Hierarchical system and method for managing power usage among server data processing systems

• US 7,509,506 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bahali, Sumanta K., Bailey, Warren D., Foster, Jimmy G. Sr., Sellman, Gregory D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US11/148,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/324, 713/340, 714/100, 709/208, 709/209
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A hierarchical power management system comprises first and second power management controllers, a power management command combination element, a power management command terminator, a power-managed data processing system element, and a power management bus coupled between the power management controllers, power management command combination element, and power management command terminator.

Claims

1. A hierarchical power management system comprising:

a first power management controller;

a second power management controller;

a power management command combination element;

a power management command terminator;

a power-managed data processing system element; and

a power management bus coupled between said first power management controller, said second power management controller, said power management command combination element, and said power management command terminator, wherein said power management command combination element is configured to combine respective commands received from said first and second power management controllers and provide a combined power management command to said power management command terminator, and wherein said combined power management command corresponds to a most power usage restrictive command included within the respective commands.

2. The hierarchical power management system of claim 1, wherein said power management bus is configured to unidirectionally transmit a single power management command bit signal from at least one of said first power management controller and said second power management controller to said power management command terminator.

3. The hierarchical power management system of claim 1, wherein said first power management controller is associated with a first power management hierarchical level and said second power management controller is associated with a second power management hierarchical level.

4. The hierarchical power management system of claim 1, wherein said first power management controller is associated with a server farm comprising a rack server data processing system and said second power management controller is associated with said rack server data processing system.

5. The hierarchical power management system of claim 1, wherein said power management command combination element is configured to receive a first signal specifying a first power management command from said first power management controller, to receive a second signal specifying a second power management command from said second power management controller, to generate a combined power management command utilizing said first power management command and said second power management command, and to transmit a single power management command bit signal specifying said combined power management command to said power management command terminator.

6. The hierarchical power management system of claim 1, wherein:

said power management bus comprises a primary power management bus, and

said hierarchical power management system further comprises a secondary power management bus coupled between said first power management controller, said second power management controller, said power management command combination element, and said power management command terminator.

7. A method for managing power usage within a hierarchical power management system comprising a first power management controller, a second power management controller, and a power management command combination element, said method comprising:

generating a first power management command bit signal utilizing said first power management controller, wherein said first power management controller is associated with a first power management hierarchical level;

generating a second power management command bit signal utilizing said second power management controller, wherein said second power management controller is associated with a second power management hierarchical level;

combining said first power management command bit signal and said second power management command bit signal utilizing said power management command combination element to provide a combined power management command bit signal that corresponds to a most power usage restrictive command bit signal included within said first and second power management command bit signals; and

performing a power management operation on a power-managed data processing system element associated with said hierarchical power management system in response to said combining.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said generating said first power management command bit signal comprises generating a server farm-level command bit signal.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said generating said second power management command bit signal comprises generating a rack server-level command bit signal.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein

said hierarchical power management system further comprises a power management command terminator and a power management bus, and

said method further comprises

transmitting said first power management command bit signal to said power management command combination element utilizing said power management bus;

and

transmitting said second power management command bit signal to said power management command combination element utilizing said power management bus.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said power management bus comprises a unidirectional, single bit bus.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein

said first power management command bit signal is associated with a first power management command,

said second power management command bit signal is associated with a second power management command, and

said combining comprises

generating a combined power management command utilizing said first power management command and said second power management command.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said performing comprises performing said combined power management command.

14. A machine-readable medium having a plurality of instructions executable by a machine embodied therein, wherein said plurality of instructions when executed cause said machine to perform a method for managing power usage within a hierarchical power management system comprising a first power management controller, a second power management controller, and a power management command combination element, said method comprising:

generating a first power management command bit signal utilizing said first power management controller, wherein said first power management controller is associated with a first power management hierarchical level;

generating a second power management command bit signal utilizing said second power management controller, wherein said second power management controller is associated with a second power management hierarchical level;

combining said first power management command bit signal and said second power management command bit signal utilizing said power management command combination element to provide a combined power management command bit signal that corresponds to a most power usage restrictive command bit signal included within said first and second power management command bit signals; and

performing a power management operation on a power-managed data processing system element associated with said hierarchical power management system in response to said combining.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said generating said first power management command bit signal comprises generating a server farm-level command bit signal.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said generating said second power management command bit signal comprises generating a rack server-level command bit signal.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein

said hierarchical power management system further comprises a power management command terminator and a power management bus, and

said method further comprises

transmitting said first power management command bit signal to said power management command combination element utilizing said power management bus;

and

transmitting said second power management command bit signal to said power management command combination element utilizing said power management bus.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein said power management bus comprises a unidirectional, single bit bus.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein

said first power management command bit signal is associated with a first power management command,

said second power management command bit signal is associated with a second power management command, and

said combining comprises

generating a combined power management command utilizing said first power management command and said second power management command.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said performing comprises

performing said combined power management command.