Mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center

• US 9,213,380 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bandholz, Justin P., Piazza, William J., Weinstein, Philip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stiglic, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DALEY, CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US12/135,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,745 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 713/300, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

Mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center, the data center including a plurality of computers and a data center management server, each computer in the data center connected for power to one of a plurality of power distribution unit (‘PDU’) ports of a PDU, each PDU connected through the communications module and a data communications network to the data center management server, including generating, by a power modulating module of a computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU, the power consumption signal encoding a unique identification of the computer; demodulating, by the PDU, the power consumption signal, including retrieving from the signal the unique identification of the computer; and reporting, by the PDU to the data center management server, an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port.

Claims

1. A method of mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center, the data center comprising a facility that houses a plurality of computers and equipment supporting computer operations including a data center management server, the computers in the data center connected for power to one of a plurality of power distribution unit (‘

PDU’

) ports of a PDU, the PDU comprising one or more power consumption monitoring devices, one or more demodulators, and a communications module, each PDU connected through the communications module and a data communications network to the data center management server, the method comprising;

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU, the power consumption signal encoding a unique identification of the computer, wherein the computer and the PDU are distinct and separate physical devices, wherein the computer is not a component within the PDU and the PDU is not a component within the computer;

demodulating, by the PDU, the power consumption signal, including retrieving from the signal the unique identification of the computer; and

reporting, by the PDU to the data center management server, an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the power modulating module comprises a set of computer program instructions capable of controlling power consumption by a computer when executed; and

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer modulating the power consumption of the computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU signal further comprises executing the computer program instructions by a processor of the computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the power modulating module comprises a hardware aggregation of synchronous and asynchronous logic capable of controlling power consumption by a computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port further comprises a port identifier (‘

ID’

) of the PDU port that uniquely identifies the PDU port of the PDU.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate an amplitude modulated power consumption signal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate a frequency modulated power consumption signal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate a pulse code modulated power consumption signal.

8. An apparatus for mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center, the data center comprising a facility that houses a plurality of computers and equipment supporting computer operations including a data center management server, the computers in the data center connected for power to one of a plurality of power distribution unit (‘

PDU’

) ports of a PDU, the PDU comprising one or more power consumption monitoring devices, one or more demodulators, and a communications module, each PDU connected through the communications module and a data communications network to the data center management server, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of;

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU, the power consumption signal encoding a unique identification of the computer, wherein the computer and the PDU are distinct and separate physical devices, wherein the computer is not a component within the PDU and the PDU is not a component within the computer;

demodulating, by the PDU, the power consumption signal, including retrieving from the signal the unique identification of the computer; and

reporting, by the PDU to the data center management server, an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the power modulating module comprises a set of computer program instructions capable of controlling power consumption by a computer when executed; and

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer modulating the power consumption of the computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU signal further comprises executing the computer program instructions by a processor of the computer.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the power modulating module comprises a hardware aggregation of synchronous and asynchronous logic capable of controlling power consumption by a computer.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port further comprises a port identifier (‘

ID’

) of the PDU port that uniquely identifies the PDU port of the PDU.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate an amplitude modulated power consumption signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate a frequency modulated power consumption signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate a pulse code modulated power consumption signal.

15. A computer program product for mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center, the data center comprising a facility that houses a plurality of computers and equipment supporting computer operations including a data center management server, the computers in the data center connected for power to one of a plurality of power distribution unit (‘

PDU’

) ports of a PDU, the PDU comprising one or more power consumption monitoring devices, one or more demodulators, and a communications module, each PDU connected through the communications module and a data communications network to the data center management server, the computer program product disposed in a signal bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of;

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU, the power consumption signal encoding a unique identification of the computer, wherein the computer and the PDU are distinct and separate physical devices, wherein the computer is not a component within the PDU and the PDU is not a component within the computer;

demodulating, by the PDU, the power consumption signal, including retrieving from the signal the unique identification of the computer; and

reporting, by the PDU to the data center management server, an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the power modulating module comprises a set of computer program instructions capable of controlling power consumption by a computer when executed; and

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer modulating the power consumption of the computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU signal further comprises executing the computer program instructions by a processor of the computer.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the power modulating module comprises a hardware aggregation of synchronous and asynchronous logic capable of controlling power consumption by a computer.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port further comprises a port identifier (‘

ID’

) of the PDU port that uniquely identifies the PDU port of the PDU.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate an amplitude modulated power consumption signal.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein generating a power consumption signal further comprises:

modulating the power consumption of the computer to generate a frequency modulated power consumption signal.

21. A computer program product for mapping computers and ports of power distribution units in a data center, the data center comprising a facility that houses a plurality of computers and equipment supporting computer operations including a data center management server, the computers in the data center connected for power to one of a plurality of power distribution unit (‘

PDU’

) ports of a PDU, the PDU comprising one or more power consumption monitoring devices, one or more demodulators, and a communications module, each PDU connected through the communications module and a data communications network to the data center management server, the computer program product disposed in a computer readable transmission medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of;

generating, by a power modulating module of a computer, a power consumption signal in the PDU, the power consumption signal encoding a unique identification of the computer;

wherein the computer and the PDU are distinct and separate physical devices, wherein the computer is not a component within the PDU and the PDU is not a component within the computer;

demodulating, by the PDU, the power consumption signal, including retrieving from the signal the unique identification of the computer; and

reporting, by the PDU to the data center management server, an association of the unique identification of the computer and a PDU port.