Systems and methods for power supply wear leveling in a blade server chassis

• US 8,390,148 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shetty, Sudhir, Munjal, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/191,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20100038963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 307/80, 307/52, 307/85, 713/300, 702/182
• US Class Current: 307/85
• 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 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203

Abstract

A method for wear leveling in an information handling system including multiple power supply units (PSUs) is provided. The method includes maintaining each PSU in one of multiple different operational states, collecting data relating to the use of each PSU, storing the collected data, and automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs.

Claims

1. A method for wear leveling in an information handling system including multiple power supply units (PSUs), the method comprising:

maintaining each PSU in one of multiple different operational states;

collecting data relating to the use of each PSU, wherein the collected data includes at least one of;

temperature data including at least one of (a) peak ambient temperature for each PSU and (b) average ambient temperature for each PSU; and

diagnostic data including at least one of (a) a count of a number of power cycles and (b) a count of a number of large power transitions for each PSU;

storing the collected data on a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the stored collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the collected data relating to the use of each PSU is averaged over a period of time.

3. A method according to claim 1, comprising automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on:

(a) the collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs; and

(b) a redundancy policy selected for the multiple power supply units.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising receiving a user selection of a redundancy policy for the multiple power supply units from multiple different redundancy policies including at least one of (a) an AC redundancy policy, (b) a PSU redundancy policy, and (c) no redundancy policy.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the multiple different operational states include an “

online”

state and a “

standby”

state.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

weighting the collected data relating to the use of each PSU based on selected weighting criteria; and

wherein automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the collected data regarding the use of each PSU comprises automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the weighted collected data.

7. An information handling system, comprising:

at least one power supply unit (PSU), each PSU maintained in one of multiple different operational states; and

a chassis management controller (CMC) coupled to each of the PSUs and configured to;

collect data relating to the use of each PSU and store such data on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the collected data includes at least one of;

temperature data including at least one of (a) peak ambient temperature for each PSU and (b) average ambient temperature for each PSU; and

diagnostic data including at least one of (a) a count of a number of power cycles and (b) a count of a number of large power transitions for each PSU; and

automatically change the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the stored collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs.

8. An information handling system according to claim 7, wherein the collected data relating to the use of each PSU is averaged over a period of time.

9. An information handling system according to claim 7, wherein the CMC is configured to change the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on:

(a) the collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs; and

(b) a redundancy policy selected for the multiple power supply units.

10. An information handling system according to claim 9, wherein the CMC is further configured to receive a user selection of a redundancy policy for the multiple power supply units from multiple different redundancy policies including at least one of (a) an AC redundancy policy, (b) a PSU redundancy policy, and (c) no redundancy policy.

11. An information handling system according to claim 7, wherein the multiple different operational states include an “

online”

state and a “

standby”

state.

12. An information handling system according to claim 9, wherein the CMC is further configured to:

weight the collected data relating to the use of each PSU based on selected weighting criteria; and

automatically change the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the weighted collected data regarding the use of each PSU.

13. Logic instructions for wear leveling in an information handling system including multiple power supply units (PSUs), the logic instructions encoded in non-transitory tangible computer readable media and executable by a processor, comprising:

instructions for maintaining each PSU in one of multiple different operational states;

instructions for collecting data relating to the use of each PSU;

instructions for storing the collected data on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the collected data includes at least one of;

temperature data including at least one of (a) peak ambient temperature for each PSU and (b) average ambient temperature for each PSU; and

diagnostic data including at least one of (a) a count of a number of power cycles and (b) a count of a number of large power transitions for each PSU; and

instructions for automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the stored collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs.

14. Logic instructions according to claim 13, comprising:

instructions for automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on;

(a) the collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs; and

(b) a redundancy policy selected for the multiple power supply units.

15. Logic instructions according to claim 13, wherein the multiple different operational states include an “

online”

state and a “

standby”

state.

16. Logic instructions according to claim 13, comprising:

instructions for weighting the collected data relating to the use of each PSU based on selected weighting criteria; and

instructions for automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on the weighted collected data regarding the use of each PSU.

17. Logic instructions according to claim 13, wherein the collected data relating to the use of each PSU is averaged over a period of time.

18. A method for wear leveling in an information handling system including multiple power supply units (PSUs), the method comprising:

maintaining each PSU in one of multiple different operational states, wherein the multiple different operational states include an “

online”

state and a “

standby”

state;

collecting data relating to the use of each PSU, wherein the collected data relating to the use of each PSU is averaged over a period of time and includes at least one of;

temperature data including at least one of (a) peak ambient temperature for each PSU and (b) average ambient temperature for each PSU; and

diagnostic data including at least one of (a) a count of a number of power cycles and (b) a count of a number of large power transitions; and

weighting the stored collected data relating to the use of each PSU based on selected weighting criteria;

receiving a user selection of a redundancy policy for the multiple power supply units from multiple different redundancy policies including at least one of (a) an AC redundancy policy, (b) a PSU redundancy policy, and (c) no redundancy policy;

automatically changing the operational state of at least one of the PSUs based at least on;

(a) the weighted stored collected data regarding the use of each PSU in order to level the wear on the PSUs; and

(b) the selected redundancy policy for the multiple power supply units.