Estimating relative humidity inside a computer system

• US 8,155,765 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lopez, Leoncio D., Gross, Kenny C., Vaidyanathan, Kalyanaraman
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US12/114,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 714/47, 714/48, 714/74.1, 714/E11.02, 714/E11.167, 700/52
• US Class Current: 700/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that estimates the relative humidity inside a computer system. During operation, a set of performance parameters of the computer system and an external relative humidity outside of the computer system are monitored. Then, the relative humidity inside the computer system is estimated based on the set of performance parameters, the external relative humidity, and a relative humidity model, wherein training of the relative humidity model includes measuring an external training relative humidity outside of the computer system and a training relative humidity inside the computer system while monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for using a computer to estimate a relative humidity inside a computer system, comprising:

monitoring a set of performance parameters of the computer system; and

estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system based on the set of performance parameters, and a relative humidity model;

wherein training of the relative humidity model includes monitoring a training relative humidity while monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system; and

wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes using a pattern-recognition technique.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

monitoring a monitored relative humidity, wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system based on the monitored relative humidity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the training relative humidity includes a relative humidity inside the computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the training relative humidity includes a relative humidity outside the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system includes systematically monitoring and recording a set of performance parameters of the computer system;

and

wherein the recording process keeps track of the temporal relationships between events in different performance parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes using a multivariate state estimation technique.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein training the relative humidity model includes using a pattern-recognition technique.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein training the relative humidity model includes using a multivariate state estimation technique.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for estimating a relative humidity inside a computer system, the method comprising:

monitoring a set of performance parameters of the computer system; and

estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system based on the set of performance parameters, and a relative humidity model;

wherein training of the relative humidity model includes monitoring a training relative humidity while monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system; and

wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes using a pattern-recognition technique.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further including:

monitoring a monitored relative humidity, wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system based on the monitored relative humidity.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the training relative humidity includes a relative humidity outside the computer system.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9,

wherein monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system includes systematically monitoring and recording a set of performance parameters of the computer system;

and

wherein the recording process keeps track of the temporal relationships between events in different performance parameters.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes using a multivariate state estimation technique.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein training the relative humidity model includes using a pattern-recognition technique.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein training the relative humidity model includes using a multivariate state estimation technique.

16. An apparatus for estimating a relative humidity inside a computer system, comprising:

a monitoring mechanism configured to monitor a set of performance parameters of the computer system and an external relative humidity outside of the computer system;

an estimating mechanism configured to estimate the relative humidity inside the computer system based on the set of performance parameters, the external relative humidity, and a relative humidity model; and

wherein training of the relative humidity model includes measuring an external training relative humidity outside of the computer system and a training relative humidity inside the computer system while monitoring the set of performance parameters of the computer system;

wherein estimating the relative humidity inside the computer system includes using a pattern-recognition technique.

17. The apparatus of claim 16,

wherein the monitoring mechanism includes a mechanism configured to systematically monitor and record a set of performance parameters of the computer system;

and

wherein the recording process keeps track of the temporal relationships between events in different performance parameters.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein training the relative humidity model includes using a multivariate state estimation technique.