Apparatus, system, and method for device group identification

• US 7,956,552 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tuten, Wallace G., Miller, Michael Sven, Hurlimann, Daniel Ernest, Kelaher, Daniel Paul, Meserth, Timothy Andreas, Windell, David Thomas, Champion, David Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Tung X
• Application Number:
  US12/050,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20090237006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 315149-159, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297, 315/307, 315/312, 362/231, 362/234, 362/240, 362/253
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for identifying and differentiating among multiple groups of devices, comprising at least two LEDs, a controller, and a blending medium. The at least two LEDs emit a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED. The controller drives the at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to a color identifying value. The blending medium combines the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies a group of devices.

Claims

1. An identification apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a management network comprising a tangible storage device storing a computer readable program and a processor executing the computer readable program, the management module assigning a group selection to a logical group of a plurality of data processing devices disposed in a plurality of racks, each rack comprising at least two data processing devices, the management module further comprising a color selection interface that receives a color identifying value and the group selection and communicates the color identifying value to each data processing device in the logical group;

each data processing device comprising;

at least two light emitting diodes (LED), each LED emitting a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED;

a controller driving the at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to the color identifying value; and

a blending medium combining the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies the logical group.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus comprising three LEDs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a first LED emits a green wavelength, a second LED emits a blue wavelength, and a third LED emits a red wavelength.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a first LED emits a cyan wavelength, a second LED emits a magenta wavelength, and a third LED emits a green wavelength.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a first LED emits a violet wavelength, a second LED emits an orange wavelength, and a third LED emits a green wavelength.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the LEDs emit wavelengths selected from red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, purple, orange, red-orange, red-violet, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, and blue-green.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the LEDs are selected from lensed LEDs and lensless LEDs.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the color selection interface is configured as a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the color selection interface is configured as a switch.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blending medium comprises a frosted shield.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blending medium comprises a light pipe.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the controller further receiving the color identifying value over a communication channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communication channel is shared among the group of devices through the management network.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

assign a group selection to a logical group of a plurality of data processing devices disposed in a plurality of racks, each rack comprising at least two data processing devices;

receive from a color selection interface a color identifying value and the group selection;

communicate the color identifying value to each data processing device in the logical group;

drive at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to the color identifying value, wherein each LED emits a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED and a blending medium combines the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies the logical group.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, the computer readable program further causing the computer to drive the LEDs by communicating the color identifying value to a controller over a communication channel.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the communication channel is shared among the logical group through a management network.

17. An identification system, the system comprising:

a management network comprising a color selection interface that receives a color identifying value and a group selection;

a plurality of data processing devices that communicate over the management network, the plurality of data processing devices organized into at least two logical groups, each logical group comprising at least one data processing device disposed in a plurality of racks, each rack comprising at least two data processing devices;

the management network communicating the color identifying value to each data processing device in each logical group;

each data processing device comprising;

at least two LEDs, each LED emitting a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED;

a controller driving the at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to a color identifying value received over the management network; and

a blending medium combining the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies a group of the at least two logical groups.

18. A method for deploying computer infrastructure, comprising integrating a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device into a computing system, wherein the program executed by the computing system performs the following:

receiving a color identifying value through a color selection interface;

receiving through the color selection interface a group selection for a group of data processing devices disposed in a plurality of racks, each rack comprising at least two data processing devices;

communicating the color identifying value to each data processing device in the logical group;

for each data processing device;

driving at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to the color identifying value, each LED emitting a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED; and

combining the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies the logical group.