Power management system

• US 9,395,790 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Berke, Stuart Allen, Richards, George G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANDEY, KESHAB R
• Application Number:
  US14/942,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/321, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/340, 713/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management system includes a power system. A powered component is coupled to the power system. A power detect circuit is coupled to the power system. A power system controller is coupled to the power system, the powered component, and the power detect circuit. The power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting and determine that the first threshold was not exceeded while the workload was running. The power system controller is then operable to program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting, determine that the second threshold was exceeded while the workload was running and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

Claims

1. A power management system, comprising:

a power system;

a power detect circuit coupled to the power system; and

a power system controller coupled to the power system and the power detect circuit, wherein the power system controller is configured to;

provide the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of a workload and, in response, provide the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the system operation setting that is less than the first threshold; and

determine that the second threshold for the system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the system operation setting to manage system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded.

2. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on at least one of a power magnitude, a power width, a power area, and a power slew rate.

3. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on a power measurement and a predetermined time duration.

4. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold includes a first percentage of the system operation setting, and wherein the second threshold includes a second percentage of the system operation setting that is greater than the first percentage.

5. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the power system controller is configured to:

provide the power detect circuit with a runtime alert setting based on one of the first threshold and the second threshold; and

determine that the runtime alert setting was exceeded during system operation and, in response, provide a runtime alert.

6. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the managing system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded includes at least one of adjusting a power management profile, a power budget, power capping, and power throttling for a powered component.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the managing system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded includes at least one of reallocating unused power, allowing booting to an operating system, and setting power capping levels for one or more subsystems.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a processing system;

a power detect subsystem coupled to the processing system; and

a power system controller coupled to the processing system and the power detect subsystem, wherein the power system controller is configured to couple to a power system and to;

provide the power detect subsystem with a first threshold for a system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of a first workload, in response, provide the power detect subsystem with a second threshold for the system operation setting that is less than the first threshold; and

determine that the second threshold for the system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the system operation setting to manage system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on at least one of a power magnitude, a power width, a power area, and a power slew rate.

10. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on a power measurement and a predetermined time duration.

11. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the first threshold includes a first percentage of the system operation setting, and wherein the second threshold includes a second percentage of the system operation setting that is greater than the first percentage.

12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the power system controller is configured to:

provide the power detect subsystem with a runtime alert setting based on one of the first threshold and the second threshold; and

determine that the runtime alert setting was exceeded during system operation and, in response, provide a runtime alert.

13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the managing system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded includes at least one of adjusting a power management profile, a power budget, power capping, and power throttling for a powered component.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the managing system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded includes at least one of reallocating unused power, allowing booting to an operating system, and setting power capping levels for one or more subsystems.

15. A method for managing system operations, comprising:

providing a power detect subsystem with a first threshold for a system operation setting;

running a workload using at least one powered component;

determining that the first threshold for the system operation setting was not exceeded while the workload was run using the at least one powered component and, in response, providing the power detect subsystem with a second threshold for the system operation setting that is less than the first threshold; and

determining that the second threshold for the system operation setting was exceeded while the first workload was run using the at least one powered component and, in response, using the second threshold for the system operation setting to manage system operations such that the capabilities of a power system are not exceeded.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on at least one of a power magnitude, a power width, a power area, and a power slew rate.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are based on a power measurement and a predetermined time duration.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first threshold includes a first percentage of the system operation setting, and wherein the second threshold includes a second percentage of the system operation setting that is greater than the first percentage.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the power detect subsystem with a runtime alert setting based on one of the first threshold and the second threshold; and

determining that the runtime alert setting was exceeded during system operation and, in response, providing a runtime alert.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the managing system operations such that the capabilities of the power system are not exceeded includes at least one of adjusting a power management profile for the at least one powered component, adjusting a power budget for the at least one powered component, adjusting power capping for the at least one powered component, adjusting power throttling for the at least one powered component, reallocating unused power, allowing booting to an operating system, and setting power capping levels for one or more subsystems.