Method for pre-chassis power multi-slot blade identification and inventory

• US 8,484,493 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lambert, Timothy M., Gamare, Kalyani S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US12/290,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/330, 713/340, 713/300, 700/22, 700/295, 700/297
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

Systems and methods for a blade server to obtain the blade type and configuration of the chassis without requiring the blades to be fully powered. Using this method the user has the ability to acquire correct inventory and slot status of the chassis through the use of a low power auxiliary power state. The user is then able to apply the proper power budgeting and thermal algorithm requirements utilizing this information while minimizing the power consumption necessary to acquire such information. In addition, an intelligent search algorithm may be utilized to scan the blades for blade information thus further minimizing power consumption and decreasing the time needed to inventory the blades.

Claims

1. A method of operating an information handling system which comprises a plurality of blade components and a chassis controller, comprising:

obtaining pre-set information handling system limitations;

providing low power auxiliary power to the plurality of blade components within the information handling system;

selectively powering only a portion of at least one of the plurality of blade components in a low power state, the portion of the at least one of the plurality of blade components being sufficient to communicate information regarding a first blade component of the plurality of blade components to a chassis controller;

communicating the first blade component information to the chassis controller while the low power auxiliary power is provided to the first blade;

scanning a multiple of the plurality of blades components while low power auxiliary power is provided to the multiple of the plurality of blade components to identify blade information, the scanning occurring before a power on request to fully power on is provided to a scanned blade;

selectively bypassing the scanning of at least one of the blade components of the information handling system based upon the blade information regarding the information handling system limitations; and

terminating the providing of low power auxiliary power to the scanned blade before the request to fully power on the scanned blade is made.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is performed upon detection of an insertion of a new blade in the blade chassis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing low power auxiliary power step is performed incrementally upon one blade component at a time for a plurality of blade components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the blade components are blade servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one of blade type, blade size, blade configuration or number of CPUs within the blade components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective bypassing is based at least in part upon whether the blade slot is empty.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective bypassing is based at least in part upon whether the blade slot is occupied by a slave blade.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective bypassing is based at least in part upon whether blade slots are empty and whether blade slots are occupied by a slave blade.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the scanning of the plurality of blade components is performed incrementally.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanning of the plurality of blades is performed incrementally.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective bypassing reduces the power consumption of a blade identification process.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing of low power auxiliary power to the plurality of blade components and the scanning of the plurality of blades is performed incrementally for each blade except for those blades that are selectively bypassed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the blade information includes at least one of blade type, blade size, blade configuration or number of CPUs within the blade.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising a bus coupling the chassis controller and the plurality of blade components wherein the bus provides system hardware control communications in addition to providing blade component information.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of blade components and a chassis controller are housed in a blade server chassis, the blade server chassis is capable of being configured in varying dimensions of blade server heights and widths.