Power profile diagnostic system

• US 9,514,020 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Tonry, Richard Martin, Vyssotski, Nikolai V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US14/312,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/340, 714/22, 714/25, 702/58, 702/60
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/07 Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2284 by power-on test, e.g. power-on self test [POST]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/24 Marginal checking or other specified testing methods not covered by G06F11/26, e.g. race tests
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/321 Display for diagnostics, e.g. diagnostic result display, self-test user interface

Abstract

A power profile diagnostic system includes a power rail. At least one subsystem is coupled to the power rail. A controller is coupled to the power rail and to a power profile database. The controller is configured to monitor the power rail and determine a power consumption profile of the at least one subsystem during a predefined operation of the at least one subsystem. The controller then compares the power consumption profile to a predetermined power profile that is stored in the power profile database in association with the predefined operation, and determines whether a difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of a malfunction of the at least one subsystem. If the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the at least one subsystem, the controller provide a malfunction report for display.

Claims

1. A power profile diagnostic system, comprising:

a power rail;

a plurality of subsystems that are coupled to the power rail; and

a controller that is coupled to the power rail and to a power profile database, wherein the controller is configured to;

prevent power from being supplied through the power rail to a first subset of the plurality of subsystems while a second subset subsystem of the plurality of subsystems perform a predefined operation using power from the power rail;

monitor the power rail and determine a power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems during the predefined operation;

compare the power consumption profile to a predetermined power profile that is stored in the power profile database in association with the predefined operation;

determine that a difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of a malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems; and

provide a malfunction report for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems.

2. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one external device coupled to the power rail, wherein the controller is configured to;

prevent power from being supplied through the power rail to the at least one external device during the predefined operation.

3. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the predefined operation is performed during a boot process.

4. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

provide a data backup recommendation for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems.

5. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, further comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter that is included in the controller and that is configured to monitor the power rail such that the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems may be determined while the second subset of the plurality of subsystems perform the predefined operation.

6. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems includes a power consumption profile of at least two second subsystems that are connected to the power rail.

7. The power profile diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of subsystems includes a power consumption profile of a single second subsystem that is connected to the power rail.

8. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a plurality of IHS components;

a processing system that is coupled to each of the plurality of IHS components; and

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a power profile diagnostic engine that is configured to;

prevent power from being supplied to a first subset of the plurality of IHS components while a second subset of the plurality of IHS components perform a predefined operation that consumes;

determine a power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components during the predefined operation;

compare the power consumption profile to a predetermined power profile that is stored in the memory system in association with the predefined operation;

determine that a difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of a malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components; and

provide a malfunction report for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components.

9. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one external device coupled to the processing system, wherein the power profile diagnostic engine is configured to;

prevent power from being supplied to the at least one external device during the predefined operation.

10. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the predefined operation is performed during an IHS boot process.

11. The HS of claim 8, wherein the power profile diagnostic engine is configured to:

provide a data backup recommendation for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components.

12. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

a power rail that is coupled to each of the plurality of IHS components; and

an analog-to-digital converter that is configured to monitor the power rail such that the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components may be determined while the second subset of the plurality of IHS components perform the predefined operation.

13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components includes a power consumption profile of at least two of the plurality of IHS components.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components includes a power consumption profile of a single IHS component.

15. A method for diagnosis using power profiles, comprising:

preventing, by a controller, power from being supplied to a first subset of a plurality of IHS components while a second subset of the plurality of IHS components perform a predefined operation that consumes power;

determining, by the controller, a power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components during the predefined operation;

comparing, by the controller, the power consumption profile to a predetermined power profile that is stored in a database in association with the predefined operation;

determining, by the controller, that a difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of a malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components; and

providing, by the controller, a malfunction report for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

preventing, by the controller, power from being supplied to the at least one external device during the predefined operation.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predefined operation is performed during an IHS boot process.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing, by the controller, a data backup recommendation for display in response to determining that the difference between the predetermined power profile and the power consumption profile is indicative of the malfunction of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components includes a power consumption profile of at least two of the plurality of IHS components.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the power consumption profile of the second subset of the plurality of IHS components includes a power consumption profile of a single HS component.