Power management for Power-over-Ethernet-capable switch

• US 7,886,165 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khan, Umer, Venner, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choudhury; Zahid
• Application Number:
  US11/752,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/322, 713/310, 713/321, 713/324, 713/330
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections

Abstract

A system and method is described that allows a PoE-capable switch to selectively provide power to one or more remote devices in an instance where power being supplied to the switch itself is limited or failing. In one embodiment, the switch receives a notification from an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and, in response to receiving the notification, selectively provides power to one or more devices powered by the switch. Selectively providing power to one or more of the devices may include providing power to only a subset of the devices, providing a different amount of power to different ones of the devices, or providing power for different durations to different ones of the devices. In an alternate embodiment, in response to receiving the notification, the switch communicates with a remote device and causes the remote device to activate at least one power saving feature.

Claims

1. A method for performing power management by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable switch, wherein the PoE-capable switch is connected to a plurality of remote devices over respective Ethernet cables and is operable to provide both data and power to each of the plurality of remote devices over the same Ethernet cable, the method comprising:

receiving a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing; and

responsive to receiving the notification, performing;

obtaining current state information from each of the plurality of remote devices, wherein the current state information associated with each of the plurality of remote devices indicates a power consumption state for a respective remote device, wherein each of the plurality of remote devices can operate in a powered-up, powered-down, or stand-by power consumption state; and

selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch based on the current state information including a power consumption state for each of the one or more of the plurality of remote devices, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises providing power for different preconfigured fixed time periods to different ones of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch based on the current state information including a power consumption state for each of the different ones of the plurality of remote devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing comprises receiving a notification from an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises providing power to only a subset of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises providing a different amount of power to different ones of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises selectively providing power based on preconfigured data associated with one or more ports of the PoE-capable switch.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

obtaining the preconfigured data from a remote management server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises:

sending a message to a remote server; and

receiving instructions from the remote server responsive to sending the message, the instructions indicating a manner in which to selectively provide power to the one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the POE-capable switch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch comprises:

making a first power supply determination for one of the plurality of remote devices and selectively providing power to the one of the plurality of remote devices based on the first power supply determination; and

subsequently making a second power supply determination for the one of the plurality of remote devices and selectively providing power to the one of the plurality of remote devices based on the second power supply determination.

9. A Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable switch, comprising:

a plurality of ports, each of the plurality of ports adapted for connection to a remote device via a respective Ethernet cable;

PoE logic connected to the plurality of ports, the PoE logic controllable to provide power to selected ones of the plurality of ports for delivery to a remote device connected thereto;

control logic connected to the PoE logic and configured to control the operation thereof; and

a data interface connected to the control logic;

wherein the data interface is configured to receive a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing, and

wherein the control logic includes power management logic that is configured to;

obtain current state information from one or more remote devices connected to the plurality of ports responsive to receipt of the notification by the data interface, wherein the current state information associated with each of the one or more remote devices indicates a power consumption state for a respective remote device, wherein each of the one or more remote devices can operate in a powered-up, powered-down, or stand-by power consumption state; and

control the PoE logic to selectively provide power to the plurality of ports responsive to receipt of the notification by the data interface and based on the current state information including a respective power consumption state for each of the one or more remote devices connected to the plurality of ports, wherein selectively providing power to the plurality of ports comprises providing power for different preconfigured fixed time periods to different ones of the plurality of ports based on respective power consumption states for each of different ones of the one or more remote devices connected to the different ones of the plurality of ports.

10. The PoE-capable switch of claim 9, wherein the data interface comprises one of an RS232 interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an Ethernet interface, an IEEE 802.11 interface or a Bluetooth®

interface.

11. The PoE-capable switch of claim 9, wherein the power management logic is configured to control the PoE logic to provide power to only a subset of the plurality of ports.

12. The PoE-capable switch of claim 9, wherein the power management logic is configured to control the PoE logic to provide a different amount of power to different ones of the plurality of ports.

13. The PoE-capable switch of claim 9, wherein the power management logic is configured to control the PoE logic to selectively provide power to the plurality of ports based on preconfigured data associated with one or more of the plurality of ports.

14. The PoE-capable switch of claim 13, wherein the power management logic is configured to obtain the preconfigured data from a remote management server.

15. A method for performing power management by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable switch, wherein the PoE-capable switch is connected to a plurality of remote devices over respective Ethernet cables and is operable to provide both data and power to each of the plurality of remote devices over the same Ethernet cable, the method comprising:

receiving a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing;

responsive to receiving the notification, obtaining current state information from each of the plurality of remote devices, wherein the current state information associated with each of the plurality of remote devices indicates a power consumption state for a respective remote device, wherein each of the plurality of remote devices can operate in a powered-up, powered-down, or stand-by power consumption state;

responsive to receiving the notification, selectively providing power to one or more of the plurality of remote devices connected to the PoE-capable switch based on the current state information including a power consumption state for each of the one or more of the plurality of remote devices; and

responsive to receiving the notification, communicating with a selected one of the remote devices to indicate to the selected remote device to implement at least one power saving feature supported by the selected remote device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing comprises receiving a notification from an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

17. A Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable switch, comprising:

a plurality of ports, each of the plurality of ports adapted for connection to a remote device via a respective Ethernet cable;

PoE logic connected to the plurality of ports, the PoE logic controllable to provide power to selected ones of the plurality of ports for delivery to a remote device connected thereto;

control logic connected to the PoE logic and configured to control the operation thereof; and

a data interface connected to the control logic;

wherein the data interface is configured to receive a notification indicating that a power source of the PoE-capable switch is limited or failing, and

wherein the control logic includes power management logic that is configured to;

obtain current state information from one or more remote devices connected to the plurality of ports responsive to receipt of the notification by the data interface, wherein the current state information associated with each of the one or more remote devices indicates a power consumption state for a respective remote device, wherein each of the one or more remote devices can operate in a powered-up, powered-down, or stand-by power consumption state;

selectively provide power to one or more remote devices connected to the plurality of ports responsive to receipt of the notification by the data interface and based on the current state information including a power consumption state for each of the one or more remote devices; and

communicate with a remote device connected to one of the plurality of ports to indicate to the remote device to implement at least one power saving feature supported by the remote device responsive to receipt of the notification by the data interface.

18. The PoE-capable switch of claim 17, wherein the data interface comprises one of an RS232 interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an Ethernet interface, an IEEE 802.11 interface or a Bluetooth®

interface.