Data visualization of a datacenter

• US 9,251,608 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Chardon, Luis, Felix, Carlos J., Mejias, Jose, Navas, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, THU V
• Application Number:
  US11/742,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20080269932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,200 Days
• Field of Search: 715/848, 715/273, 715/275, 715/200, 715/212, 715/215, 715/255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Methods and systems for data visualization in a datacenter are described herein. At least some illustrative embodiments comprise a method for monitoring a datacenter, comprising collecting a plurality of real-time data samples from a plurality of data sensors, generating a plurality of processed data values based at least in part on the plurality of real-time data samples, mapping each of the plurality of processed data values to one of a plurality of colors, and displaying the plurality of processed data values as regions of color on one or more two-dimensional (2-D) planes within a three-dimensional (3-D) space representing a datacenter.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a datacenter, comprising:

collecting a plurality of real-time data samples from a plurality of data sensors;

generating a plurality of processed data values based at least in part on the plurality of real-time data samples, the processed data values indicating environmental parameter;

mapping each of the plurality of processed data values to one of a plurality of colors, each color indicating a single value of the environmental parameter;

displaying the plurality of processed data values as regions of color on a plurality of two-dimensional (2 -D) planes within a three-dimensional (3 -D) space representing a datacenter;

interpolating a plurality of values within one of the plurality of 2 -D planes in between at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples;

mapping each of the plurality of interpolated values to one of a plurality of colors, each color indicating the interpolated value; and

displaying the plurality of interpolated values as regions of color on the plurality of 2 -D planes within the 3 -D space.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying 3 -D representations of one or more equipment enclosures placed within the datacenter, wherein each of the plurality of 2-D planes corresponds to a displayed surface of the one or more equipment enclosures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of 2-D planes corresponds to a distinct horizontal plane located at an elevation level at which at least some of the plurality of sensors are located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the plurality of processed data values is further based upon a plurality of historical data samples that comprise time-tagged real-time data samples that are time-sequentially stored in a database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the plurality of processed data values is further based upon one or more calculated values.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising combining at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples to produce the one or more calculated values.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

time-sequentially storing time-tagged real-time data samples in a database as historical data samples; and

combining at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples and one or more of a plurality of the historical data samples to produce the one or more calculated values.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the real-time data samples from a plurality of data types comprising at least one type selected from the group consisting of temperature data, air flow data, humidity data and power consumption data.

9. A system, comprising:

a processing system;

a plurality of sensors coupled to the processing system via a network, the sensors configured to monitor environmental conditions within a datacenter;

an operator workstation capable of displaying color three-dimensional (3-D) images; and

one or more equipment racks installed within the datacenter, wherein at least some of the plurality of sensors are installed at multiple elevations within the one or more equipment racks;

wherein real-time sample data points provided by the plurality of sensors are processed by the processing system to produce one or more processed data values that are mapped to one or more of a plurality of colors, the processed data values indicating an environmental parameter, and each color indicating a single value of the environmental parameter;

wherein one or more two-dimensional (2-D) planes within a 3-D space representing the datacenter comprise real-time sample data points from one or more of the plurality of sensors and are displayed at the operator workstation as regions of color, the location of a region corresponding to the physical location of the 2-D plane within the 3-D space representing the datacenter, the color of a region reflecting the mapped color of at least some of the one or more processed data values; and

wherein the one or more 2-D planes each correspond to a rendered surface of the one or more equipment racks displayed in a color 3-D image by the operator workstation.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein the processing system interpolates a plurality of values within the one or more 2-D planes in between at least some of the real-time sample data points, mapping each of the plurality of interpolated values to one of a plurality of colors, each color indicating the interpolated value;

and

wherein the plurality of interpolated values are displayed at the operator workstation as regions of color on the one or more 2-D planes within the 3-D space.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising software that when executed by a computer causes a processor to:

collect a plurality of real-time data samples from a plurality of data sensors;

generate a plurality of processed data values based at least in part on the plurality of real-time data samples, the processed data values indicate an environmental parameter;

map each of the plurality of processed data values to one of a plurality of colors, each color indicating a single value of the environmental parameter; and

display the plurality of processed data values as regions of color on a plurality of two-dimensional (2-D) planes within a three-dimensional (3-D) space representing a datacenter.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software when executed by the computer further causes the processor to display 3-D representations of one or more equipment enclosures placed within the datacenter, wherein each of the plurality of 2-D planes corresponds to a displayed surface of the one or more equipment enclosures.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of 2-D planes corresponds to a horizontal plane located at an elevation level at which at least some of the plurality of sensors are located.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software when executed by the computer further causes the processor to:

interpolate a plurality of values within one of the plurality of 2-D planes in between at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples;

map each of the plurality of interpolated values to one of a plurality of colors, each color indicating the interpolated value; and

display the plurality of interpolated values as regions of color on the plurality of 2-D planes within the 3-D space.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein causing the processor to generate the plurality of processed data values is further based upon a plurality of historical data samples that comprise time-tagged real-time data samples that are time-sequentially stored in a database.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein causing the processor to generate the plurality of processed data values is further based upon one or more calculated values.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the software when executed by the computer further causes the processor to combine at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples to produce the one or more calculated values.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the software when executed by the computer further causes the processor to:

time-sequentially store time-tagged real-time data samples in a database as historical data samples; and

combine at least some of the plurality of real-time data samples and one or more of a plurality of the historical data samples to produce the one or more calculated values.