Low-cost high-fidelity asset tracking in data center facilities

• US 8,674,822 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Priyantha, Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi, Liu, Jie, Lymberopoulos, Dimitrios, Hern, Mari, Timmons, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US12/793,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/568.4, 340/572.8, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836

Abstract

In one embodiment, an activation unit may render a passive radio frequency identification tag visible to a tracking infrastructure. A radio frequency identification reader may read at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag 304 attached to a server 302. A controller may create an active radio frequency signal for the server 302. A radio antenna may transmit the active radio frequency signal to a position infrastructure node 160.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for identifying a server, comprising:

reading at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag attached to the server;

creating an active radio frequency signal representing the server; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal to a position infrastructure node that receives transmissions from at least a mobile snap-on wireless mote as part of a mobile server detection system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the passive radio frequency identification tag is attached to the server by a spring loaded hinge near a rack face of the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the passive radio frequency identification tag with a rack mounted reader strip of a rack mounted server identifier; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal with a rack mounted antenna of the rack mounted server identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a rack slot holding the server in the active radio frequency signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

indicating with a light emitting diode whether the passive radio frequency identification tag is being read properly in the rack slot.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a rack section of the server in the active radio frequency signal.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying with a radio frequency identification reader a rack slot holding a misaligned server in the active radio frequency signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the passive radio frequency identification tag with a radio frequency antenna of the mobile snap-on wireless mote; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal with a radio of the snap-on wireless mote.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

discovering a neighbor snap-on wireless mote with the snap-on wireless mote.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting an environmental factor of the server with the snap-on wireless mote.

11. A mobile snap-on wireless mote, comprising:

a snap-on connector that attaches the mobile snap-on wireless mote to a server outside a server rack;

a radio frequency antenna that reads at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag attached to the server; and

a radio that transmits an active radio frequency signal representing the server to a position infrastructure node as part of a mobile server detection system.

12. The mobile snap-on wireless mote of claim 11, wherein the radio discovers a neighbor snap-on wireless mote.

13. The mobile snap-on wireless mote of claim 12, further comprising:

a microcontroller to execute a mesh network protocol regarding the neighbor snap-on wireless mote.

14. The mobile snap-on wireless mote of claim 11, further comprising:

a sensor to detect an environmental factor of the server.

15. The mobile snap-on wireless mote of claim 14, wherein the environmental factor is at least one of temperature, humidity, and acceleration.

16. A tracking infrastructure manager, comprising:

a communication interface that receives an active radio frequency signal from a position infrastructure node; and

a processor that decodes the active radio frequency signal indicating a mobile snap-on wireless mote attached to read a passive radio frequency identifier of a server outside a server rack;

a database interface that stores a location for the mobile server in a tracking infrastructure database.

17. The tracking infrastructure manager of claim 16, wherein the database interface stores the location for the server as at least one of a room identifier and a zone identifier.

18. The tracking infrastructure manager of claim 16, wherein the database interface stores an environmental factor for the server.

19. The tracking infrastructure manager of claim 16, wherein the communication interface alerts an administrator that a critical condition is potentially damaging the server.

20. The tracking infrastructure manager of claim 16, wherein the database interface stores a mesh node data set for the server.