System-wide time synchronization across power management interfaces and sensor data

• US 8,954,610 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Berke, Stuart Allen, Richards, George III, Muccini, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): MIAH, RAZU A
• Application Number:
  US13/938,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248, 709/226, 370476-503
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip

Abstract

A power management control system for an information handling system is disclosed. The power management control system includes a power management interface bus interfacing a plurality of devices, where one or more of the devices is each associated with a time clock. The power management control system further includes a management agent interfacing the power management interface bus. The management agent is configured to: receive a system time; synchronize the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on the system time; and maintain synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, via a set of telemetric primitives.

Claims

1. A power management control system for an information handling system, the power management control system comprising:

a power management interface bus interfacing a plurality of devices, wherein one or more of the devices is each associated with a time clock; and

a management agent interfacing the power management interface bus, wherein the management agent comprises a program executing on one or more controllers, wherein the management agent is configured to;

receive a system time;

synchronize the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on the system time;

maintain synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, via a set of telemetric primitives, wherein the set of telemetric primitives includes at least one of write time to one or more nodes, adjust time by a value, read time, read supported time base precision and mark time; and

wherein the one or more of the devices comprises at least two devices, and wherein the management agent is further configured to synchronize the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on a calibrated responder associated with one of the devices.

2. The power management control system of claim 1, wherein the management agent is further configured to maintain synchronization of the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on timestamp information received via the power management interface bus.

3. The power management control system of claim 1, wherein the management agent is further configured to maintain synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, with one or more of a delta value format, a compact linear data format, a high-precision delta time format, and a compact delta time format.

4. A method for providing a power management control system for an information handling system, the method comprising:

providing a power management interface bus interfacing a plurality of devices, wherein one or more of the devices is each associated with a time clock;

providing a management agent interfacing the power management interface bus, wherein the management agent comprises a program executing on one or more controllers, wherein the management agent is configured to receive a system time;

synchronizing the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on the system time;

maintaining synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, via a set of telemetric primitives, wherein the set of telemetric primitives includes at least one of write time to one or more nodes, adjust time by a value, read time, read supported time base precision, and mark time; and

wherein the one or more of the devices comprises at least two devices, and wherein the management agent is further configured to synchronize the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on a calibrated responder associated with one of the devices.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining synchronization of the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on timestamp information received via the power management interface bus.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, with one or more of a delta value format, a compact linear data format, a high-precision delta time format, and a compact delta time format.

7. A method for providing system-wide time synchronization across power management interfaces, the method comprising:

providing a set of primitives to a controller to retrieve and control time information, at least in part, with one or more of the primitives, wherein the time information is associated with a plurality of devices coupled to a power management interface bus, and wherein one or more of the devices is each associated with a time clock;

providing a set of telemetric primitives to the controller to synchronize the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on one or more of the telemetric primitives and timestamp information received via the power management interface bus, wherein the telemetric primitives include at least one of write time to one or more nodes, adjust time by a value, read time, read supported time base precision, and mark time; and

maintaining synchronization of the one or more time clocks based, at least in part, on timestamp information received via the power management interface bus.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising configuring the controller to support data transfer via one or more of a delta value format, a compact linear data format, a high-precision delta time format, and a compact delta time format.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

maintaining synchronization of the one or more time clocks, at least in part, with one or more of a delta value format, a compact linear data format, a high-precision delta time format, and a compact delta time format.