembly comprising first microcode, wherein said first microcode specifies a first time interval;

providing a second battery-backup assembly comprising second microcode, wherein said second microcode specifies a second time interval;

wherein said first battery-backup assembly draws power from said power bus during said first time interval; and

wherein said second battery-backup assembly draws power from said power bus during said second time interval.

5. An article of manufacture comprising:

a first controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a first controller load, and a second controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a second controller load;

a first battery-backup assembly having a first BBU load, wherein said first battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said first controller, and a second battery-backup assembly having a second BBU load, wherein said second battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said second controller;

a power bus interconnected to said first controller, said second controller, said first battery-backup assembly, and said second battery-backup assembly;

a first power supply interconnected with, and providing power to, said power bus;

a second power supply interconnected with, and providing power to, said power bus; and

a computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code disposed therein to effect;

supplying power to said first controller, and to said second controller, and to said first battery-backup assembly, and to said second battery-backup assembly, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect;

providing power to said first controller and to said second controller and to said first battery-backup assembly over a first period of time; and

providing power to said first controller and to said second controller and to said second battery-backup assembly over a second period of time, wherein said first period of time interval differs from said second period of time.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein said first power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load;

and

wherein said second power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein said first power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load;

and

wherein said second power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 5, further comprising first microcode specifying a first time interval and second microcode specifying a second tine interval;

wherein said computer useable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to effect providing power to said first battery-backup assembly for said first period of time further comprises computer readable program code to effect providing power to said first battery-backup assembly for said first time interval; and

wherein said computer useable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to effect providing power to said second battery-backup assembly for said second period of time further comprises computer readable program code to effect providing power to said second battery-backup assembly for said second time interval.

9. A computer program product encoded in an information storage medium and usable with a programmable computer processor to supply power from a first power supply and a second power supply interconnected to a power bus to a first controller a first controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a first controller load, a second controller comprising one or more host adapters, one or more device adapters, a processor, cache, memory, and a Fibre Channel switch, and having a second controller load, a first battery-backup assembly having a first BBU load, and a second battery-backup assembly having a second BBU load, wherein said first battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said first controller and wherein said second battery-backup assembly is external to and interconnected with said second controller, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said first controller and to said second controller and to said first battery-backup assembly over a first period of time; and

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said first controller and to said second controller and to said second battery-backup assembly over a second period of time, wherein said first period of time interval differs from said second period of time.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said first power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load;

and

wherein said second power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, said first BBU load, and said second BBU load.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said first power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load;

and

wherein said second power supply is capable of supplying a system load comprising the sum of said first controller load, said second controller load, and said first BBU load.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer program product specifies a first time interval, and a second time interval:

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said first battery-backup assembly for said first period of time further comprises computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said first battery-backup assembly for said first time interval; and

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said second battery-backup assembly for said second period of time further comprises computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide power to said second battery-backup assembly for said second time interval.