Method for protecting a server from damage by a liquid leak from a liquid-cooling unit

A method for protecting a server from damage by a liquid leak event, the server including a power distribution board (PDB) and a plurality of baseboards electrically coupled to the power distribution board, each of the baseboards including a baseboard liquid-cooling unit, a baseboard liquid leak sensor unit to detect a liquid leak from the baseboard liquid-cooling unit, a baseboard management controller (BMC) unit electrically coupled to the baseboard liquid leak sensor unit, and a programmable logic circuit electrically coupled to the BMC unit, the power distribution board configured to supply electric power to each of the baseboards, the electric power including main power and standby power, said method comprising, when a liquid leak from the liquid-cooling unit of one of the baseboards, which is referred to as an event-related baseboard, has occurred:

• A) by an event-related baseboard liquid leak sensor unit, which is the baseboard liquid leak sensor unit of the event-related baseboard, generating and sending, upon detecting that a liquid leak from the liquid-cooling unit of the event-related baseboard has occurred, a baseboard leak notification that is related to the event-related baseboard to an event-related BMC unit, which is the BMC unit of the event-related baseboard;
• B) by the event-related BMC unit, generating and sending, based on the baseboard leak notification, a baseboard-leak main-power-off signal to an event-related programmable logic circuit, which is the programmable logic circuit of the event-related baseboard;
• C) by the event-related programmable logic circuit, stopping the main power from being supplied to the event-related baseboard upon receipt of the baseboard-leak main-power-off signal;
• D) by the event-related BMC unit, sending the baseboard leak notification to the power distribution board;
• E) by the power distribution board, sending the baseboard leak notification to each of the baseboard(s) other than the event-related baseboard;
• and
• F) by the power distribution board, stopping output of the electric power to the event-related baseboard a first predetermined length of time after receipt of the baseboard leak notification, so that the standby power is not supplied to the event-related baseboard, wherein the first predetermined length of time is so configured that the power distribution board stops output of the electric power to the event-related baseboard after the event-related programmable logic circuit has stopped supply of the main power to the event-related baseboard.

A method for protecting a server from damage by a liquid leak event, the server including a power distribution board (PDB) and a plurality of baseboards electrically coupled to the power distribution board, the power distribution board including a PDB liquid-cooling unit, a PDB liquid leak sensor unit to detect a liquid leak from the PDB liquid-cooling unit, and a microcontroller unit electrically coupled to the PDB liquid leak sensor unit, each of the baseboards including a baseboard management controller (BMC) unit and a programmable logic circuit electrically coupled to the BMC unit, the power distribution board configured to supply electric power to each of the baseboards, the electric power including main power and standby power, said method comprising:

• A) by the PDB liquid leak sensor unit, generating and sending a PDB leak notification to the microcontroller unit upon detecting that a liquid leak from the PDB liquid-cooling unit has occurred;
• B) by the microcontroller unit, generating and sending a PDB-leak main-power-off signal to the BMC units of the baseboards upon receipt of the PDB leak notification;
• C) by the BMC unit of each of the baseboards, sending the PDB-leak main-power-off signal to the programmable logic circuit of the baseboard upon receipt of the PDB-leak main-power-off signal;
• and
• D) by the programmable logic circuit of each of the baseboards, stopping supply of the main power to the baseboard upon receipt of the PDB-leak main-power-off signal.