System and method to dynamically change data center partitions

• US 8,983,675 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Diluoffo, Vincenzo V., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Kendzierski, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US12/240,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 522/05, 522/11, 522/207, 522/208, 522/381, 522/431, 700276-278, 700/300
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/04 Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers G05B19/418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/193 sensing the temperaure in different places in thermal relationship with one or more spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code embodied on a computer readable medium being operable to perform a thermal analysis of a data center and overlay the thermal analysis on a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis. Additionally, the computer executable code is operable to dynamically control at least one partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure comprising computer executable code embodied on a computer readable medium being operable to:

perform a thermal analysis of a data center;

overlay the thermal analysis on a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis;

dynamically control at least one partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis; and

update the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis after a predetermined time has expired,

wherein the at least one partition segregates at least one of;

a hotter region of the data center from a cooler region of the data center; and

a region of the data center where a job is scheduled from a region of the data center not being utilized,

and wherein the HVAC system is dynamically controllable to alter at least one of an air flow rate and an air flow temperature between the hotter region of the data center and the cooler region of the data center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer readable medium is further operable to dynamically control an HVAC system based on the overlaid thermal analysis and a location of the at least one partition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the HVAC system is dynamically controlled to alter at least one of an air flow rate and an air flow temperature of at least one of a hotter region of the data center and a cooler region of the data center.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of dynamically controlling the at least one partition in the data center and dynamically controlling an HVAC system based on the updating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one partition:

comprises at least one of a wall partition, a ceiling partition and a floor partition composed of a thermally insulative material; and

is at least one of retractable and structured and arranged to be rolled-up.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis upon occurrence of a triggering event or a manual direction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of:

a temperature change in the data center beyond a predetermined threshold; and

a computational resource usage change in the data center.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the thermal analysis comprises:

receiving real-time temperature readings from at least one temperature sensor in the data center; and

at least one of;

determining average temperatures for regions of the data center based on the real-time temperature readings; and

determining air flow paths in the data center.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the map of the data center comprises at least one of:

a physical layout of computing resources of the data center;

an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to be maintained in a cool environment and an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to operate in higher temperature environments; and

a real-time indication of the computing resources that are currently operating.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether to dynamically control the at least one partition based on the overlaid thermal analysis.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising partitioning the data center with the at least one partition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure that performs the steps of claim 1.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the map of the data center comprises an elevation plan view;

the thermal analysis indicates cooler or hotter regions of the data center relative to a vertical axis of the data center; and

the dynamically controlling the at least one partition comprises controlling a horizontal partition that is dropped from a ceiling or raised from a floor based on the thermal analysis overlaid on the elevation plan view.

14. A system, comprising:

a thermal analysis tool configured to perform a thermal analysis of a data center;

a mapping tool configured to overlay the thermal analysis over a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis;

a partition control tool configured to dynamically control a partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis; and

a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control tool configured to control an HVAC system based on the overlaid thermal analysis,

wherein the partition segregates at least one of;

a hotter region of the data center from a cooler region of the data center; and

a region of the data center where a job is scheduled from a region of the data center not being utilized,

and wherein the HVAC system is dynamically controllable to alter at least one of an air flow rate and an air flow temperature between the hotter region of the data center and the cooler region of the data center.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the partition comprises one of a wall partition, a ceiling partition and a floor partition composed of a thermally insulative material; and

the partition is at least one of retractable and structured and arranged to be rolled-up.

16. The system of claim 14, comprising a computer infrastructure operable to implement the thermal analysis tool, the mapping tool, the partition control tool and the HVAC control tool, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.