Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services

• US 8,850,239 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wahl, Stefan, Bauer, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US13/376,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 709/201, 718/100, 718/102, 718/104
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/007 Arrangements for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources for providing uninterruptable power supply H02J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

The network computing cluster includes one or more network computing stations and one or more power autarkic network computing stations supplied by one or more associated local power generators. The power autarkic network computing stations and the local power generators are connected with a local power network. A control signal is sent to a resource managing unit of the network computing cluster via a communication network. The control signal indicates the ability of the power autarkic network computing stations to process IT-services. The resource managing unit receives the control signal via the communication network. Triggered by the control signal, the resource managing unit sends a signal for transferring an IT-service processed by a network computing station of the network computing stations to the network computing station via the communication network. The processed IT-service is transferred to one of the power autarkic network computing stations via the communication network.

Claims

1. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services, the network computing cluster comprising one or more network computing stations and one or more power autarkic network computing stations supplied by one or more associated local power generators, the one or more power autarkic network computing stations and the one or more local power generators being connected with a local power network, wherein the method comprises determining an amount of locally generated power generated by the one or more local power generators, sending, dependent on the amount of locally generated power, a control signal to a resource managing unit of the network computing cluster via a communication network, the control signal indicating the ability of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations to process IT-services,

receiving, by the resource managing unit, said control signal via the communication network,

sending, by the resource managing unit and triggered by said control signal, a signal for transferring an IT-service processed by a network computing station of the one or more network computing stations to said network computing station via the communication network, and

transferring said IT-service processed by said network computing station to one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations via the communication network for further processing the IT-service.

2. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

retrieving, by a control unit associated with the local power network, the amount of locally generated and consumed power measured by a power sensor,

calculating, by the control unit, an amount of local power excess based on a difference of the measured amount of locally generated and consumed power, and

triggering, by the control unit, the sending of the control signal indicating the ability of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations associated with the one or more local power generators to process IT-services, when the difference of the measured amount of locally generated and consumed power a predefined threshold level is reached or exceeded.

3. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 2, wherein the control signal comprises the amount of local power excess, and/or

wherein the predefined threshold level indicates a minimal amount of local power excess required for processing of at least one IT-service.

4. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 3,

wherein the method comprises

rating, dependent on the amount of local power excess comprised in the control signal, the one or more power autarkic network computing stations providing the ability to process IT-services by assigning an ecological value to each of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, and

selecting, by the resource managing unit, the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations for further processing the IT-service which provides a highest or better ecological value.

5. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 3,

wherein the method comprises:

evaluating, by the resource managing unit, the one or more power autarkic network computing stations for further processing the IT-service based on one or more parameters associated with the one or more power autarkic network computing stations which are selected from a group of the one or more parameters comprising the amount of local power excess and/or an ecological value, and

selecting, by the resource managing unit, the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations for further processing the IT-service which provides a best evaluation based on the one or more parameters.

6. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 2,

wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by a local resource management client of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, a status signal comprising the amount of local power excess via the communication network by means of communication means of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations and extracting the amount of local power excess from the received status signal,

comparing, by the local resource management client, a number of two or more IT-services processed by a processing unit with a number of one or more powered-on processing blades of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, and

prompting, by the local resource management client, a local power controller to switch on or to switch off one or more processing blades of the one or more processing blades, respectively such that the number of one or more powered-on processing blades equals a minimum of a number of all processing blades of the processing unit, the number of the two or more IT-services processed by processing unit, and a floor of the amount of local power excess and an power consumption of one of the one or more powered-on processing blades multiplied with a factor of at least one, whereby the floor of the amount of power excess and an power consumption of one of the one or more powered-on processing blades multiplied with a factor of at least one defines a threshold value of minimum value of power excess necessary for processing at least one IT-service.

7. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1,

wherein the method comprises:

controlling, by a local power controller of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, a supply of power to a processing unit with one or more processing blades of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations based on an energy demand of the processing unit and based on responses to frequent queries regarding an amount of locally generated power by the one or more local power generators measured with a power sensor, whereby an accumulator of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations is charged with power generated by the one or more local power generators while there is an power excess generated by the one or more local power generators and whereby the accumulator is discharged while the energy demand is higher than the power generated by the one or more local power generators in order to provide a constant supply of power to the processing unit.

8. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1,

wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by a local resource management client of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, a power-off signal, preferably from a power switch, initiating, by the local resource management client, a transfer of all IT-services processed by a processing unit of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, querying, by the local resource management client, for one or more other network computing stations of the one or more network computing stations and/or for one or more other power autarkic network computing stations of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations which can take over said IT-services via the communication network for further processing said IT-services by means of communication means of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations and transferring said IT-services according to a result of the query received from resource managing unit,

signaling, by the local resource management client, to the resource managing unit via the communication network that the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations is switched-off in order to indicated that the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations is performing a shutdown procedure, and

prompting, by the local resource management client, a local power controller of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations to switch off the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations.

9. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1,

wherein the method comprises:

signaling, by an accumulator charge condition sensor of an accumulator charged by the one or more associated local power generators, an accumulator charge condition value sensed by the accumulator charge condition sensor to a local power controller of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations,

signaling, by a local resource management client of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, a number of IT-services processed by a processing unit of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations to the local power controller, and

initiating, by the local power controller, a standby-mode of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations in case that the number of IT-services processed by a processing unit equals zero and the sensed accumulator charge condition value indicates a fully charged accumulator, whereby the processing unit of the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations is not powered during standby-mode.

10. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1,

wherein the method comprises:

assigning, by the resource managing unit, one or more further IT-services to the one and/or another of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, the one and/or the other of the one or more power autarkic networks computing station comprising a processing unit with one or more processing blades for processing the one or more further IT-services, via the communication network, and instantiating, by a local resource management client of the one and/or the other of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations, at one of the one or more processing blades the one or more further IT-services for processing the one or more further IT-services.

11. Method of controlling a network computing cluster providing IT-services according to claim 1,

wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by said network computing station, the signal for transferring said IT-service processed by said network computing station via the communication network by means of communication means of said network computing station,

sending, by said network computing station, to the resource managing unit a confirmation signal comprising status data of said IT-service via the communication network,

receiving, by the resource managing unit, the confirmation signal comprising the status data of said IT-service, and

forwarding, by the resource managing unit, the status data of said IT-service to the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations for the further processing the IT-service via the communication network.

12. A network computing cluster providing IT-services, the network computing comprising a control unit, a resource managing unit, one or more network computing stations and one or more power autarkic network computing stations supplied by one or more associated local power generators, the one or more power autarkic network computing stations and the one or more local power generators being connected with a local power network,

wherein the control unit is adapted to determine an amount of locally generated power generated by the one or more local power generators and, dependent on the determined amount of locally generated power, trigger one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations to send a control signal to the resource managing unit via a communication network, the control signal indicating the ability of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations to process IT-services, and wherein the resource managing unit is adapted to receive said control signal via the communication network, and send, triggered by said control signal, a signal for transferring an IT-service processed by a network computing station of the one or more network computing stations to said network computing station via the communication network for transferring said IT-service processed by said network computing station to the one of the one or more power autarkic network computing stations via the communication for further processing the IT-service.