Multi-view user interface for server cabling display

• US 9,710,595 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Conzola, Vincent C., Molander, Mark E., Eischeid, Todd, Meserth, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Application Number:
  US12/711,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20110209082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,701 Days
• Field of Search: 715733, 715735, 715738
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods and systems for displaying graphical representations of server system cabling in the data center may include, but are not limited to operations for: generating a pattern view of a cabling scheme; generating a routing view of a cabling scheme; receiving a request to display a pattern view of a cabling scheme; transmitting data representing the pattern view of the cabling scheme; receiving a request to display a routing view of the cabling scheme; and transmitting data representing the routing view of the cabling scheme. The display of various graphical representations of the cabling scheme may facilitate various service operations associated with the cabling. Such service operations may include installation, maintenance, trouble shooting and optimization for a cabled server cluster.

Claims

1. A method for server cabling display comprising:

generating a pattern view of a cabling scheme including one or more direct interconnects abstractly representing one or more actual cabling paths of a cabling environment;

generating a routing view of the cabling scheme indicative of the one or more actual cabling paths relative to one or more physical structural features of the cabling environment;

receiving a request to display the pattern view of the cabling scheme;

transmitting data representing the pattern view of the cabling scheme to a display device;

receiving a request to display the routing view of the cabling scheme;

transmitting data representing the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device;

receiving a request to simultaneously display at least a portion of the pattern view and at least a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme;

transmitting data representing the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device, wherein transmitting data comprises accessing in memory data representing only a selected portion, the selected portion including at least one of;

(i) the pattern view, (ii) the routing view, and (iii) the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme; and

displaying the selected portion, wherein the pattern view and the routing view are selectably displayed simultaneously in a single graphical representation of the pattern view and the routing view.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a pattern view of a cabling scheme including one or more direct interconnects abstractly representing one or more actual cabling paths of a cabling environment comprises:

generating data representing a graphical view of at least one direct interconnect between at least a first server node and a second server node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating data representing a graphical view of at least one direct interconnect between at least a first server node and a second server node comprises:

receiving one or more server cluster configuration parameters defining one or more physical configurations of the first server node and the second server node;

mapping the at least one direct interconnect between the first server node and the second server node according to the server cluster configuration parameters and one or more mapping rules; and

storing data representing a graphical view of the at least one direct interconnect overlaid with a graphical view of at least a portion of a server cluster.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating a routing view of the cabling scheme indicative of the one or more actual cabling paths relative to one or more physical structural features of the cabling environment comprises:

generating data representing a graphical view of at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating data representing a graphical view of at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node comprises:

receiving one or more server cluster configuration parameters defining one or more physical configurations of the first server node and the second server node;

mapping the at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node according to the server cluster configuration parameters and one or more mapping rules; and

storing data representing a graphical view of the at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node overlaid with a graphical view of at least a portion of a server cluster.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion of the routing view are displayed simultaneously in the single graphical representation and are differentiated respectively from an entire pattern view or an entire routing view based on a node or a rack selected for interconnect display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a request to display the pattern view of the cabling scheme further comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme, wherein the requested portion is differentiated from an entire pattern view based on a node or a rack selected for interconnect display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only the pattern view of the cabling scheme within a single server rack.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only the pattern view of the cabling scheme between a first server rack and a second server rack.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting data representing the pattern view of the cabling scheme to a display device comprises:

transmitting data representing only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme to the display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a request to display the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme within a single server rack.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only portions of the routing view of the cabling scheme connecting a first server rack and a second server rack.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme for a single cable.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitting data representing the routing view of the cabling scheme to a display device comprises:

transmitting data representing only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device.

16. The method of claim 1;

further comprising;

receiving a request to display a length of one or more cables in the cabling scheme; and

transmitting data representing the length of the one or more cables in the cabling scheme to the display device.

17. A system for server cabling display comprising:

a computing device;

a user input device operably coupled to the computing device;

a display device operably coupled to the computing device,

wherein the computing device is configured for;

receiving a request to display a pattern view of the cabling scheme including one or more direct interconnects abstractly representing one or more actual cabling paths of a cabling environment from the user input device;

transmitting data representing the pattern view of the cabling scheme to the display device;

receiving a request to display a routing view of the cabling scheme indicative of the one or more actual cabling paths relative to one or more physical structural features of the cabling environment from the user input device;

transmitting data representing the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device;

receiving a request to simultaneously display at least a portion of the pattern view and at least a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme;

transmitting data representing the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device, wherein transmitting data comprises accessing in memory data representing only a selected portion, the selected portion including at least one of;

(i) the pattern view, (ii) the routing view, and (iii) the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme; and

displaying the selected portion, wherein the pattern view and the routing view are selectably displayed simultaneously in a single graphical representation of the pattern view and the routing view.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiving a request to display a pattern view of the cabling scheme including one or more direct interconnects abstractly representing one or more actual cabling paths of a cabling environment from the user input device further comprises:

generating data representing a graphical view of at least one direct interconnect between at least a first server node and a second server node.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the generating data representing a graphical view of at least one direct interconnect between at least a First server node and a second server node further comprises:

receiving one or more server cluster configuration parameters defining one or more physical configurations of the first server node and the second server node;

mapping the at least one direct interconnect between the first server node and the second server node according to the server cluster configuration parameters and one or more mapping rules; and

storing data representing a graphical view of the at least one direct interconnect overlaid with a graphical view of at least a portion of a server cluster.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the generating a routing view of the cabling scheme indicative of the one or more actual cabling paths relative to one or more physical structural features of the cabling environment further comprises:

generating data representing a graphical view of at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing or a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the generating data representing a graphical view of at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node further comprises:

receiving one or more server cluster configuration parameters defining one or more physical configurations of the first server node and the second server node;

mapping the at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node according to the server cluster configuration parameters and one or more mapping rules; and

storing data representing a graphical view of the at least one interconnect approximating an actual physical routing of a cable with respect to physical server node environment features between the first server node and the second server node overlaid with a graphical view of at least a portion of a server cluster.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device is further configured for:

displaying the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion of the routing view simultaneously in the single graphical representation with the at least a portion of the pattern view and the at least a portion of the routing view being differentiated respectively from an entire pattern view or an entire routing view based on a node or a rack selected for interconnect display.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiving a request to display the pattern view of the cabling scheme further comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion or the pattern view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only the pattern view of the cabling scheme within a single server rack.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only the pattern view of the cabling scheme between a first server rack and a second server rack.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the transmitting data representing the pattern view of the cabling scheme to the display device comprises:

transmitting data representing only a portion of the pattern view of the cabling scheme to the display device.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiving a request to display the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme, wherein the requested portion is differentiated from an entire routing view based on a node or a rack selected for interconnect display.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises;

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme within a single server rack.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only portions of the routing view of the cabling scheme connecting a first server rack and a second server rack.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme comprises:

receiving a request to display only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme for a single cable.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the transmitting data representing the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device comprises:

transmitting data representing only a portion of the routing view of the cabling scheme to the display device.

32. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request to display a length of one or more cables in the cabling scheme; and

transmitting data representing the length of the one or more cables in the cabling scheme to the display device.