Information technology (IT) equipment positioning system

• US 9,182,480 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Larson, Thane M., Malone, Christopher G.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYOU, YONAS A
• Application Number:
  US11/046,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,938 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.49, 380/206, 380/250
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836

Abstract

An information technology (IT) equipment positioning system comprises a plurality of wireless transponders distributed in multiple locations in the data center and a controller. The controller is adapted to operate the transponders using triangulation to identify and detect positioning according to three-dimensional coordinates for wireless-tagged IT equipment located in the data center.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled electronic device comprising:

an item of information technology (IT) equipment that is mounted at a first location corresponding to a respective slot in racks and/or cabinets of a data center;

a plurality of radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags; and

a storage coupled to the RFID including a data structure field that characterizes physical dimensions of the IT equipment item used by a management utility in combination with temperature conditions and airflow conditions within the data center to determine positioning of the IT equipment item in a second location corresponding to a different respective slot in the racks and/or the cabinets of the data center to improve cooling, airflow, and workload efficiency performance relative to the first location based on the orientation of said plurality of tags, wherein the positioning of the IT equipment item includes three dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment in three dimensional space.

2. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

the storage coupled to the RFID including a data structure field that embeds at least one command line interface (CLI) code.

3. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 whereby orientation of the IT equipment item can be determined by triangulation of said plurality of tags.

4. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one active radio frequency identifier (RFID).

5. The RFID-enabled electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

at least one passive radio frequency identifier (RFID).

6. An information technology (IT) equipment positioning system for usage in a data center comprising:

a plurality of wireless transponders distributed in multiple locations in the data center;

a controller coupled to the plurality of wireless transponders that operates the transponders using triangulation to identify and detect positioning according to three-dimensional coordinates for wireless-tagged IT equipment mounted in locations corresponding to slots in racks and/or cabinets located in the data center, the controller using information including the physical dimensions of the IT equipment in combination with temperature conditions and airflow conditions within the data center to determine different locations corresponding to different respective slots in the racks and/or the cabinets in the data center for mounting the IT equipment to position the IT equipment to improve cooling, airflow, and workload efficiency performance relative to the locations corresponding to slots in racks and/or cabinets located in the data center, wherein at least two tags are associated with the IT equipment to determine the position that includes three dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment in three dimensional space.

7. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

the controller further detecting a volume-space occupied by wireless-tagged IT equipment mounted into slots of a rack or cabinet located in the data center according to dimension information encoded in association with a wireless tag of the IT equipment.

8. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

a graphical user interface; and

the controller that displays via the graphical user interface a mapping describing a current data center configuration and positioning of IT equipment within the data center.

9. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

the controller further detecting orientation of wireless-tagged IT equipment mounted into slots of a rack or cabinet located in the data center based on detection of at least two wireless tags attached to separated surfaces of the IT equipment.

10. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

a graphical user interface; and

the controller displaying via the graphical user interface a real-time inventory, location mapping, and size description of IT equipment within the data center.

11. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

at least three wireless transponders distributed at locations in the data center sufficient to use triangulation for determining three-dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment.

12. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

at least one robot adapted to mount at least one wireless transponder, patrol the data center, and determine positioning of the IT equipment.

13. The system according to claim 6 further comprising:

an item of information technology (IT) equipment that mounts into slots in racks and/or cabinets of the data center;

at least one wireless tag coupled to the item of IT equipment.

14. A database stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a plurality of data fields configured to map a data center in a three-dimensional space, the plurality of data fields including;

transponder data fields adapted for usage with at least three transponders in a wireless communication system that uses triangulation to determine three-dimensional position coordinates for wireless-tagged information technology (IT) equipment positioned in the data center;

location data fields adapted to identify a first location of the IT equipment corresponding to a respective slot in racks and/or cabinets within the data center determined by triangulation;

dimensional data fields adapted to identify spatial dimensions of the IT equipment mounted in racks and/or cabinets within the data center encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment based on orientation of a plurality of tags, wherein the dimensional data fields are used by a management utility to determine positioning of the IT equipment item in a second location corresponding to a different respective slot in the racks and/or the cabinets of the data center to improve cooling, airflow, and workload efficiency performance relative to the first location based on the orientation of said plurality of tags; and

orientation data fields adapted to store information of an orientation according to three dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment determined using triangulation of at least two wireless tags in at least two positions on the IT equipment in the data center.

15. The database according to claim 14 wherein the data fields further include:

command data fields adapted to store at least one command line interface (CLI) code encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment.

16. The database according to claim 14 wherein the data fields further include:

volume-space data fields adapted to identify volume of the IT equipment within the data center encoded in a wireless tag on the IT equipment.

17. A method of mapping information technology (IT) equipment in a data center comprising:

distributing at least three transponders in the data center;

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, wireless tag signals for tags coupled to and associated with IT equipment mounted into slots in racks and/or cabinets within the data center;

determining orientation information that defines orientation of the IT equipment in three dimensions using triangulation of the tags coupled to and associated with the IT equipment;

mapping IT equipment location corresponding to a volume-space occupied by the IT equipment in the slots in the racks and/or the cabinets within the data center by triangulation of the monitored wireless tag signals; and

using information including physical dimensions of an IT equipment item in combination with temperature conditions and airflow conditions within the data center to determine positioning of the information technology equipment in a different location corresponding to different respective volume-space occupiable by the IT equipment in different slots in the racks and/or the cabinets within the data center to improve performance of the data center.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

encoding the tags with information characterizing spatial package dimensions of the IT equipment;

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, the spatial dimension tag information; and

mapping the monitored IT equipment dimensions.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

displaying a real-time dynamic location and spatial dimension mapping describing a current configuration of IT equipment mounted in the data center.

20. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

displaying a real-time dynamic location mapping describing a current configuration of IT equipment mounted in the data center.

21. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

monitoring, via the at least three transponders, at least one command line interface (CLI) code encoded in a tag coupled to and associated with IT equipment within the data center.

22. An article of manufacture comprising:

a controller usable medium having a computable readable program code embodied therein for mapping information technology (IT) equipment in a data center, the controller to;

distribute at least three transponders in the data center;

monitor, via the at least three transponders, wireless tag signals for tags coupled to and associated with IT equipment mounted into slots in racks and/or cabinets within the data center;

map IT equipment location corresponding to a volume-space occupied by the IT equipment in the slots in the racks and/or the cabinets by triangulation of the monitored wireless tag signals, wherein the location includes three dimensional coordinates of the IT equipment in three dimensional space; and

use information including physical dimensions of an IT equipment item in combination with temperature conditions and airflow conditions within the data center to determine positioning the information technology equipment in a different location corresponding to a different volume-space occupied by the IT equipment in different respective slots in the racks and/or the cabinets in the data center to improve performance of the data center.

23. The article of manufacture according to claim 22, wherein the controller:

encodes the tags with information characterizing spatial package dimensions of the IT equipment;

monitors, via the at least three transponders, the spatial dimension tag information; and

maps the monitored IT equipment dimensions.