System and method to provide hot-swap status indication in a computer system having redundant power supplies

• US 7,030,771 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jones, Rhod J., Kinnard, Jay R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Jr., Thomas J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son
• Application Number:
  US10/386,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20040179334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 340/653, 3406361-637, 3406931-6934, 307 18- 29
• US Class Current: 340/653
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30

Abstract

A system and method for providing hot-swap status indication in a computer system having redundant power supplies. In one embodiment a system comprises an electrical subsystem that is powered by a first power supply and second power supply. The system further comprises a hot-swap indicator configured to provide a first user indication to indicate whether the first power supply is hot-swappable depending on whether the first power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined power capacity usage, such as fifty percent. The system may also include a second hot-swap indicator for the second power supply.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an electrical subsystem;

a first power supply;

a second power supply, wherein the first and second power supplies are coupled to provide power to the electrical subsystem;

a first hot-swap indicator configured to provide a first user indication to selectively indicate whether the first power supply is hot-swappable depending on whether the first power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined amount of its power capacity.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a storage unit configured to store a value indicative of whether the first power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the first user indication is dependent on the value stored in the storage unit.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the storage unit is a register.

5. The system of claim 2 further comprising a service processor coupled to the storage unit and the first hot-swap indicator, wherein the service processor is operable to access the value stored in the storage unit and to control the first hot-swap indicator to provide the first user.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first user indication provided by the first hot-swap indicator is further dependent upon whether the second power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined power capacity.

7. The system of claim 2 further comprising a second hot-swap indicator configured to provide a second user indication to indicate whether the second power supply is hot-swappable depending on whether the second power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined power capacity.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the storage unit is further configured to store a second value indicative of whether the second power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined power capacity.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the second user indication is dependent upon the second value stored in the storage unit.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of the power capacity of the first power supply is approximately fifty percent.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of the power capacity of the first power supply is approximately fifty percent.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first hot-swap indicator is a visual indication.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first hot-swap indicator is a light emitting diode (LED).

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first hot-swap indicator is an indication on a monitor.

15. A method for operating a system comprising:

first and second power supplies providing power to the system;

determining whether the first power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined amount of its power capacity;

selectively providing a first user indication that the first power supply is hot-swappable depending upon whether the first power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining whether the second power supply is operating at greater than a predetermined amount of its power capacity;

selectively providing a second user indication that the second power supply is hot-swappable depending upon whether the second power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

adding additional components to the system;

determining that the first power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity and that the second power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity; and

responsively changing the states of the first and second user indications to indicate that neither the first power supply nor the second power supply is hot-swappable.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined amount of the power capacity of the first power supply is approximately fifty percent.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined amount of the power capacity of the first power supply is approximately fifty percent.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing a value in a storage unit indicative of whether the first power supply is operating at greater than the predetermined amount of its power capacity.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the storage unit is a register.