Determining the configuration of a power distribution system

• US 8,750,393 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Alshinnawi, Shareef F., Cudak, Gary D., Suffern, Edward S., Weber, J. Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Timory, Kabir A
• Application Number:
  US13/954,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 375/257, 375/258
• US Class Current: 375/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A method provides digital communication over an electrical power supply cable between a management processor in a circuit breaker panel (CBP) and a management processor in a power distribution unit (PDU), wherein the CBP has a CBP identification code (ID) and the PDU has a PDU ID. The digital communication provides the CBP management processor with the PDU ID for the PDU that is connected through the electrical power supply cable to the CBP, or the digital communication provides the PDU management processor with the CBP ID for the CBP that is connected through the electrical power supply cable to the PDU. The method further comprises identifying the electrical power supply cable connection by communicating first and second endpoints of the electrical power cable connection to a cluster management entity, wherein the first endpoint is identified by the CBP ID and the second endpoint is identified by the PDU ID.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing digital communication over an electrical power supply cable between a management processor in a circuit breaker panel and a management processor in a power distribution unit, wherein the circuit breaker panel has a circuit breaker identification code and the power distribution unit has a power distribution unit identification code, and wherein the digital communication provides the circuit breaker panel management processor with the power distribution unit identification code for the power distribution unit that is connected through the electrical power supply cable to the circuit breaker panel, or the digital communication provides the power distribution unit management processor with the circuit breaker panel identification code for the circuit breaker panel that is connected through the electrical power supply cable to the power distribution unit; and

identifying the electrical power supply cable connection by communicating a first endpoint and a second endpoint of the electrical power cable connection to a cluster management entity, wherein the first endpoint is identified by the circuit breaker panel identification code and the second endpoint is identified by the power distribution unit identification code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital communication follows a carrier sense multiple access protocol with collision detection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker panel includes a transceiver coupled for communication over the electrical power cable, and wherein the power distribution unit includes a transceiver coupled for communication over the electrical power cable.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the power distribution unit detects its position in the computer system rack and includes the detected rack position as part of the power distribution unit identification code.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying electrical power from the power distribution unit to a plurality of electronic devices selected from servers, network switches and data storage devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the power distribution unit management processor identifying a load associated with the plurality of electronic devices and communicating that load to the cluster management entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing digital communication over an electrical power line between the management processor in the circuit breaker panel and a management processor coupled to the electrical power line, wherein the electrical power line is coupled for supplying electrical power from a three phase power source to the circuit breaker panel, and wherein the digital communication provides the circuit breaker panel management processor with an electrical power line identification code for the electrical power line or provides the electrical power line management processor with the circuit breaker panel identification code for the circuit breaker panel; and

identifying the electrical power line connection by identifying a first endpoint and a second endpoint of the electrical power line connection to a cluster management entity, wherein the first endpoint is identified by the electrical power line identification code and the second endpoint is identified by the circuit breaker panel identification code.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital communication follows a carrier sense multiple access protocol with collision detection.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the electrical power line management processor is coupled to the electrical power line through a transceiver.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying electrical power from the power distribution unit to a plurality of electronic devices selected from servers, network switches and data storage devices.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the power distribution unit management processor identifying a load associated with a plurality of electronic devices coupled to the power distribution unit, and communicating that load to the cluster management entity.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the cluster management entity calculating a load on the circuit breaker panel including the load coupled the power distribution unit and calculating a load on the electrical power line including the load on the circuit breaker panel.

13. A method, comprising:

using three-phase electrical power to supply electrical power to a plurality of electronic devices in a cluster, wherein each phase has an electrical connection with at least one circuit breaker panel for providing electrical power to the at least one circuit breaker panel, wherein each circuit breaker panel has an electrical connection with at least one power distribution unit for providing electrical power to the at least one power distribution unit, and wherein each power distribution unit has an electrical connection with at least one of the electronic devices for providing electrical power to the at least one of the electronic devices;

establishing a digital communication network that communicates over the electrical connections;

assigning identification codes to each phase, each circuit breaker panel, and each power distribution unit;

communicating over each of the electrical connections to associate, for each power distribution unit, the identification code assigned to the power distribution unit with the identification code assigned to the circuit breaker panel to which the power distribution unit has an electrical connection, and to associate, for each circuit breaker panel, the identification code assigned to the circuit breaker panel with the identification code assigned to the phase to which the circuit breaker has an electrical connection; and

collecting, for each electrical connection, the identification codes associated with the electrical connection.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying an amount of load associated with a plurality of electronic devices coupled to the power distribution unit, and communicating the amount of load to the cluster management entity.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating, for each of the circuit breaker panels, an amount of load on the circuit breaker panel as the sum of the amount of load on each power distribution unit having an identification code that is associated with the identification code of the circuit breaker panel.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating, for each of the phases, an amount of load on the phase as the sum of the amount of load on each circuit breaker panel having an identification code that is associated with the identification code of the phase.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying an imbalance in the amount of load on each of the three phases.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

moving one or more workloads from at least one of the electronic devices that is receiving electrical power from a first phase to at least one of the electronic devices that is receiving electrical power from a second phase, wherein the first phase has a greater load than the second phase.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying that a first phase has a greater load than the second phase;

disconnecting one or more of the electronic devices that is receiving electrical power from the first phase; and

reconnecting the one or more of the electronic devices to the second phase.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying an amount of load associated with a plurality of electronic devices coupled to the power distribution unit, includes identifying the rack position of the power distribution unit and the rack position of each of the plurality of electronic devices, wherein the rack position of each electronic device determines the power distribution unit to which the electronic device is connected, and wherein the rack position of each electronic device is identified by each electronic device detecting a rack position and communicating the detected rack position to the central management entity.