System and method to dynamically change data center partitions

• US 9,939,796 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Diluoffo, Vincenzo V., Hamilton, II, Rick A., Kendzierski, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US14/621,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 52205, 52211, 522207, 522208, 522381, 522431, 700276-278, 700300
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/04 Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers G05B19/418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/193 sensing the temperaure in different places in thermal relationship with one or more spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code embodied on a computer readable medium being operable to perform a thermal analysis of a data center and overlay the thermal analysis on a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis. Additionally, the computer executable code is operable to dynamically control at least one partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storage device having readable program code stored on the computer readable medium storage device, the program code comprising:

program code to perform a thermal analysis of a data center by receiving real-time temperature readings from at least one temperature sensor in the data center;

program code to determine average temperatures for regions of the data center based on the real-time temperature readings;

program code to determine air flow paths in the data center;

program code to overlay the thermal analysis on a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis;

program code to dynamically control at least one partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis; and

program code to dynamically control an HVAC system based on the overlaid thermal analysis and a location of the at least one partition, wherein the HVAC system is dynamically controllable to alter at least one of an air flow rate and an air flow temperature to different regions of the data center.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising program code to update the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis after a predetermined time has expired.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the at least one partition:

comprises at least one of a wall partition, a ceiling partition and a floor partition composed of a thermally insulative material; and

is at least one of retractable and structured and arranged to be rolled-up.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising program code to update the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis upon occurrence of a triggering event or a manual direction.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of:

a temperature change in the data center beyond a predetermined threshold; and

a computational resource usage change in the data center.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the map of the data center comprises:

a physical layout of computing resources of the data center;

an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to be maintained in a cool environment and an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to operate in higher temperature environments; and

a real-time indication of the computing resources that are currently operating.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising program code to determine whether to dynamically control the at least one partition based on the overlaid thermal analysis.

8. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code on a computer readable medium, comprising:

performing, by a computer processor, a thermal analysis of a data center to identify cooler regions of the data center and hotter regions of the data center;

overlaying, by the computer processor, the thermal analysis on a map of the data center to provide an overlaid thermal analysis which correlates the cooler regions of the data center and the hotter regions of the data center with computational resources of the data center;

dynamically controlling, by the computer processor, at least one partition in the data center based on the overlaid thermal analysis; and

dynamically controlling, by the computer processor, an HVAC system based on the overlaid thermal analysis and a location of the at least one partition, wherein the HVAC system is dynamically controllable to alter at least one of an air flow rate and an air flow temperature to different regions of the data center by selectively positioning air supply vents of the HVAC system into positions of fully-opened and fully-closed and between the fully-opened and fully-closed positions.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating, by the computer processor, the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis after a predetermined time has expired.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the performing the thermal analysis comprises receiving real-time temperature readings from at least one temperature sensor in the data center.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the performing the thermal analysis comprises determining average temperatures for regions of the data center based on the real-time temperature readings.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the performing the thermal analysis comprises determining air flow paths in the data center.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the map of the data center comprises:

a physical layout of computing resources of the data center;

an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to be maintained in a cool environment and an indication of a portion of the computing resources that is to operate in higher temperature environments; and

a real-time indication of the computing resources that are currently operating.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the thermal analysis and the overlaid thermal analysis upon occurrence of a triggering event or a manual direction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of:

a temperature change in the data center beyond a predetermined threshold; and

a computational resource usage change in the data center.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising accessing, by the computer processor, a job schedule indicating a time of day a job will be performed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising concentrating, by the computer processor, the air flow rate to an area of the data center where the job is scheduled.