Power allocation management in an information handling system

• US 7,669,071 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Maddukuri, Akkiah, Cochran, Stephen D., Farkas, Sandor T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US11/381,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

An information handling system includes modular processing resources, each having a main processor, system memory, and preferably a service processor resource. A management resource coupled to a service processor resource evaluates a system power budget and allocates power to a processing resource by indicating a critical power level. The processing resource determines a warning power level based on the critical power level and monitor its actual power consumption. If actual power consumption exceeds the critical power level, the processing resource is powered down. If actual power consumption exceeds the warning power level, the processing resource throttles its performance to conserve power and requests a power allocation increase. If actual power consumption is below the warning power level, the processing resource may request a reduction in allocated power.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a processing resource, including a main processor and system memory accessible to the main processor;

a management resource coupled to the processing resource and configured to power off, reboot, and power on the processing resource remotely;

wherein the management resource is configured to respond to a power allocation request from the processing resource by evaluating a power budget of the system and allocating power to the processing resource by setting a critical power level for the processing resource;

wherein the processing resource is configured to receive the critical power level and to determine a warning power level based at least on the received critical power level and the historical stability of power consumption by the processing;

resource;

wherein the management resource responds to a power consumption level exceed the critical power level by initiating a processing resource power off; and

wherein the processing resource is configured to respond to an actual power consumption level exceeding the warning power level by transitioning to a power conserving mode.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the processing resource comprises a processing resource blade including a printed circuit board to which the processor and system memory are attached, wherein the blade is suitable for insertion into one of a plurality of slots in a chassis of the information handling system.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of processing resource blades, each inserted into a respective one of the slots in the information handling system chassis.

4. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the processing resource further responds to the power consumption level exceeding the warning power level by initiating a power budget increase request.

5. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the management resource is configured to respond to the request for an increased power budget by determining if sufficient power is available to accommodate the request and, if so, by providing an increased critical power level.

6. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the processing resource is further configured to respond to a power consumption level below a specified threshold by initiating a donation of a portion of the power budget to the management resource and wherein the management resource is configured to respond by determining a reduced power budget for the processing resource and setting a reduced processing resource critical power level.

7. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the power conserving mode is selected from a group of power conserving actions consisting of throttling performance of the processor resource and requesting a larger allocation of power from the management resource.

8. A method of allocating power in an information handling system, comprising:

responsive to a request from a processing resource, determining a critical power level and allocating the critical power level to the processing resource;

responsive to receiving the critical power level, determining a warning power level based at least on the received critical power level and the historical stability of power consumption by the processing resource, the warning power level being lower than the critical power level;

monitoring actual power consumption of the processing resource;

responsive to the actual power consumption exceeding the critical power level, shutting down the processing resource;

responsive to the actual power consumption exceeding the warning power level, throttling the processing resource to reduce actual power consumption and requesting an increase in the critical power level.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the critical power level includes determining the critical power level based on historical power consumption data associated with the processing resource.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein monitoring actual power consumption includes monitoring actual power consumption with current sensing circuitry accessible to a service processor resource of the processing resource.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein throttling the processing resource includes an action selected from the group consisting of reducing power supply levels to the processing resource and reducing a frequency of a clock signal that controls timing of the processing resource.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to the actual power consumption not exceeding the warning power level, determining if the processing resource is in a throttled state and, if so, restoring the processing resource to an un-throttled state.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to determining that the processing resource is not in a throttled state, determining if the processing resource power consumption is persistently below the warning power level and, if so, requesting a reduction in critical power level from the management module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining if the processing resource is persistently below the warning power level includes detecting that the actual power consumption is below a minimum power level, which is less than the warning power level.

15. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions embedded in the medium, for dynamically allocating power to processing resources in an information handling system, the instructions comprising:

instructions for requesting a management resource for a power allocation and for receiving a maximum power level from the management resource;

instructions for determining a warning power level based on the maximum power level and the historical stability of power consumption by the processing resource;

instructions for powering off the processing resource responsive to actual power responsive to monitoring the actual rower consumption exceed the maximum power level; and

instructions for throttling the processing resource to reduce power consumption and for requesting an increase in maximum power level responsive to monitoring an actual power consumption exceeding the warning power level.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for un-throttling a processing resource that is in a throttled state responsive to monitoring actual power consumption less than the warning power level.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for determining whether to request the management resource for a reduction in maximum power level responsive to monitoring an un-throttled power consumption below the warning power level.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining further comprise instructions for requesting the reduction responsive monitoring an un-throttled power consumption below a minimum power threshold.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instruction for determining further comprise instructions for requesting the reduction responsive to monitoring an un-throttled actual power consumption persistently below the warning power level.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising, instructions for detecting the management resource granting the request for the increase in maximum power consumption and, responsive thereto, instructions for revising the warning power level.

21. An information handling system, comprising:

a processing resource, including a main processor and system memory accessible to the main processor;

a management resource coupled to the processing resource and configured to power off, reboot, and power on the processing resource remotely using a plurality of power supply modules;

wherein the management resource is configured to respond to a power allocation request from the processing resource by evaluating a power budget of the system and allocating power to the processing resource by setting a critical power level for the processing resource;

wherein the processing resource is configured to receive the critical power level and to determine a warning power level based at least on the received critical power level and the historical stability of power consumption by the processing resource;

wherein the management resource responds to a rower consumption level exceed the critical rower level by initiating a processing resource rower off;

wherein the processing resource is configured to respond to an actual power consumption level exceeding the warning power level by transitioning to a power conserving mode;

wherein the processing resource is further configured to respond to a power consumption level below a specified threshold by initiating a donation of a portion of the power budget to the management resource and wherein the management resource is configured to respond by determining a reduced power budget for the processing resource and setting a reduced processing resource critical power level; and

wherein the management resource responds to the donation of a portion of the power budget by taking one of the plurality of power supply modules off-line.