Methods for power management in a computer system with multiple processing resources and multiple power supplies

• US 9,552,053 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Connor, Clint H., Hartmann, Alfred C., Abell, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US11/948,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,343 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/323, 713/330, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method are provided for strategic power supply sequencing in a computer system. The system and method includes a plurality of processing resources that process data and a plurality of power supplies that provide power for the processing resources. A power management engine adjusts the power supplies in response to processing resource changes to optimize power consumption. The power management engine brings online power supplies to meet the demand created by bringing online additional processing resources and brings offline power supplies to meet the decreased demand caused by a decrease in the number of processing resources. Also, the power management engine rotates which power supplies operate to take advantage of more efficient power supplies and to extend the lives of the power supplies. The power management engine also adjusts the power supplies in advance based upon predicted demand levels for the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for power management in a computer system including multiple processors and multiple power supplies operable to supply power to the multiple processors, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of a pending change in an operating status of one or more of the multiple processors at a power management engine; and

in response to the received notification;

accessing, by the power management engine, a dynamic table listing historical power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors having the pending change in the operating status;

determining an adjustment of the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed historical power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors; and

adjusting one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine before the pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors is implemented.

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

based on processing demand, determining an appropriate change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors by a resource management engine; and

wherein the received notification is based on the determined appropriate change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors.

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

in response to the received notification, accessing stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine; and

determining an adjustment of the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine comprises powering up the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine comprises powering down the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises multiple servers.

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

in response to the received notification, determining additional power demands associated with the pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors by the power management engine; and

determining an adjustment of the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the determined additional power demands.

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

in response to the received notification, determining an inrush power demand associated with the pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors by the power management engine; and

determining an adjustment of the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the determined inrush power demand.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising periodically adjusting the multiple power supplies by the power management engine by rotating which of the multiple power supplies provide power to the multiple processors.

10. A method for power management in a computer system including multiple processors and multiple power supplies operable to supply power to the multiple processors, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of a change in an operating status of one or more of the multiple processors at a power management engine;

accessing a dynamic table listing historical power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors by the power management engine, the historical power-related data comprises at least one of inrush current data and steady state current data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors; and

adjusting one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed historical power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the computer system comprises multiple servers.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the received notification comprises a notification of a pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors; and

adjusting the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine comprises adjusting one or more of the multiple power supplies before the pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors is implemented.

13. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

accessing stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine; and

adjusting the one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed historical power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors and the accessed stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

14. A method for power management in a computer system including multiple processors and multiple power supplies operable to supply power to the multiple processors, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of a pending change in an operating status of one or more of the multiple processors at a power management engine;

accessing a dynamic table listing historical stored data regarding one or more of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine; and

in response to the received notification, adjusting at least one of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed historical stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

the historical stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies comprises at least one of inrush current delivery data, steady state current capacity data, and power efficiency data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

the historical stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies comprises at least one of load data, peak efficiency current data, and power supply response time data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

adjusting the at least one of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine comprises adjusting the at least one of the multiple power supplies before the pending change in the operating status of the one or more of the multiple processors is implemented.

18. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

accessing stored power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors; and

adjusting the at least one of the multiple power supplies by the power management engine based at least on the accessed historical stored data regarding the one or more of the multiple power supplies and the accessed power-related data regarding the one or more of the multiple processors.