System and method for dynamic information handling system prioritization

• US 8,060,760 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Munjal, Ashish, Shetty, Sudhir
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, DENNIS
• Application Number:
  US11/777,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C

Abstract

Modular information handling systems supported in a modular chassis, such as blade information handling systems, have power allocation managed by dynamic and automated prioritization of power application to each modular information handling systems. A priority list of modular information handling systems is generated and updated by analysis of priority factors discovered from the modular information handling systems, such as with periodic polling of the modular information handling systems or detection of predetermined events at the information handling systems.

Claims

1. A modular chassis information handling system comprising:

a chassis having plural slots, each slot operable to accept an information handling system module;

a power system operable to provide power to each slot for powering the information handling system modules;

a chassis manager interfaced with the power system and operable to selectively allocate power to the information handling system modules according to a priority; and

a priority manager interfaced with the chassis manager and the information handling system modules, the priority manager operable to automatically analyze one or more priority factors retrieved from each of the information handling system modules to determine the priority, the priority factors comprising at least attributes of one or more virtual machines currently running on the information handling system modules.

2. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 1 wherein the priority manager comprises a discovery engine operable to periodically discover the one or more priority factors from the information handling system modules.

3. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 1 wherein the priority manager comprises an event management engine operable to detect a priority event associated with an information handling system module, the priority event associated with a change to the one or more priority factors.

4. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 3 wherein the priority event comprises a virtual machine migration.

5. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 3 wherein the priority event comprises an operating system startup.

6. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 1 wherein the priority manager comprises a prioritization engine operable having rules to determine the priority from the priority factors.

7. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 6 further comprising a priority rules interface operable to accept end user definitions of the rules.

8. The modular chassis information handling system of claim 1 wherein the information handling system modules comprise information handling system blades.

9. A method for allocating power between modular information handling systems of a modular information handling system chassis, the method comprising:

analyzing one or more priority factors to determine a priority between the modular information handling systems, the priority factors comprising at least information about virtual machines currently running on one or more of the modular information handling system;

applying the priority to allocate power between the modular information handling systems;

automatically monitoring the modular information handling systems to detect changes in the priority factors; and

dynamically analyzing detected changes in the priority factors to update the priority.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the modular information handling systems comprise blade information handling systems.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein automatically monitoring the modular information handling systems further comprises periodically discovering the priority factors by polling the modular information handling systems.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein periodically discovering the priority factors further comprises polling the modular information handling systems for energy consumption characteristics.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein periodically discovering the priority factors further comprises polling the modular information handling systems through system management interfaces for information about services provided by each system.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein periodically discovering the priority factors further comprises polling the modular information handling systems to determine virtual machines associated with each system.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein automatically monitoring the modular information handling systems further comprises monitoring the modular information handling systems for one or more virtual machine startup events.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein automatically monitoring the modular information handling systems further comprises monitoring the modular information handling systems for virtual machine migration events.

17. A system for managing allocation of power between plural information handling systems, the system comprising:

one or more power supplies interfaced with the plural information handling systems and operable to provide power to the information handling systems;

a manager interfaced with the power supplies and the information handling systems, the manager operable to allocate power provided by the power supply to the information handling systems; and

a priority manager interfaced with the manager and the power supplies, the priority manager operable to automatically analyze information about virtual machines running on the information handling systems and retrieved from the information handling systems to determine a priority for the manager to allocate power between the information handling systems; and

an event management engine operable to detect a virtual machine migration event associated with the information handling systems and to provide migration information to the priority manager to adjust the priority based upon functions provided by a virtual machine associated with the virtual machine migration event.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the priority manager further comprises a discovery engine operable to periodically monitor the plural information handling systems to detect priority factors, the priority manager applying the priority factors to determine the priority.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the priority manager further comprises a prioritization engine operable to provide rules to priority factors automatically discovered from the information handling systems to determine the priority, the priority factors comprising functions performed by the virtual machines.