Discovering physical server location by correlating external and internal server information

• US 8,271,639 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Joukov, Nikolai A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US12/698,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709/200, 340/539.27, 340/572.1, 340/572.2, 340/572.4, 340/622, 340/640
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

The present invention includes a computing system for discovering a physical location of a physical server device in a datacenter. The computing system obtains at least one physical property of the physical server device pertaining to the physical location of the physical server device. The computing system acquires at least one logical property of the physical server device pertaining to a logical server name of the physical server device. The computing system correlates the at least one physical property and the at least one logical property. Thereby, the computing system matches the logical server name to the physical location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for discovering a physical location of a physical server device in a datacenter, the method comprising:

detecting at least one external physical characteristic of the physical server device pertaining to the physical location of the physical server device;

acquiring at least one logical property of the physical server device pertaining to a logical server name of the physical server device; and

correlating the at least one external physical characteristic and the at least one logical property to match the logical server name to the physical location,

wherein the at least one external physical characteristic further comprises one or more of;

an audio signal from the physical server device, or heat signal from the physical server device, wherein the heat comprises heat signal generated from a device running or operating in the physical server device.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one external physical characteristic further comprises one or more of:

the physical server device'"'"'s exterior details, a visual signal from the physical server device, an electromagnetic signal from the physical server device.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the visual signal comprises one or more of:

a first activated indicator device attached on a storage device of the physical server device, a second activated indicator device attached on a network card of the physical server device.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the audio signal comprises noise generated from a cooling fan in the physical server device.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one external physical characteristic is detected by at least one detector including one or more of:

a bar code scanner, a photo or video camera, a microphone.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5, wherein a location of the at least one detector is determined by one or more of:

a fixed internal coordinate of the datacenter and a positioning device.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one logical property further includes one or more of:

a MAC (Media Control Access) address of the physical server device, a unique serial number of the physical server device, a state of an LED attached on a component in the physical server device, a CPU utilization, a network card and hard disk drive states of the physical server device.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, the at least one logical property is acquired by one or more of:

querying to the physical server device, parsing a log file and generating a signal to identify the physical server device.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the generating the signal does not require obtaining credentials on the physical server device or does not require running a command or program on the physical server device.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the correlation includes a mapping the at least one external physical characteristic to the at least one logical property by using Earth Mover'"'"'s Distance (EMD) algorithm.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 10, further comprising:

reusing the mapping, without performing the correlation again, to discover the physical location of the physical server device when an owner of the physical server device is changed or a user cannot login to the physical server anymore.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying computer program instructions being run by a processor for causing a computer to perform method steps for discovering a physical location of a physical server device in a datacenter, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 1.

13. A computer-implemented system for discovering a physical location of a physical server device in a datacenter, the system comprising:

a memory device; and

a processor unit in communication with the memory device, the processor unit performs steps of;

detecting at least one external physical characteristic of the physical server device pertaining to the physical location of the physical server device;

acquiring at least one logical property of the physical server device pertaining to a logical server name of the physical server device; and

correlating the at least one external physical characteristic and the at least one logical property to match the logical server name to the physical location,

wherein the at least one external physical characteristic further comprises one or more of;

an audio signal from the physical server device, or heat signal from the physical server device, wherein the heat signal comprises heat generated from a device running or operating in the physical server device.

14. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one external physical characteristic further comprises one or more of:

the physical server device'"'"'s exterior details, a visual signal from the physical server device, an electromagnetic signal from the physical server device.

15. The computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the visual signal comprises one or more of:

a first activated indicator device attached on a storage device of the physical server device, a second activated indicator device attached on a network card of the physical server device.

16. The computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the audio signal comprises noise generated from a cooling fan in the physical server device.

17. The computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one external physical characteristic is detected by at least one detector including one or more of:

a bar code scanner, a photo or video camera, a microphone.

18. The computer-implemented system according to claim 17, wherein a location of the at least one detector is determined by one or more of:

a fixed internal coordinate of the datacenter and a positioning device.

19. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one logical property further includes one or more of:

a MAC (Media Control Access) address of the physical server device, a unique serial number of the physical server device, a state of an LED attached on a component in the physical server device, a CPU utilization, a network card and hard disk drive states of the physical server device.

20. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, the at least one logical property is acquired by one or more of:

querying to the physical server device, parsing a log file and generating a signal to identify the physical server device.

21. The computer-implemented system according to claim 20, wherein the generating the signal does not require obtaining credentials on the physical server device or does not require running a command or program on the physical server device.

22. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the correlation includes a mapping the at least one external physical characteristic to the at least one logical property by using Earth Mover'"'"'s Distance (EMD) algorithm,

wherein the processor further performs:

reusing the mapping, without performing the correlation again, to discover the physical location of the physical server device when an owner of the physical server device is changed or a user cannot login to the physical server anymore.

23. A computer program product including a program of instructions in a non-transitory computer readable medium for discovering a physical location of a physical server device in a datacenter, wherein, when the program of instructions are run by at least one processor, the computer program product performs the steps of:

detecting at least one external physical characteristic of the physical server device pertaining to the physical location of the physical server device;

acquiring at least one logical property of the physical server device pertaining to a logical server name of the physical server device; and

correlating the at least one external physical characteristic and the at least one logical property to match the logical server name to the physical location,

wherein the at least one external physical characteristic further comprises one or more of;

an audio signal from the physical server device, or signal heat from the physical server device, wherein the heat signal comprises heat generated from a device running or operating in the physical server device.